Roman Reigns is more than capable of doing the full WWE schedule, as he’s been doing it for a decade. But he’s also a father to five, something he calls “the number one hat that I wear,” so is there a way he can have the same impact as WWE’s top star without being on every single show?
The Undisputed WWE Universal Champion believes so. While speaking with the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast and host Jimmy Traina, Reigns confirmed that he had signed a new deal with WWE and provided some insight into what it entails.
He left no doubt about his family being the motivating factor behind his reduced schedule, which is understandable to anyone who is a parent (h/t to Fightful for the transcription).
For me, it was trying to balance everything. Someone who has five children, we’re in a critical portion of their lives where they are so young and this is where we build these relationships and bonds and they get to know who their dad is. For me, it was extremely important that I can build my fatherhood as the priority and the number one hat that I wear. In WWE, Vince (McMahon) and everybody was very good about accommodating that and making sure to keep me in the WWE family.
Having top talent on a part-time schedule has been a subject of some debate around WWE in recent years, with some wrestlers even zeroing in on others during their promos because of it — with Brock Lesnar as the most frequent target, considering he wasn’t on WWE television weekly even when he was champion.
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Reigns acknowledged that he won’t be on every show but explained that the reaction from fans should still hold up well, and having the champ appear more selectively might even make those appearances feel more special.
Compared to what I did, technically, compared to a full-time, on everything, you only get a day and a half a week, yeah, it’s part-time compared to what I usually run. I’m an annual character on WWE television. It’s done well so far. The reactions, it makes everything feel more special if you’re not as attainable or available. It puts a little mystique around you. Pretty much all of the houses have done well. The actual reaction, the decibel level is still very high. I couldn’t have planned for it to go any better. Hopefully, we’ll continue to build that. I’ve done it to where, I could do it every single week, that’s no problem. At the same time, if the quality is high, the quantity doesn’t have to be crazy.
Reigns also added that when it comes to his premium live event matches, “I’ll always support those with TV to build the story and rivalry going forward.” True to his word, he’s been on Raw and SmackDown several times over the past few weeks, including this past Friday as he heads toward a title defense against Drew McIntyre at Clash at the Castle on Sept. 3.
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