Conrad Thompson says Brock Lesnar is exactly why he still believes Roman Reigns is the most overrated main-event star in WWE history.
After his comments about Roman set off days worth of backlash, Thompson returned to the topic on Something to Wrestle with JBL and explained that the comparison everyone should be making isn’t Roman versus other top stars—it’s Roman versus Brock Lesnar.
According to Thompson, Brock spent years being criticized for working a limited schedule despite building one of the greatest résumés in WWE history. Meanwhile, he believes Roman Reigns is routinely placed in “greatest of all time” discussions without being held to the same standard.
“Brock had Paul Heyman do it. He was a part-timer. All kinds of negativity. And I asked myself, ‘Why does Roman get a pass?’ I don’t understand.”
Thompson made it clear that his comments were never meant to suggest Roman isn’t a great performer. In fact, he praised Roman’s SummerSlam match against Seth Rollins, calling it one of the best bouts of the weekend. His issue, he said, is that fans have rewritten how difficult Roman’s rise to the top actually was.
“I enjoyed their match with Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns on Sunday night. I thought it was probably the best match of the weekend… Roman Reigns has 11 WrestleMania main events… I feel like there’s so much revisionist history about Roman Reigns these days. Vince McMahon did that for Roman Reigns in 2014, in 2015, in 2016, in 2017… They didn’t want to see Roman in that spot.”
Thompson then pointed back to the Beast Incarnate again, arguing that Lesnar rarely receives the same “greatest ever” treatment despite everything he accomplished inside WWE.
“Did I not give a ton of credit to Brock Lesnar an hour ago and say he was one of the biggest big-money players in WWE history? Did I not just say that? Did I not say he was one of the biggest attractions ever? Did I not say he was one of the greatest athletes ever? But it’s interesting to me that nobody has that conversation about Brock Lesnar like he’s the GOAT, but we immediately do for Roman.”
Thompson argued that Roman Reigns’ career completely changed once Paul Heyman became part of the act, calling it the defining turning point of his run.
“I think Roman Reigns’ success is the greatest trick Paul Heyman ever pulled. I think that the career of Roman Reigns that apparently so many people have forgotten about is a tale of two Romans. There’s pre-Paul Heyman and there’s post-Paul Heyman.”
Thompson added that WWE deserves enormous credit for refusing to abandon Roman during the years fans rejected him. In his view, Roman absolutely became a superstar—but WWE manufactured that success through years of persistence rather than an organic rise.
“WWE decided we’re going to put Roman Reigns in this spot and then he’s there. It’s not like, ‘Man, this guy got over organically on his own.’ They booed the s*** out of him… Vince McMahon deserves the credit for seeing it through. He was right. Roman Reigns is a star. That’s not debatable. But when I call him an industry plant… WWE wanted to make a top guy and they made a top guy.”
Whether fans agree with him or not, Thompson isn’t backing off his opinion. If anything, he’s made it clear that comparing Roman Reigns to Brock Lesnar is exactly why he believes his original argument still holds up.
Do you think Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns are judged by different standards, or is Conrad Thompson missing the mark? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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