Conrad Thompson isn’t backing away from his criticism of how WWE built Roman Reigns into a top star, and he’s doing it by pointing to one specific example as proof.
During an appearance on the Ariel Helwani Show, Thompson argued that Reigns’ rise differs fundamentally from how every other major star in wrestling history got to the top. His comparison: Stone Cold Steve Austin organically became wildly popular with fans first, and WWE made him champion afterward.
Reigns, in Thompson’s view, got the opposite treatment, positioned to win consistently regardless of fan reaction, rather than earning the spot through crowd response first.
The thing that upset everybody is I called him an industry plant. If you look at Stone Cold, he got really hot and over with the crowd, and then they made him champion. The same is true with every other wrestler in history except for Roman Reigns.
He pointed to one specific moment as evidence: after Reigns beat The Undertaker at WrestleMania, he says fans booed Reigns relentlessly on the following night’s Raw, arguing that reaction showed the push wasn’t coming from genuine fan demand.
They forced him to be on top and to always win over and over and over. When he beat The Undertaker at WrestleMania, he shows up on Raw the next day and they booed him nonstop. Fans just did not want it.
Thompson gave real credit to Paul Heyman for eventually turning the tide, crediting Heyman’s work as the actual force that changed how fans came to feel about Reigns, and said he’s genuinely curious what Reigns’ career trajectory would look like without Heyman’s involvement.
I think if we’re gonna give credit where credit’s due, it’s Paul Heyman. Paul Heyman changed the way we all felt about Roman Reigns, and I wonder what his career would look like if it weren’t for Paul Heyman.
He was careful to separate his criticism of the build from Reigns’ actual talent, praising his in-ring work and promo ability and wishing him continued financial success. His real objection is reserved for comparisons placing Reigns above Hulk Hogan in WWE history, which he called “ridiculous” and far from accurate.
Thompson closed by making clear his criticism isn’t personal distaste for Reigns, just a readiness to see WWE’s next chapter and top star take shape.
I’m not saying Roman doesn’t deserve the credit. He’s certainly at the top of the mountain and having great matches and great promos and all that. But when people started to say, ‘Roman’s more important to the history of WWE than Hulk Hogan,’ that’s ridiculous. It’s not even close to true.
Roman Reigns is set to defend his World Heavyweight title against LA Knight at WWE Money In The Bank PLE on October 10.
