Roman Reigns preaches consistency.
For a decade, John Cena was the face of WWE. His 10-year long run was a change from the short but successful runs of Steve Austin and The Rock during the Attitude Era. And Roman Reigns believes the way to prove you're ready to be a top guy in WWE nowadays is to have the kind of consistency Cena was able to carry.
"I think we have a locker room full of guys that are a step or two away," Reigns told Corey Graves on After The Bell when asked who is ready to be the next breakout star. "They just need that time to shine, that investment, whatever the character niche is to standout and put them on the map. It's one thing to get to that position, it's another thing to stay there. That's where you really show your value. In this day and age, your run has to be significant to really make waves. John Cena really changed the whole game for us. It was a lot different for The Rock and Steve Austin. They did their thing and it seemed like it was a transition into the next guy. You have to hold it down for a while and show you can do this for awhile. The real way to show your value is consistency."
With Cena spending more time in Hollywood than a WWE ring over the past few years, Reigns has stepped up as the face of the company.
While not many want to see King Corbin at the top of the mountain, Corbin has risen from a midcard player in NXT to the top of the card on WWE SmackDown. And Reigns could't be happier with how Corbin has grown as a performer.
"If you would have told me I would main event a European tour with 'Football Tom,' I woulda said, 'Yeah right.' But even back then, he got a reaction. He rubbed us a certain way. He rubbed everybody a certain way. When push came to shove and it was time to get in the ring, he picked it up. He's a big guy and has good timing. It's one of those things where guys will just get it and it just clicks. In the past couple of years, the transition has happened for him. Ever since he cut that hair off, actually. And he picked up his TGI Fridays outfit and got stupid and cocky, it started working for him. The crowd started hating him and booing him. It makes my job a lot easier," he said.
Corbin and Reigns are set to represent Team SmackDown at WWE Survivor Series against Team Raw and Team NXT. You can keep up with the current Survivor Series card by clicking here.
If you use any of the quotes above, please credit After The Bell with a h/t to Fightful for the transcription.