JBL spent a good chunk of the latest Something To Wrestle arguing with Conrad Thompson about Roman Reigns, and by the end of it he was calling him a Roman Reigns hater.
Thompson has been at the centre of the week’s biggest wrestling argument since telling Eric Bischoff that he considers Reigns the most overrated main eventer in WWE history. Bischoff agreed. Jim Ross, asked the same question on his own show, would not. Bischoff then spent much of this week’s episode answering the reaction without changing his mind.
JBL, co-hosting in Bruce Prichard’s absence, took the other side.
Thompson’s argument is that WWE decided Reigns was the top man rather than the audience choosing him, and that a wrestler working six or seven dates a year cannot be credited with the company’s business. JBL’s answer was that the job description does not work that way.
“If business is bad, you blame the top guy. If business is good, you give the top guy credit to some degree or not. Is Nick Khan one of the greatest executives? He’s one of the greatest executives in the world. He’s not just wrestling. Nick Khan’s a genius. But Roman is the guy that’s spearheading the ship. Now, is he surrounded by a lot of great talent? Absolutely. So was Hogan. So was Sammartino.”
Asked who decided Reigns was the top guy, he pointed at the record.
“He’s main evented more WrestleManias than anybody in history. How is he not the top guy? He comes back, he’s main event. How is he not the top guy?”
Thompson raised a crowd booing Reigns for eight minutes as evidence against him. JBL took it as evidence for him.
“We never thought we’d see dominance like Bruno until we saw Roman. And you mentioned that the people sat out there and booed for eight minutes without a break. Name another character in the last 20 years that people would do anything for for eight minutes.”
“I know it, but at least it’s a reaction. I’m telling you, it’s a reaction.”
“Will people come to see him lose? I don’t give a s*** if he’s called a babyface or a heel. He’s a draw, and Roman is the face of the company in the most profitable era in wrestling history. I never dreamed you’d have billion dollar TV contracts.”
Thompson’s response was to ask JBL to show him a television contract Reigns negotiated. JBL said no top star has ever negotiated one.
“Show me the TV contract Hogan negotiated. He didn’t negotiate it. Stone Cold didn’t negotiate it. My argument is that he oversaw that. He’s the top guy. He’s not negotiating the contracts. There’s a lot of other great talent there at WWE that are responsible for it also, but he’s the top guy.”
He accused Thompson of applying a different standard to Reigns than to anyone else.
“You’re picking and choosing. You’re cherry picking. Oh, it meant something when Hogan was in it. It meant something when Stone Cold was. It doesn’t mean anything when Roman does it.”
“I didn’t realise you’re such a freaking Roman Reigns hater.”
On the argument that Reigns only worked because of Paul Heyman, JBL pointed to Arnold Skaaland managing Bruno Sammartino, and said the same story with a lesser figure in the centre would not have worked.
“Some little campy group that Sami Zayn was still as charismatic with instead of Roman Reigns, would it have been as effective? No, because it’s because you’re playing off of Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman.”
“It’s like saying Joe Montana would not be a great quarterback without Jerry Rice. They happened to play together, and because they did, they both made each other better.”
Reigns retained the World Heavyweight Championship against Seth Rollins at SummerSlam and is advertised for Money in the Bank in October and Survivor Series in November.
