"He didn't wanna do that" - Reason why Roman Reigns rejected another wrestling company

Rene Dupree recently revealed that Roman Reigns almost worked for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) shortly before he signed with WWE in 2010.

Reigns’ brother Rosey appeared in AJPW in 2006 and 2007 after a five-year spell in WWE. He advised the current Universal Champion to gain some wrestling experience in Japan prior to signing a WWE developmental contract.

Dupree, a WWE Superstar between 2002 and 2007, spoke about his own career in Japan on the latest episode of his Cafe de Rene podcast. He said Reigns’ AJPW deal fell through because he did not want to live in the company’s training dojo:

“Rosey, which was Big Matty, was Roman’s brother," said Dupree. "So before he debuted with WWE, his brother suggested he come to Japan for a few tours. The All Japan office wanted him to live in the dojo for three months and he didn’t wanna do that. He just wanted to go over and tour for three tours and then sign with WWF [WWE].” [0:10-0:48]

Rosey passed away at the age of 47 in 2017 due to congestive heart failure. He left WWE four years before Reigns joined the Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) developmental system, meaning their paths never crossed in wrestling.

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How Roman Reigns debuted in WWE

Performing as Roman Leakee, Roman Reigns made his first wrestling appearance in a 15-man Battle Royal in FCW in August 2010. He competed in more than 50 matches in FCW and won the Florida Tag Team Championship with Mike Dalton (also known as Tyler Breeze).

In November 2012, Reigns joined forces with Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins to form The Shield on WWE’s main roster. The trio became one of the company’s most popular factions of all time during their initial 17-month run together.

Now, after almost eight years of dominance as a singles competitor, Reigns is set to headline his sixth WrestleMania on April 3 in Dallas, Texas. The Universal Champion will face WWE Champion Brock Lesnar in a title unification match in the main event.

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