Ahead of WrestleMania 39, Ariel Helwani sits down with Roman Reigns. The interview covers the lengthy reign as Universal Champion, who is on Reigns’ Mount Rushmore and more. The notable quotes and interview video are below:

On not doing a lot of media:

“Not unhappy, almost put off. You know, I just felt like there was quite a bit of bias within your interview [with Cody Rhodes]. If you were interviewing your fan favourite, Where’s Roman at? Why isn’t he doing media? This is my first shebang. How much more do I need to do for this company? [Do] You want me to just have to promote all week and neglect my family?”

On the Needle Mover line:

“That’s the thing. I give you good stuff, here’s some clicks, let’s grow your audience. Then you do me like that! Man! [Ariel – the merch was nice] Of course it is, I’m attached to it. It’s always great. That’s why I am so valuable, that’s every other metric and analytic you want to look at.” 

On feeling under appreciated:

“Well I think we live in a what have you done for me lately world. I feel like we’re in like a fast food, and it’s I need shorts, give me it quick! I need something new, I only have 20 seconds and I want the new thing that is going to make me laugh or, you know, entertain me. I think it’s a built in situation, but that’s the mindset that we have. Once again, to quote my wiseman, every week is an audition to be invited back next week. So if we don’t kill it, if we don’t create a moment, if we don’t showcase a new layer, if we don’t continually showcase this compounding of levels and show why we are so much better, then we aren’t. That’s why we have continually done what we have done over the course of 3 years to continue to create these moments, continue to create these things that feel new. That’s why I am still here.”

On the 1,000 day title reign:

[Did you believe it would turn out like this?] Yeah. I believed it since Dusty told me you are it. You have it, you can’t sell it if you wanted to, you can’t get rid of it, you are it. It’s been ingrained in me. Like I said, I’ve been groomed. Wiseman, I don’t have to [say] Analytics, how great are we? He can just start going, you know what I mean? These are just things that I have come to expect, that my family has come to expect. It is on me as the man of this family, The Tribal Chief of this family, to continue to push us forward. So yeah, I have great expectations, but I have a lot of faith in my ability, the potential that I have, and my drive to capitalise on it.”

On Montreal and Elimination Chamber and transitioning from Sami Zayn to Cody Rhodes:

“[Were you worried?]. No, no, because I knew the wealth of a story that we have with Cody. I knew that dating all the way back to 2010 and 2011, the time that I spent under the learning tree of The American Dream. The history that Paul has with his family, there are so many things to tap into, and we’ve been able to. Everybody thought that Drew was the guy, and they thought they were going to do it over there. You [Ariel] were over there across the pond, Drew come on, hometown guy, you selling out again, but we made it work. Sami is the guy, I’ll give you that one, I’ll give you Montreal. But I smashed him [Zayn], and now they all love Cody. It’s just the way it works. Once I am done smashing Cody, we will make somebody else relevant. That’s just the whole gimmick, that’s the island of relevancy.”

On there being a worry that there is no one left:

“No, because I am always here. That’s why I am the best, I make it work. Give me a Logan Paul, we got somebody running around here that I can make it work with, you know. We’ll get you [Ariel] out of that suit and I’ll bounce you around for 15 minutes.”

Were we ever close on getting The Rock:

“I don’t really know that. That’s more of a wiseman . Some of the stuff, I don’t necessarily want on my plate, so that’s why having a special counsel is so brilliant, because we are able to sift through the things, filter the things I need to worry about and the things I don’t need to worry about. This weekend is a great example of that.”

On The Rock teasing the match too:

“He’s a smart businessman. He knows what he is doing.”

On the tease being for over 2 years:

“Not with me, because I am so thoroughly tied into what I am doing within the WWE. that’s why you haven’t seen me in a movie, that’s why you haven’t seen me cameo in this or that. They’re available, I can do that stuff anytime that I want. But I am so, and this with I’m not on every loop, I’m not doing house shows, there are some particular shows that I do. But I am never out, I am always in. If I am not producing then I am protecting. I am always a part of it and always thinking and grinding Bloodline. It never shuts off. So for me, it’s a built in situation.”

On how much longer does Roman want to do this for:

“At this pace I take good care of myself. As long as it makes sense. I feel good, I’ll be 38 in a couple of months. I still feel like I could probably push till definitely 45 if I wanted to, I don’t need to. But really, it’s just about what is available, the art. Whether it’s the accolades, 1,000 days, great. Alright, let’s do 1,500, cool, 2,000. Or no it’s something that is pulling me, I have to do this, I have to create this on camera, I have to build this dynamic on camera. If something like that comes along too, then that will motivate me as well.” 

Who is on Roman Reigns’ Mount Rushmore:

“It’s The Bloodline, we are the best. I’m from this business, I respect every one of them immensely and they know it. I wouldn’t put my life and everything that I do into this like I do if I didn’t have that love and respect. But at best they were 3D characters, we are all 4D characters. Nobody has ever done that, nobody has the amount of layered characters that we have. That’s just the artform I’m talking about, all of the business backs that too. Untouchable, but this is a proud and subjective situation. Everybody can make the claim for theirs, but I am at the point where I feel like I don’t need to make any claims. It is what it is.” 

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