When WWE paid tribute to Hulk Hogan with a 10-bell salute on RAW and SmackDown two weeks ago, many noticed Roman Reigns wasn’t on stage with the rest of the roster. A new report offers the reason behind his absence.
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Speaking on the Dirty Sheets’ Wrestling Informer podcast, Billi Bhaitti said the choice for Reigns to sit out wasn’t personal. Reigns and Hogan know each other from the Tampa area, and there’s no bad blood between them. According to Bhaitti, Triple H decided it didn’t fit Reigns’ current character to be part of the tribute.
“There is no problem with Roman Reigns and Hulk Hogan. They are two people that know each other from the Tampa area. But Roman Reigns was not standing out there for Hulk Hogan on Raw because it was actually Triple H who felt that it wouldn’t suit Roman Reigns’ character for him to be out there. I think that’s completely the wrong thing to do — I don’t think what your character is matters or anything like that when it comes to standing there for a 10-bell salute. But it was agreed upon by all parties that Roman Reigns’ character wouldn’t be out there to acknowledge Hogan’s death.”
While Bhaitti disagreed, saying a tribute should rise above storyline concerns, the report makes it clear the call was made to protect Reigns’ on-screen persona. All sides reportedly agreed on the decision.
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