MVP has heard the argument that Roman Reigns is one of WWE’s most overrated main eventers, but he only agrees with one part of it. While the AEW star can understand why some fans may question Reigns’ popularity outside wrestling, he strongly rejected the idea that WWE simply manufactured his success.
Speaking on the “Marking Out podcast,” MVP was asked about Conrad Thompson’s recent criticism of Reigns. Thompson had described the World Heavyweight Champion as an “industry plant,” but MVP believes there is an important distinction between Reigns’ mainstream recognition and what he has accomplished within WWE.
The former WWE United States Champion acknowledged that Reigns does not appear to have the same crossover appeal as John Cena, The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin or Hulk Hogan. He noted that those stars became recognizable even to people who did not watch professional wrestling.
“I don’t necessarily see Roman Reigns being the same, having the same level of popularity outside of wrestling. But the numbers say different in terms of his star power, his drawing power within wrestling. My perception, like, you walk down the street and ask 10 people, ‘Do you know John Cena?’ Six or seven of them are going to say, ‘Yeah.’ Walk down the street and ask 10 people, ‘Do you know Stone Cold Steve Austin? Do you know The Rock? Do you know Hulk Hogan?’ And, yeah, they know. I don’t know if Roman Reigns has that same mainstream crossover appeal. I don’t know. It doesn’t seem to me.”
For MVP, those numbers are difficult to ignore. He pointed to Reigns’ merchandise and ticket sales before explaining what Brock Lesnar taught him about identifying a legitimate box-office draw.
“But in terms of being the man for WWE, the numbers say different. His merch sales, ticket sales. Yeah. ‘Acknowledge me.’”
MVP then gave an example of what Lesnar told him about the value of a top star. If a WWE event sells 20,000 tickets without Reigns and adding him to the card brings another 5,000 people through the doors, that is the clearest sign of drawing power.
“When you add box office, I’ve talked about it before where Brock Lesnar was talking to, teaching him, when you become box office. If you do a show in some location and it’s a WWE show and Roman Reigns is not on the card and you sell, I don’t know, 20,000 tickets, if you add Roman Reigns, you’re going to sell another 5,000 tickets. So, I disagree very strongly with Conrad. The industry plant, I think that’s absolutely ridiculous.”
MVP’s argument is that Roman Reigns’ long journey to becoming one of WWE’s biggest stars does not make his success artificial. The company may have continued pushing him when fans were divided, but MVP believes “the OTC” ultimately backed that investment up by becoming a proven draw.
What Conrad Thompson Said About Roman Reigns
(Photo by Cooper Neill/WWE via Getty Images)
Conrad Thompson made his comments on “83 Weeks” podcast while discussing Reigns’ SummerSlam match against Seth Rollins. He called Reigns “probably the most overrated main eventer in WWE history” and argued that WWE spent years pushing him despite resistance from the audience.
“I think Roman Reigns is probably the most overrated main eventer in WWE history. I know this isn’t a wrestling term, it’s a music term, but Roman Reigns is what music would call an industry plant. I don’t think if Roman Reigns disappears tomorrow WWE’s fortune changes at all.”
Thompson also questioned whether Reigns has the same passionate following as other top WWE stars and criticized the way the company continued positioning him at the top. He compared Reigns’ presentation to Goldberg and suggested fans had been conditioned to accept him as WWE’s top star rather than choosing him organically.
Eric Bischoff agreed with Thompson’s overall criticism during the discussion, adding another voice to the debate over Roman Reigns’ place among WWE’s biggest main eventers.
The timing of the discussion is notable because Reigns continues to occupy the position Thompson questioned. The current World Heavyweight Champion defended his title against Penta on the September 14 episode of RAW in Mexico City, defeating him with a Spear.
Whatever fans think about Reigns’ mainstream profile, his current position in WWE remains difficult to overlook. He has held the World Heavyweight Championship since WrestleMania 42 and continues to headline major shows, giving MVP a straightforward answer to the argument that Reigns’ place at the top exists only because WWE decided it should.
