8 Ups And 6 Downs From Last Night's WWE Raw (May 2nd)
5. Respect From Roman
Its understandable that Roman Reigns was trying to show sportsmanship Monday night by saying that AJ Styles earned his respect at Payback. Reigns is the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, and Styles pushed him to the limit Sunday night.
But the optics of Reigns, a wrestler with less than six years in the business all in WWE saying that he now had respect for Styles an 18-year veteran who has traveled the world was all-but laughable.
Lets be clear: That obviously isnt how Roman (or the writer who penned the line) intended it to sound. But when you consider the criticism that Reigns often faces from fans who believe hes being pushed to the top despite others (such as Styles) being more over, then you can see why that comment immediately rubbed wrongly.
If anything, Styles, fresh off a two-year stint in New Japan, should have said that Reigns was just as good as any man he faced on the other side of the world. At least that would have given Roman a stamp of approval from a well-traveled superstar.