AEW star says he knew Roman Reigns was destined "to be a millionaire" before he made his WWE main roster debut
Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns might be the biggest name in the promotion today, but that wasn't always the case. According to AEW star Dutch, the two have shared beginnings in FCW together.
Today, The Tribal Chief is hailed by many of his peers and fans across the world. However, he wasn't always a fan favorite star. Before becoming The Tribal Chief, Reigns was the highly panned "Top Dog" character and often got booed out of the building despite frequently capturing gold.
During his recent appearance on the Developmentally Speaking podcast, AEW star Dutch recalled how he and the future WWE Champion were close during their early days in FCW.
“You look at Roman Reigns – me and Roman Reigns started on the same exact day [in FCW]. Because we were the two new guys, we stuck together. And I remember him always telling me, ‘I just feel I’m gonna get fired soon.’” (22:48-29:05).
Check out the full episode below:
Dutch continued:
“I remember looking at him like: ‘You are good forever! I know you can’t wrestle at all right now, but just looking at you? I know you’re gonna be a millionaire in the next five years.’ And sure enough!” (28:54 -29:21).
CM Punk's AEW exit shocked the wrestling industry this weekend, and many noted that he seemingly said farewell after his All In bout. Some fans believe he referenced Reigns upon leaving the stadium, despite having pulled off the signature exit before.
Missed out on Saturday's AEW Collision? Catch up with the results here.
Dutch also helped late WWE Superstar Bray Wyatt create The Fiend character
Wyatt's brief run as The Fiend before his WWE release was mainly criticized by fans because of the way the promotion handled him. Despite this, the gimmick was popular and many hoped it would be brought back along with him in 2022.
Earlier in the same episode, Dutch recalled being Bray Wyatt's guinea pig to test out "The Fiend" before he brought the character to WWE.
"He wanted to put himself in a mask, so it was kind of a prequel to what The Fiend would eventually be. But he put himself in a Slipknot mask, wore jeans, and a Misfits t-shirt, and called himself Axel Mulligan." (25:32 - 26:10)
Unfortunately, Bray Wyatt never got to bring justice to the persona but had already created his new gimmick before his passing. Wyatt was often hailed for his creativity, so it's natural that he'd have paid homage to it someday.
Do you think Roman Reigns was always destined to be a star? Sound off in the comments section below.