Roman Reigns has at least one former WWE star in his corner. After Conrad Thompson spent days arguing that Reigns was the most overrated main-event star in WWE history, Ryback decided he’d had enough.
Instead of piling on, the former WWE star jumped onto Twitter with a lengthy defense of the Tribal Chief, arguing that while Roman was chosen to be the face of WWE, he still had to become the star he is today. Ryback started by pointing to his own experiences working alongside Reigns, saying the man behind the character earned his respect long before he became WWE’s top attraction.
“Roman Reigns has been nothing but professional, respectful, and hardworking every time I’ve shared a locker room or the ring with him. I worked with him quite a bit early on and at different points throughout my four years in WWE as Ryback, and I have nothing but respect for him.”
He wasn’t denying that WWE put its full weight behind Roman. If anything, Ryback openly admitted it. But he argued that’s how wrestling has always worked. Every company picks people it wants to build around. The real challenge, he said, is proving you belong once those opportunities arrive.
“Yes, he was chosen by the company and pushed heavily while he was learning and growing. That’s part of the business. Every major promotion has people they believe in and invest in. The opportunities may be given, but what you do with them is what ultimately matters. Roman continued to improve, learned from mistakes, handled enormous pressure, and built a résumé that speaks for itself.”
Ryback also agreed with one criticism that often comes up whenever Roman’s legacy is debated. No wrestler is bigger than WWE. But in his eyes, that shouldn’t be used to tear down everything Reigns accomplished over the last decade. He followed that up with another message aimed squarely at Roman’s critics.
“Would WWE survive without Roman? Of course. WWE has become such a massive global brand that no single talent is bigger than the company. That’s true for every wrestler who has ever been there. The next person steps up, and the business keeps moving forward. That doesn’t mean you should discredit what someone has accomplished. Success deserves respect, even if someone isn’t your personal favorite.”
The Big Guy argued that criticizing a wrestling company from the outside is easy. Building one into a success story is something else entirely.
“I’ve always believed if you don’t like the way a company is run, go build your own business and prove your vision works. It’s easy to criticize from the outside. Creating something successful is much harder. Wrestling is better when we recognize hard work and achievement instead of looking for reasons to tear people down. And that’s the last bite. Feed Me More!”
Ryback’s response comes after Thompson’s comments about Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman snowballed into one of wrestling’s biggest online debates this week. While lots of fans sided with Thompson, Ryback clearly believes Roman’s success wasn’t handed to him—it was earned.
Do you agree with Ryback, or do you think Conrad Thompson had a point about Roman Reigns? Let us know in the comments below.
