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What's the story?
With the Elimination Chamber PPV around the corner, Roman Reigns spoke to Andrew Feldman of ESPN about a variety of topics, including his journey to the top of WWE, his previous feud with Braun Strowman and his thoughts on the six other men who will be locked up inside the Chamber with him this Sunday.
In case you didn’t know…
WWE's Elimination Chamber PPV will feature the first ever Women's Elimination Chamber match, for the Raw Women's Championship, and the first ever 7-man Elimination Chamber match will determine the number one contender for the Universal Championship.
Roman Reigns, John Cena, Braun Strowman, The Miz, Elias and Seth Rollins will battle it out, for a chance to face Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 34.
The heart of the matter
Among other things, Roman Reigns had a lot of interesting things to say about his fellow participants in the Chamber match.
Reigns had nothing but high praise for The Miz, whom he called an 'underrated workhorse' of WWE and said that he was extremely proud of the manner in which the Intercontinental Champion represented the promotion.
Reigns said that he and Seth Rollins were brothers not only on TV but also in real life. He talked about all the hard work they had put in together and said he was happy that they were both in a great place.
When asked about Braun Strowman, arguably his greatest rival, the former WWE Champion said:
"He's a monster. It's for real. He's a big strong dude that can move. He's a good athlete, too. It's very rare you see men who stand 6-8, 6-9-plus, and they have to hitch to do what we do. On top of all that, he's not a big blockhead. He's a smart guy with a decent head on his shoulders where I think he's going to continue to progress and continue to learn because there's so many different facets and nuances that we do in the ring."
Reigns also had high praise for Finn Balor, especially for his vast experience wrestling all over the world, especially for his work in Japan and with The Bullet Club. He opined that Balor was an extremely deserving competitor who was in the right spot.
He went on to call Elias a 'wrestler's dream' for his ability to entertain and garner heat from the crowd. He added that Elias was definitely going to be "a jack of all trades" in the future.
Reigns also called John Cena the "Babe Ruth" of professional wrestling, lavishing the man he will succeed as the face of WWE with a lot of praise.
I don't think there's ever going to be anybody like Cena ever again. That's why when people compare myself to him now, I like to just think that it's a compliment. To be able to have the longevity -- that's the word for Cena -- longevity."
"...there will never be a guy who can hold up and be that durable because he competed 15-plus years on an elite level. I've been doing it a few years now, and I can already feel the tolls, so there's a lot of respect that has to go his way because to do it at the top for that long is unprecedented."
What's next?
The Elimination Chamber PPV is set to emanate from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on February 25, 2018. Reigns is the prohibitive favourite to win the Men's Elimination Chamber Match. If he were to fall short on Sunday, it would be one of the biggest upsets of the last decade.
Author's take
I think Reigns was spot on when he called The Miz an 'underrated workhorse' of WWE and recognised Elias' ability to connect with the audience. All seven participants of the match are very hard-working men and deserve the main event spot.
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