Roman Reigns continued to make pointed comments after his appearance on The Pat McAfee Show upon arriving in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the Royal Rumble.
WWE released a video vlog on Friday showing the Tribal Chief’s day as he prepared for the Men’s Royal Rumble. Reigns spoke briefly after landing, mixing storyline comments with references that could relate to backstage issues.
“They begged me to come back,” Reigns claimed. “They said, ‘Save us.’ So I said, ‘Okay.’”
After a trip to the hair stylist, where he sat laughing and talking with Otis, Reigns was shown walking down the aisle hours before the Rumble inside Riyadh Season Stadium.
“We talk shit, and then we find a solution. And then usually it happens out there,” Reigns said, pointing toward the entrance area.
The day before the Royal Rumble, Reigns appeared on The Pat McAfee Show. He noted that he had taken a more generous approach to helping talent get over by stepping back and giving younger talent room to rise. He pushed back on criticism that he dominates TV time, saying he’s left openings for others to get over — but suggested that hasn’t happened.
“And we’re two years here now, and we haven’t advanced. We haven’t evolved,” Reigns told McAfee.
The former Undisputed WWE Universal Champion also praised WWE leadership while taking a subtle jab at Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque, saying, “We have great leadership in Nick Khan. God bless him, what a businessman. He’s a genius. But we have to be able to keep up with that creatively.”
Speaking to WWE’s cameras in Saudi Arabia, Reigns said no one who has been with the company for a long time has “thin skin” and that criticism and jabs are part of the culture. He added that he earned the right to speak freely after carving out his spot among legends like John Cena, Randy Orton, Kane, and Big Show.
“I had to pry this shit from the grips of the veterans,” Reigns said. “Nobody else did it but me. Say what I want.”
Later, Reigns was briefly filmed speaking with Levesque before returning backstage, grinning after winning the Men’s Royal Rumble. He closed with a warning while referencing his long-term plans ahead of WWE’s return to Saudi Arabia for WrestleMania in 2027.
“Need I say more? It was only a matter of time. Now the real work starts. In one year’s time, excuse me, one year and a couple months. This city’s mine again. I’m gonna choke the life outta this game,” said Reigns.
Last year, Vanity Fair reported that Reigns’ WWE contract runs through this year’s WrestleMania, with Reigns estimating he has “another year or two max” beyond that. His public comments continue to blur the line between reality and kayfabe, with remarks from The Pat McAfee Show even referenced by CM Punk on Raw as the two built toward their WrestleMania main event in Las Vegas.
Meanwhile, neither Reigns nor WWE has publicly confirmed the details of his contract beyond what was stated in Vanity Fair.
As for Reigns’ boss, Levesque was just as measured in his assessment. Before Reigns ultimately chose Punk, Levesque’s comments during the Royal Rumble post-show aligned with the on-screen story and possible behind-the-scenes reality.
“He is one of the most strategic and well-thought-out individuals in this business,” said Levesque. “I was given a nickname at one point in time, The Cerebral Assassin. It would be a name that I would use for Roman Reigns. One of the greatest thinkers in our business.”
