Ryback has come to the defense of Roman Reigns after Conrad Thompson described the WWE star as “probably the most overrated main eventer in WWE history.”
Thompson made the remark during Eric Bischoff’s 83 Weeks podcast, prompting Ryback to respond on social media with his own assessment of Reigns based on their time working together in WWE. “Roman Reigns has been nothing but professional, respectful, and hardworking every time I’ve shared a locker room or the ring with him.”
Ryback noted that he worked extensively with Reigns during the early stages of his WWE career and said his personal experiences left him with considerable respect for him. “I worked with him quite a bit early on and at different points throughout my four years in WWE as Ryback, and I have nothing but respect for him.”
While acknowledging that WWE selected Reigns for a major push before he had fully developed as a performer, Ryback argued that receiving opportunities from management is simply part of professional wrestling. “Yes, he was chosen by the company and pushed heavily while he was learning and growing. That’s part of the business. Every major promotion has people they believe in and invest in.”
For Ryback, the more important question is what a wrestler ultimately does with those opportunities. “The opportunities may be given, but what you do with them is what ultimately matters. Roman continued to improve, learned from mistakes, handled enormous pressure, and built a résumé that speaks for itself.”
Ryback also addressed the argument that WWE would have remained successful without Reigns, agreeing that no individual wrestler is bigger than the company. “Would WWE survive without Roman? Of course. WWE has become such a massive global brand that no single talent is bigger than the company. That’s true for every wrestler who has ever been there.”
However, he does not believe that should diminish Reigns’ accomplishments. “That doesn’t mean you should discredit what someone has accomplished. Success deserves respect, even if someone isn’t your personal favorite.”
Ryback then pushed back more broadly against criticism from those outside a wrestling promotion. “I’ve always believed if you don’t like the way a company is run, go build your own business and prove your vision works. It’s easy to criticize from the outside. Creating something successful is much harder.”
He concluded by arguing that wrestling would benefit from putting greater emphasis on recognizing the achievements of performers rather than finding reasons to diminish them. “Wrestling is better when we recognize hard work and achievement instead of looking for reasons to tear people down.”
Ryback signed off with his familiar catchphrase, “And that’s the last bite. Feed Me More!”
Roman Reigns has been nothing but professional, respectful, and hardworking every time I’ve shared a locker room or the ring with him. I worked with him quite a bit early on and at different points throughout my four years in WWE as Ryback, and I have nothing but respect for him.…
— RYBACK (@Ryback) August 7, 2026
