Roman Reigns Shades the Rock, Stone Cold Promos and Gimmicks, 'That's Not That Hard'

Roman Reigns verbalized his philosophy on cutting promos during an interview Thursday, and he took a shot at two of the Attitude Era's biggest stars in the process.

Appearing on the What's Your Story? podcast with former WWE CEO Stephanie McMahon (beginning at the 1:26:30 mark), Reigns explained that he prefers a more polished approach on the mic rather than using juvenile insults:

"I don't like low-hanging fruit. From a promo standpoint, a lot of those cheaper digs, I feel a little more sophisticated than that. I feel like my communication can be a little more intellectual. I'm from Georgia Tech, I should be able to put some stuff together that isn't necessarily the stuff you'd hear on the corner."

The OTC continued by making reference to some of the signature actions and lines popularized by "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Reigns' cousin The Rock during the Attitude Era, and voicing his preference for a different presentation.

"That was just a challenge of mine that I've always taken, being in a PG product," Reigns said. "No disrespect to anybody chugging a beer, flipping birds, shove this up your ass, that up your ass. That's not that hard."

While it was a different time in society, there is no doubt that the antics of Austin and The Rock made WWE programming must-see television every week during the Attitude Era.

They are a big reason why the Attitude Era is regarded as one of the best and most successful time periods in pro wrestling history, and they are two of the biggest stars ever because of it.

However, what works in one era often doesn't work in another, and Reigns seems to subscribe to that theory.

For several years, Reigns received pushback from the WWE fanbase due to the notion that he was being pushed to the top against his wishes, but things changed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reigns turned heel and aligned himself with Paul Heyman in 2020, creating the Tribal Chief character, starting The Bloodline and embarking on a historic, 1,316-day world title reign.

When Reigns was on SmackDown or Raw, it became must-see TV once again, and much of that was thanks to his cerebral promo style, which has a way of captivating fans.

Reigns found a different way to connect with the audience and become a universally beloved character, and while that doesn't diminish what Austin and The Rock did, it does solidify Reigns' place in history as an all-time great in his own right.