Roman Reigns Defends Being Pushed as WWE's Top Star for So Long

Long before Roman Reigns turned heel and established himself as WWE's unstoppable "Tribal Chief" over on Friday Night SmackDown, the current Universal Champion was being positioned as WWE's top babyface. But with the exception of his return from battling leukemia in 2019, that effort was met with an overwhelmingly negative reception from live crowds and vocal fans online. But while the reaction to Reigns was always divided, it remained consistently energetic. As Reigns explained in an interview with Forbes this week, it's that reaction that justifies him being on top of WWE's card for so long.

"There's never a time when my music hits, where it's 'Oh, I don't care.' It's either 'I love this guy' or 'I hate this guy,'" Reigns said. "I've always been able to really pull on the emotional strings of our crowd. For me, that reaction has always been an incredible strength of mine and it's always been something I've been able to rely on.

"Yeah, you say you like this person or think this person should be in my position or this person deserves it or they've been through a greater journey or more adversity, but when it comes down to it, who makes the crowd louder? I've always, always been that guy. There's only a handful of guys in the history of our company and the history of our business that can say they have it — that factor that registers with the people, that makes the people stand up and make noise, and I'm in that group."

Reigns will defend his Universal title against Edge at Sunday's Money in the Bank event, and is reportedly scheduled to face a returning John Cena at SummerSlam in August. In the interviews where he's been asked about the 16-time world champion, Reigns has repeatedly warned Cena to stay away.

"If John wants to get smashed, then he knows where I'm at, when it comes to whooping people's ass, I do not discriminate," Reigns told the ACC Network last month. "Luchadores, mat wrestlers, legends, Hollywood superstars, anybody. Anybody can get it."

Check out the full lineup for Money in the Bank below:

• WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns vs. Edge
• WWE Championship: Bobby Lashley vs. Kofi Kingston
• Raw Women's Championship: Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair
• Raw Tag Team Championships: AJ Styles & Omos vs. The Viking Raiders
• Men's Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Ricochet vs. John Morrison vs. Riddle vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Big E vs. Kevin Owens vs. King Nakamura vs. Seth Rollins
• Women's Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Asuka vs. Naomi vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Nikki Cross vs. Liv Morgan vs. Zelina Vega vs. Natalya vs. TBA