WWE Hall of Famer compares Roman Reigns to Jake Roberts
Roman Reigns' promo skills are on par with WWE Hall of Famer Jake "The Snake" Roberts, according to Diamond Dallas Page (DDP).
Reigns sometimes struggled to win fans over when he cut promos earlier in his career. However, he has proven himself to be among wrestling's best talkers since turning heel and aligning with Paul Heyman in 2020.
Like Roberts, DDP is also known for his impressive promos. In an interview with Film Snob Reviews, the WCW legend praised Reigns for improving his speaking ability:
"I look at Roman Reigns today, and I thought he was a decent promo in the beginning, but he's a great promo now," DDP said. "He's a great, great promo. Very much, and I've said this before, kinda like Jake the Snake had that timing. He takes his time. You very rarely hear him yell. That's how Jake was. It makes you listen." [9:39 – 10:13]
Roberts was a huge star in the 1980s and early 1990s, a time when wrestlers often raised their voices while cutting larger-than-life promos. The legendary superstar ensured he stood out by speaking quietly to the audience. As a result, fans were made to listen carefully to everything he said.
Roman Reigns addressed one of his most infamous promos
Many fans rejected Roman Reigns when WWE's higher-ups began presenting him as the company's next top babyface. In January 2015, he was widely mocked after using the words "sufferin' succotash" in a promo on SmackDown.
@FiteTV “Suffering succotash”Roman Reigns https://t.co/HFwesvLjCP
The Tribal Chief spoke about the segment on Logan Paul's Impaulsive podcast in September 2022:
"I said some crazy stuff which still followed—like the 'sufferin' succotash,'" Reigns recalled. "I don't even remember. I just remember 'sufferin' succotash' and it was literally like eight years ago and it will still be brought—I mean, I delivered some really good work over the last few years, and they'll [fans] still be like, 'Sufferin' succotash.'"
Reigns added that his promos improved after he blanked out during a war of words with John Cena on RAW in 2017.
What do you make of Roman Reigns' promo skills? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit Film Snob Reviews and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use DDP's quotes from this article.