WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi has weighed in on the monumental return of his nephew, Roman Reigns, on this past week’s episode of Monday Night Raw. He praised the massive reaction Reigns received, gave him a new nickname, and stated that he believes Reigns should be in a singles match at SummerSlam, not the rumored tag team match.
“Good For Business”
Speaking on his Off The Top podcast, Rikishi discussed the undeniable impact Reigns has every time he appears. He pushed back on the “part-timer” criticism and emphasized his nephew’s immense value to WWE and its business partners.
“So doesn’t he always, I mean, doesn’t he always, every time, you know, Roman comes out? I mean, it’s nothing new, right? I mean, I’m sure everybody was happy to see him come back… Roman brings that, that vibe, no matter how long he’s gone or absence, like they would like to say, right? Because I’m sure there’s other businesses that Roman has just besides wrestling. If you’re putting all your business into wrestling, well, then you’re an idiot, right?… But you when you hear that crowd. We all seen it. We all witnessed it. Ain’t my first time, and neither is their first time or the world’s first time. But you can tell how happy people are, and that’s the main thing, is entertainment… I’ll tell you who’s really happy. Who’s that? Who’s really happy is TKO WWE, Netflix. Because at the end of the day, the numbers don’t lie. And I’ll always say Samoan dynasty will always, will always, be good for business.”
“God Mode Stands Alone”
With speculation running rampant that Reigns will team with Jey Uso or Jimmy Uso at SummerSlam, Rikishi made it clear that he believes the returning star is above being in a tag team match against Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker. He introduced his own nickname for Reigns and had a strong message for the rest of the locker room.
“Do I think God Mode needs to be in a tag? No, I don’t. God Mode stands alone. That’s his new name, I’m gonna call him, God Mode. Because he’s good for business, he’s the one that makes things happen. He’s the one that opens up opportunity, not only for the company, but for everybody that’s on this roster during this ride of Roman Reigns’ time. Y’all making money, and y’all should be thanking him. So, for God Mode, God Mode is featured. When God walks through, he don’t walk with a posse. He can, it’d be alright, but he don’t need it in my book.”
As of now, Roman Reigns’ match for WWE SummerSlam on August 2 has not been officially announced. He is expected to appear on this coming week’s episode of Monday Night Raw.
Rikishi Fatu Off The Top with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
