6) The Miz
The Miz knows Roman Reigns pretty well, having wrestled him a few times. Most notably, the two-faced off early in 2016 in a Champion vs Champion match on Smackdown. Reigns as the WWE World Champ and the Miz as the WWE Intercontinental Champion.
The Miz was interviewed for Sports Illustrated, where he defended Reigns against the negative backlash that he was receiving from fans.
On the star power of Reigns:
“WrestleMania my favorite week of the year. As annoying as it kind of is, it is still cool to see everyone outside our hotel, hoping to catch a glimpse of anyone from WWE, like a Roman Reigns” (Source: Sports Illustrated).
On fans booing Reigns:
“You know, you boo Roman Reigns, but there is no denying his athletic talent. The only reason you guys don’t like him is because you think the company is giving him the rocket, but the fact is the guy deserves it. He has a coolness, and he’s calm, cool, collected in that ring. As much as you want to boo him, the fact still remains that guy is talented, he’s tough, and he’s very good at what he does.” (Source: Sports Illustrated).
Another guy going to bat for Reigns.
5) Tommy Dreamer
Tommy Dreamer made a brief return to WWE in 2015 where he was involved in a storyline with the Dudley Boyz and the Wyatt Family. Although he hasn’t wrestled Reigns, he said watching him live made him a big fan and supporter of his.
During an interview with Busted Open Radio, Tommy Dreamer tells the story of seeing Reigns live and instantly becoming a fan of his.
Here is what he said about the negative backlash towards Roman:
“I’m a huge Roman Reigns supporter…. We work for the reactions and we work for people talking about it the next day. I watched (Reigns) and Sheamus work about 25 minutes on a Sunday show and they had a WrestleMania match and the people were so into it. Right then and there, I was like, ‘That guy is pure money’. I saw it live and I just watched it and I totally saw why he’s the man and he should be the man” (Source: Busted Open Radio).
He continued:
“I wish he went out there and talked like Mike Tyson, who couldn’t really cut a strong promo because of the way he actually spoke. You’d be like, ‘Oh, I could kick that man’s butt. Listen to how he talks’, but yet Mike Tyson was the baddest man on the planet. If they kind of went that way with Roman Reigns, when you think about it, we loved to hate Mike Tyson and then we just loved Mike Tyson. It’s an interesting time for the Roman Reigns lovers and haters. I’m a Roman Reigns lover” (Source: Busted Open Radio).
Seal of approval from Tommy.
4) Santino Marella
Santino Marella was released by WWE in early 2016. He was wrestling full-time with WWE when Reigns and the Shield broke onto the main roster (2012) and has appeared sporadically over the last few years. He has nothing but good thing to say about Reigns.
During an interview with Under the Mat Radio, Santino was asked about the negative reaction that Reigns was receiving from fans. Santino defended Reigns, saying there is no reason for fans to boo Reigns.
Here is what he said:
“Sometimes the fans should just enjoy the product, if you spend your time as a fan wishing it was something different you’re not going to have a good experience. Roman Reigns is awesome – people are silly – he looks the part, he’s a great human being, he’s a locker room leader” (Source: Under The Mat Radio).
He continued:
“There should be no reason people are booing him unless they jealous of his hair or something lol. He speaks up, he’s an independent man, and he’s a stud” (Source: Under The Mat Radio).
Another example of Reigns being praised by someone who was backstage with him.
Use the buttons below for more examples of wrestlers that have defended Roman Reigns against critics.