WWE's Roman Reigns Reveals He Blanked During Famous John Cena Promo
It doesn't get much bigger in WWE than The Tribal Chief Roman Reigns, and it doesn't appear that the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion is going to lose that lofty spot atop WWE anytime soon. It was a different Roman Reigns though in 2017, as Reigns was still finding himself in his promos and presentation, and this was pretty clear after a war of words with John Cena on Monday Night Raw. Reigns and Cena would deliver dueling promos in the ring, and during a conversation on Logan Paul's Impaulsive podcast, Reigns was asked about ad-libbing promos. That led to a discussion about blanking during promos, and when asked about that promo battle against Cena, Reigns revealed he did blank a bit during that back and forth.
When asked about ad-libbing promos and responding to people in the crowd, Reigns said "With me, this comes back to experience and just like having the time in...if you're going to ad-lib, it's good. You want to ad-lib because it's a live performance, but sometimes an ad-lib takes your eye off the ball, so now you go let's get back on track and...'where was I'. So that's key."
He was then asked if he's blanked during a promo before, and Reigns said "Oh yeah, I've blanked a few times. I probably blanked a couple weeks...but when you get to a certain point you just roll through it." That's when Reigns was asked about the Cena promo specifically and if he blanked during that one, with Reigns saying "Oh yeah that was one of em. Yeah. Trying to think back. Yeah, I think I did yeah."
Paul then asked if that promo ignited something or made him better instantly, and it certainly had a positive impact on Reigns, though it wasn't just that moment.
"I think just being in that position and going through that experience made me better," Reigns said. "I don't think it was anything that John specifically, you know what I mean? Because I take from everybody I've worked with. Everybody I've competed with I always try to take something that I learn from them. It's like looking at a, if you're an offensive coordinator and I'm working under you as a quarterback coach or something. It's like 'man that offense was good. I'm going to take everything that I like from it and I'm going to add a little bit to my own playbook and then I've got my own formula here.
Since that promo Reigns has become a natural on the mic and these days is just being himself for the most part and having fun with the audience. As for what's next, Reigns just defeated Drew McIntyre at Clash at the Castle and is taking a small break before defending his Title again, and his next opponent isn't known just yet. We could end up seeing Karrion Kross take him on, but he seems primed for a match against McIntyre, so we'll just have to wait and see.
What did you think of Reigns' comments? Let us know in the comments or as always you can talk all things wrestling with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!