Jake Roberts isn’t impressed with Roman Reigns’ current work. The WWE Hall of Famer didn’t hold back either, saying he thinks Reigns has gotten “fat” and “lazy” while also questioning whether WWE’s creative process is partly to blame.
Speaking to Inside the Ropes, Roberts was asked about Roman Reigns after someone in the audience mentioned the WWE World Heavyweight Champion as their favorite wrestler. That led Roberts into a very blunt assessment of Reigns, saying he believes there’s far more to him than what fans are currently getting and going so far as to say Reigns got “fat” and “lazy.”
“I just don’t like Roman with what he does out there. I think that he has better stuff in him yet, but I think that maybe he got a little fat, got a little lazy. You know, sometimes when you’re given so much, you quit producing.”
Roberts also suggested Reigns might not be entirely to blame. He said WWE’s creative process could be playing a role, arguing that today’s wrestlers are often too heavily scripted compared to previous generations.
“And I feel like then either that or he just needed better writers. Maybe that was it. You know, I forget that today that you don’t think about your—they write everything for you.”
That led Roberts to explain why he doesn’t think he’d fit into today’s version of WWE. He said one of the biggest strengths of his career was being able to create and deliver his own promos, something he believes no writer could ever do for him.
“I couldn’t wrestle today, man, because I’d be going crazy. I want to do my own interviews, man. I don’t want nobody else writing for me, man. Nobody knows Jake like Jake.”
Whether fans agree with Roberts or not, he clearly feels Reigns is capable of offering more than he’s currently showing. At the same time, Roberts also believes the modern WWE system limits performers in ways that didn’t exist during his own career.
What do you think of Jake Roberts’ comments about Roman Reigns? Let us know in the comments below.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
