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Roman Reigns' Universal Championship run has been considered by many as the best of the 21st century, and The Bloodline story has been dubbed as one of the all-time greats. Wrestling legend Bill Apter, however, doesn't put Roman Reigns on the highest level for a single reason.
On the latest episode of Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Time Machine, host Mac Davis asked Hall of Famer Teddy Long and legendary wrestling journalist Bill Apter about Reigns' Universal Championship run. Apter was not happy about the fact that Reigns doesn't defend his title often.
Bill Apter said that the one reason why he isn't on the level of Bruno Sammartino is because he doesn't defend his title often, whereas he had seen Sammartino defend his title at least four to five times a week.
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"Is his [Roman Reigns'] deal to not work house shows? They do run some house shows during the week. And I get what you're saying Teddy, with the proliferation of TV and all that. Fans want to see him and I was with Bruno [Sammartino] forever, so to say. I traveled from town to town with him and WWE had an almost nightly schedule and I think Roman Reigns should be defending the title more than what he's doing, in my opinion." [4:45 - 5:25]
Teddy Long agreed with Bill Apter to an extent, but added that TV and social media have changed the business, and there isn't the same need for smaller house shows anymore:
"I agree exactly because that's the way it's always been. And like you said, Bill, in those house shows, people want to see the World Champions too. But the business has changed so much, it's become so advanced. Those little house shows don't mean as much anymore." [5:26 - 5:43]
You can watch the full video below:
WWE has teased a possible opponent for Roman Reigns at Royal Rumble 2024
As you may know, Roman Reigns usually competes in the Big Five premium live events, although this year, he is skipping Survivor Series for the first time since 2018. He is, however, expected to have a title defense at the 2024 Royal Rumble.
LA Knight has made his intention to target Reigns clear, and his journey to earning a rematch, possibly at the 2024 Royal Rumble, began with a win over Jimmy Uso on SmackDown on November 17.
Is LA Knight the right opponent for The Tribal Chief at the Royal Rumble? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
If you take any quotes from this article, please embed the YouTube video and credit Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.
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