By WWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns is one of the most protected stars in wrestling history — but even he has regrets. Sitting down with Shannon Sharpe for an episode of Club Shay Shay, the Street Fighter star (he plays Akuma in the upcoming film) admitted there are a few moments from his early career he would love to erase.
Roman Reigns (Credits: Fightful)
Asked if he would go back and change anything about his wrestling career, Reigns didn’t hesitate. “I probably would’ve said no a few more times early on,” he said. The problem, he explained, was that he lacked the standing to push back: “I just didn’t have the equity within the company. I wasn’t rooted well enough in the main event scene. I was still auditioning, I was still proving myself, I was still earning that equity.”
“Suffering Succotash” Still Haunts Him
Reigns specifically called out his infamous “suffering succotash” promo line — a cringeworthy catchphrase from over a decade ago that fans still throw back at him. “This was like 14 years ago and they’ll still quote me for saying suffering succotash,” he laughed. “This was so long ago; this was 12 years ago. I’ve delivered unbelievable work since then but still, I’ll be tied to that.”
The Tribal Chief said there are “probably two or three promos or scenarios, segments, or finishes of a match” that he would revisit — moments where he wished he had “the balls to be like, nah, not today, brother.”
The Street Fighter Media Blitz
Reigns’ media rounds come as the cast of the upcoming Street Fighter movie promotes the film, in which he portrays the demonic warrior Akuma. Between the film press and his WWE duties, it’s a busy stretch: he is scheduled to appear on the October 19 Monday Night Raw in San Diego, California, and tension with Oba Femi is already brewing after Money in the Bank.
Love him or hate him, Reigns’ candor is refreshing — a reminder that even the Head of the Table started out as a rookie who couldn’t say no.
Also Read: Roman Reigns on His WWE Schedule: “Quality Over Quantity Every Single Day of the Week”
Source: Fightful — read the full story there.
