5/17 WWE on SportsCenter – Roman Reigns talks feud with A.J. Styles, UGA vs. Ga. Tech, says WWE is his locker room now, people “running their mouths,” advice to NXT stars, more

WWE on ESPNews SportsCenter
Airdate: Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Guest: WWE World Hvt. champion Reigns
Host: Jonathan Coachman

This week’s WWE interview segment on SportsCenter featured Roman Reigns for the second time.

Before the interview, ESPNews rolled a WWE hype package for the Big Three matches at Extreme Rules – A.J. Styles challenging Reigns for the WWE Title, Chris Jericho vs. Dean Ambrose in an Asylum cage match, and Charlotte vs. Natalya for the Women’s Title.

Coach asked Reigns what he thinks about facing Styles for the second time at Extreme Rules. Reigns said he has a lot of respect for Styles wrestling all over the world “competing against some of the greatest talent in the world for a bunch of different promotions.” But, Reigns said, now Styles is with “the company, WWE.” And, since they’re on SportsCenter, Reigns joked that it’s not going to work between them since Styles is about the Georgia Bulldogs and he played for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

Reigns was asked how he’s handling being the top champion with everyone looking at him on a nightly basis. Reigns said he comes to work ready to go 52 weeks per year, he’s excited about the responsibility, and having his family on the road with him is a big help.

Asked how the influx of NXT talent to the main roster has affected things, Reigns said it’s created a completely different locker room environment. Reigns said when The Shield came in four years ago, it was a bunch of “old dogs” in the locker room. Now, he feels like it’s his locker room and his arena. Reigns welcomed everyone from NXT to come join what he’s leading on the main roster.

As for advice he would give to upcoming stars, Reigns said, “Believe in yourself.” He said there are so many different platforms now for people to “run their mouth,” which could be a distraction from not believing in what you’re doing.

Reigns talked about being in the main event of WrestleMania for the second straight year. He said it was a blessing to be in that position. Asked what it was like being in the ring with Brock Lesnar last year and Triple H this year, Reigns said it’s dealing with two different approaches. He credited Lesnar for being one of the only wrestlers on the roster more powerful than himself in the ring, while Hunter is more cerebral.