10 Facts To Silence The Roman Reigns Critics
8. He Doesn't Say Lame Sh*t Anymore
The objective nature of history and the subjective nature of memory are linked inextricably, often creating scope for fanciful narrative shorthand.
Yes, Roman Reigns unleashed the words "sufferin' succotash!" in January 2015. He interrupted a Seth Rollins segment, but not before apologising. "Yeah, yeah, no. I'm not sorry." This scripted line was such a dud that even Rollins let the mask slip. He lowered his head in embarrassment. There was more to come. "Look at yourself: you're just so full of yourself now. You are a snivelling little suck-up sell-out full of sufferin' succotash, son!" Reigns tried to resuscitate the DOA line with a wink and an "I know that sucked" nod. It didn't help. Nothing could have. The idea of getting a cutting edge babyface over with Looney Tunes verbiage was lunacy.
He uttered those words over two and a half years ago. That's a gap as long as Steve Austin's debut as the Ringmaster and his first WWF Heavyweight title win. Yes, he unleashed "tater tots" later that year - but the 2017 vintage is a far cooler and aloof beast. Reigns is a streamlined, literally no-nonsense talker these days, spitting commands and threats with an entitled tone in keeping with his egotistical Big Dog character.
It's lost on a portion of the fanbase insistent on judging a performer within a dated context.