Roman Reigns, Drew McIntyre, Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson and RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch recently spoke with Brian Mazique of Forbes and were asked about advice for fans who are unhappy with WWE storylines.
Reigns specifically addressed the backlash over the recent WWE Hell In a Cell finish with “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt and WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins.
“I think you should express your opinions, but it doesn’t hurt anybody if you have a shred of respect,” Reigns said. “Have a little respect for the performers who were out there killing themselves for you. I didn’t like the Hell in a Cell finish either, but I wasn’t about to cuss some guys out who got hit in the head over and over. Bray Wyatt put his health on the line to entertain some fans to the best of his ability. I didn’t like it, but I respect Bray’s effort and willingness to go out there and do what you have to do. So, if you can, just a little bit of respect.”
Lynch joked around a bit but said she understands how it’s hard to be a pro wrestling fan at times.
“It’s hard being a wrestling fan sometimes,” Lynch said. “We’re all just going out there doing our best to entertain you guys. We care about you guys. We want you to enjoy yourselves and it hurts when you don’t like it. We feel your pain. We’re all in this together. I’ll do all I can. Just tune into my Twitter. I’ll be entertaining there.”
Gallows also addressed the fallout from HIAC and advised fans to just enjoy the product.
“There are 52 weeks of episodic television,” Gallows said. “There was controversy over the pay-per-view (HIAC) the other night. Guys, the story continues on Monday. It continues on Wednesday, Friday, and then on and on. My advice would be to enjoy it. In a movie, there has to be an antagonist. There has to be a negative to turn into a positive. So, in my opinion, if you like what we do, it’ll turn out the way you want it to. We’re in a culture of complainers.”
Anderson also told fans to enjoy the show and let it play out, if you love the sport. He said Vince McMahon knows what he’s doing.
“I like the television show Lost,” said Anderson. “I’d watched it every now and again. I didn’t particularly love it, and it wasn’t because I thought the writing was bad, I was maybe a little mad about background. I think you just have to let the story play out. WWE has been in business for how long? The company has been master storytellers. Vince [McMahon] obviously knows what he’s doing. There’s got be a reason for certain things that happen. If you love wrestling, just let it play out.”
McIntyre summed up by saying we’re just living in a negative world. He pointed to Chad Gable getting opportunities on WWE TV and not being one who complained on social media.
“I don’t remember being this negative as a kid,” McIntyre said. “I mean, I liked things and I didn’t like things, but I got over it. It’s a negative culture. It’s like every aspect of life, people are very negative. You see them complain on social media. When I was younger, I became complacent and deserved to get fired. Because I forgot I was living a dream. You have to realize, you can’t always be in the lead. If you work hard, you’ll get your opportunity. Look at Chad Gable. He’s getting his opportunity. I don’t remember seeing him on social media every minute saying, ‘I’m not getting the opportunity I deserve, brother.’ He just worked hard until he got it.”
You can click here to read the full piece on Forbes.com.
