Eric Bischoff says his criticism of Roman Reigns has nothing to do with his respect for him personally, but believes the WWE star’s character has stopped evolving.
The subject came up again on 83 Weeks after co-host Conrad Thompson previously described Reigns as “probably the most overrated main eventer in WWE history.” The comments generated considerable discussion, and Bischoff used the follow-up episode to clarify his own position. “I respect the hell out of Roman. It has nothing to do with respect. I look up to him in a lot of ways, you know, as a human being.”
Bischoff pointed specifically to what Reigns has overcome in his personal life and the importance he appears to place on his family. “How many of us have faced the types of things and fear that Roman has and then not only overcome it but reached the level of success that he has?”
Bischoff stressed that he barely knows Reigns personally, saying the two have exchanged perhaps four words, but that does not prevent him from respecting the man while having a different opinion of the performer. “My opinion of his performances as of this moment have nothing to do with the respect I have for the man.”
When it comes to Reigns as a television character in 2026, however, Bischoff has lost interest. “I’m bored with him. I don’t see anything new from him. I don’t see a character evolving.”
Bischoff argued that character development is an important part of keeping any long-running story compelling, whether it is professional wrestling or a movie. “When you look at a character, any character that is playing a role over an extended period of time, or even if it’s in a 90-minute movie, part of what makes watching a story and a character really compelling and interesting is the evolution of that character.”
In his view, Reigns has reached a point where WWE is maintaining an established presentation rather than developing it further. “We’re not seeing any evolution. We’re seeing maintenance, and it’s good. It’s definitely working from a financial perspective, so there’s nothing wrong with it.”
That commercial success does not make the character compelling to Bischoff personally. “There’s just nothing compelling about it. And there’s no evolution to the character. And until there’s something unique, something different, something that is an evolution of an already powerful character, I’ve seen that movie.”
Bischoff said his opinion could change if WWE finds a new direction for Reigns, particularly if the presentation or stakes surrounding him evolve. “Until and unless there’s an evolution in his character, in the way he’s being presented, and the stakes or the opportunity, I’m just not interested anymore because I’ve seen it all.”
He compared the feeling to watching Ric Flair wrestle essentially the same style of match repeatedly throughout his career. “Just like a Ric Flair match, Ric Flair wrestled the same match over and over again. Didn’t care. It didn’t matter who his opponent was. He basically had the same match.”
Bischoff’s comments therefore stop short of endorsing Thompson’s description of Reigns as WWE’s most overrated main eventer. His criticism is instead that Reigns’ current presentation has become too familiar, and that WWE needs to find another evolution for the character to regain his interest.
