Roman Reigns has not held back on the current state of WWE as he nears his return at the Royal Rumble.
Speaking to Pat McAfee on the eve of the first pay-per-view in 2026, Reigns suggested WWE has not evolved creatively and some of the young stars are yet to get ‘over’.
“To be completely honest and transparent, two years ago, everything changed. What I’ve been doing out there hasn’t exactly been the same as what I’ve done before.
“The way I look at it, I’m a generous tribal chief. I give the people plenty of time – these young talents, get over, kids, get over, you know what I mean?
“And now we’re two years in, and we haven’t advanced. We haven’t evolved. We have great leadership – Nick Khan, God bless him, what a businessman, a genius—but we have to be able to keep up creatively.
“That’s why people like me – people striving to be the very best, the greatest, the GOATs, the MJs – just can’t sit around and watch mediocrity. Not when I’ve set it up for everybody to see at home.
“I mean, we’re on Netflix, for crying out loud. We’ve got people over here playing around, trying to figure it out, and I have the formula. I know how to cook it up.”
Reigns took a reduced schedule a couple of years ago which has seen him dip in and out like Brock Lesnar did once upon a time.
The 40-year-old took the company to new heights with The Bloodline storyline and his record breaking world title reign helping to usher in the Netflix deal WWE now enjoys.
But he isn’t impressed with the work done by his peers in his absence. Is he speaking in character. Absolutely. Is he mixing in some of his real feelings as well? Probably, yes.
When explaining why he needed to take a reduced schedule, Reigns admitted the grind of WWE and his busy family life finally collided.
“It’s been a tough couple of years for me, but at the same time, after such a hell of a run, you’ve got to pump the brakes for a second.
“I’ve got five children at home. We all wear two important hats: being a husband and a father. You have to be able to click in. I’ve been on the road for a long time, so I needed to pull back a little.”
Reigns will return to the WWE for the first time since Survivor Series at the Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia.
