Roman Reigns may not be wrestling every week anymore, but he made it clear this week that WWE is still very much his territory.
Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show ahead of Saturday’s WWE Royal Rumble (see video below), Reigns delivered an in-character message aimed at the rest of the roster, challenging everyone else to step up creatively and take advantage of the opportunities in front of them.
Reigns’ in-ring schedule has slowed over the past couple of years, with the Royal Rumble marking his first match since Survivor Series.
Still, during his McAfee appearance, The Tribal Chief spoke as if he’s never left the spotlight.
“There’s always a mindset of that,” Reigns responded when asked if he feels like WWE will always be his show. “But to be completely honest and transparent here, two years ago it all changed around and what I’ve been doing out there hasn’t exactly been the same of what I’ve done before.”
Reigns framed his reduced presence as intentional, saying he’s given others plenty of room to shine.
Whether they’ve taken advantage of it or not.
“And the way I look at it is, I’m a generous Tribal Chief. I give the people plenty of time,” Reigns said. “These young talent, they say we hog all the TV time. They’ll complain about one thing, and then I leave an opening, I give them plenty of space to create whatever type of superstardom they want. Get over, kids. Get over. You know what I mean?”
That patience, according to Reigns, hasn’t resulted in the creative evolution he believes WWE needs, especially with the company’s business momentum continuing to grow.
“And we’re two years here now, and we haven’t advanced,” he added. “We haven’t evolved. We have great leadership in Nick Khan. God bless him, what a businessman. He’s a genius. But we have to be able to keep up with that creatively. And that’s why people like me, people who are striving to be the very best, the greatest, the GOATs, the [Michael Jordans], I just can’t sit around and see [mediocrity] — not when I set it up for everybody to just slam it home.”
Reigns pointed specifically to WWE’s move to Netflix as a moment that demands urgency and execution.
“I mean, we’re on Netflix for crying out loud. You gotta capitalize,” Reigns said. “We have people playing around and trying to figure it out. And I got the formula. I know how to cook it up.”
Despite the criticism, Reigns acknowledged that his own lighter schedule has been necessary, citing both family life and the wear and tear of a historic run at the top.
“So it’s been a tough couple of years for me, but at the same time, when you come off such a hell of a run, you’ve gotta kind of just pump the brakes for a second,” he said. “You know, I’ve got five children at home. We all wear those two important hats, being a husband and a father. And I’ve been on the road for a long time.”
Still, Reigns made it clear that slowing down doesn’t mean he’s slowing up.
“So I needed to be able to pull back a little bit, but I’m fully capable. And I’m only 40 years old,” Reigns continued. “With all the tech and all the information we have now, I feel like I’m 25 years old. So I’m still good to go.”
Roman Reigns makes his WWE in-ring return in the 30-man Royal Rumble match at Saturday’s WWE Royal Rumble: Riyadh premium live event in Saudi Arabia.
- WWE ROYAL RUMBLE NEWS: WWE Royal Rumble 2026: Date, Location, Streaming, Rumored Matches & Everything You Need To Know
