Roman Reigns was set to headline WrestleMania 36 against Goldberg for the WWE Universal Championship, but ended up pulling out of the event as the COVID pandemic was just beginning.
Reigns put his health and family first, skipping the Performance Center era before finally returning at SummerSlam 2020 when WWE had moved into the ThunderDome.
Speaking to Marc Raimondi of ESPN, Reigns said his conversation with Vince McMahon about his decision "wasn't a good one."
He noted, "We didn't have enough information [about COVID-19]. We didn't have a proper protocol for protection. I think I made the very smart choice in stepping back and kind of game planning and figuring this thing out and seeing where it went."
When Reigns returned, he aligned himself with Paul Heyman, creating the dynamic between the Head of the Table and his Special Counsel.
"I just kept going back to 'power,'" Reigns said. "I just want to be viewed as the most powerful superstar of all time, when it comes to WWE and sports entertainment. I just really wanted to convey this portrait of strength. Almost like a Mafia-style power. Not only is it respect, but they fear me."
The story notes, "Reigns and Heyman said they might not have returned to WWE unless they were given permission by WWE CEO Vince McMahon to execute this story in a mostly unscripted fashion."
Reigns, with Heyman by his side, will take on Brock Lesnar in a Winner Takes All bout at WrestleMania 38 when both the WWE Universal Championship and WWE Championship on the line.
Fightful will have live coverage of both nights of WrestleMania 38 on Saturday and Sunday beginning at 7 p.m. ET.
