9) Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho has wrestled Roman Reigns numerous times on WWE TV and at live events. Working with him, he has gained a great respect for both the wrestler and the man. He has defended Reigns on numerous occasions.
Jericho on his opinion of Reigns:
“I like Roman Reigns, if the fans don’t appreciate Roman Reigns or don’t like him, shut the hell up in complaining to me because you’ll never sway my opinion. “Everyone has an opinion, everyone is allowed to have an opinion and my opinion is I like Roman Reigns. I always have, I always will and if you don’t like it, I don’t care. This is my opinion” (Source: Talk is Jericho).
After Reigns was suspended for violating WWE’s wellness policy, Jericho came to his defence again:
“Reigns is a cool cat. He’ll own it, come back and be a bigger star in the future. I’m a huge Reigns fan and continue to be” (Source: For The Win).
Looks like Reigns isn’t on the LIST.
8) Triple H
Triple H faced Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania 32 for the WWE World Title. They also have a history together in the ring dating back to Reigns’ days with the Shield. Triple H has defended Reigns on a couple of occasions from critics.
In an interview before their match together at Wrestlemania 32, Triple H was asked about the crowds negative response to Roman:
“He’s a great kid, and I’m really happy for his success and how well he’s done. But it’s a tough road and a long road. That success has come fast. Sometimes that can be a blessing and sometimes it can be a curse. So I think he’s done the best that he can with it” (Source: CBS Sports).
He continued:
“You know, the hardest thing in this business to do now is, as a character, to either make everyone love you or everyone hate you. The world is a divided place in politics, in music and everything. Choices now, and people’s opinions, are front and center more than ever. The Internet makes that readily available to everybody. They know all of the machinations of everything and the behind-the-scenes of everything, you know It used to be that the good guy was the guy that didn’t cheat, you know what I mean? It was just very simple. The world has changed. I think [Reigns has] done a phenomenal job. He’s, you know, from a behind-the-scenes standpoint, a great human being. I’m really happy for his success, as I am for all of them” (Source: CBS Sports).
Some kind words from the Game.
7) Dean Ambrose
Dean Ambrose made his debut alongside Roman Reigns as members of the Shield. Over the years, the two have become close friends outside of the ring. Not surprisingly, Ambrose defended Reigns when asked about the negative crowd reaction he has received from fans.
Here is what he said in an interview for Sporting News:
“If you have a phone and an internet connection you can have a podcast and you can be like ‘oh, let’s discuss this controversy’. It makes it out to be more than it really is because I’m in the towns with him every single night and people cheer for him pretty much every single night. He’s a big freaking star who a lot of people love which means a lot of people are going to hate him too” (Source: Sporting News).
He continued:
“To me, the whole ‘will the fan accept Roman Reigns?’. Well, they’re going to have to because he’s probably, if he wins the WWE Championship, well, then he’s going to be a big star and you’re going to tune in and watch him every single week and you can write whatever you want on your little blog or whatever. You’re going to watch him every single week on TV and you’re going to pay for the (WWE) Network and you’re going to buy pay-per-views and buy tickets and you’re going to essentially pay his bills” (Source: Sporting News).
Some strong words from his former Shield brother.
Use the buttons below for more examples of wrestlers that have defended Roman Reigns against critics.
