Roman Reigns on The Rock
Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns recently spoke with ESPN’s Marc Raimondi and talked about how he met Rock several times when he was young, but has no memory of it. He recalled watching Dwayne on TV right before he broke out into a megastar as The Rock, as that was around the same time as their brief backstage meeting when Reigns was a pre-teen. Reigns noted that Rock greeted his younger cousin by calling him Sole (pronounced SOH-lay), a Samoan term of endearment akin to “bro” or “dude.”
Reigns said over the years he and Rock have gotten “really close,” but due to their busy schedules, it can be challenging for them to talk often. However, shared experiences, like their time together on the movie set of “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw,” have made it easy to “fast track” their discussions, he said. Reigns commented on their similar paths and experiences.
“It’s weird, because the paths and experiences are so similar that when we are together it’s like we cover a month’s ground of conversation and things,” Reigns said. “Some stuff just doesn’t have to be said, because we’ve experienced the same stuff. And I have the mindset to experience a lot of things that he’s gone through since he’s been done with wrestling.”
Rock vs. Reigns was rumored for WrestleMania 39, depending on Rock’s schedule and ring shape, but that match obviously is not happening this weekend. Paul Heyman noted to ESPN that Rock would not have enough time, with his acting schedule, to get into the kind of cardiovascular shape he would want to be in for a match of that magnitude.
Reigns commented on the potential blockbuster bout and if he still wants it. “I think anybody would love to have that match,” Reigns said. “They’d be lying [if they said they didn’t]. I could ‘Tribal Chief’ you and say blah, blah. But at the end of the day, I want what’s going to be biggest for the fans, because that’s going to reflect what I was able to accomplish. And if that’s one of the biggest ones out there, let’s do it. But if not, like everything else in life, we’re going to roll with the punches.”