WWE Hall of Famer picks Roman Reigns as wrestler of the year over top champion in AEW
WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray has picked Roman Reigns as the "wrestler of the year" over the current AEW International champion, Orange Cassidy.
Reigns recently crossed the three-year mark in his historic title, becoming one of the longest-reigning world champions in WWE history. He has held the title for 1000+ days and could break Bruno Sammartino's legendary 1,237-day title reign if he stays the champion until January 31st, 2024.
The Tribal Chief has also been in several compelling Bloodline plots, unanimously hailed as some of the best pro-wrestling storylines in recent years. However, fans have often complained about his sporadic and unfair title defenses and a reduced schedule since winning the gold.
On the other hand, Orange Cassidy has held the AEW International Championship for 324+ days. He defended his title regularly. He recently cut a scathing promo, leaving wrestling fans impressed with his incredible run with the gold.
Busted Open host David LaGreca argued that Cassidy could be named the wrestler of the year. However, the WWE Hall of Famer insisted that while Orange Cassidy makes for a strong case, his choice for the title is Roman Reigns. The legend explained that he picked the Tribal Chief because he had been the biggest draw in the business:
"To me, the wrestler of the year is the person who has drawn the most money, put the most a*ses in seats, and he has raised the tide the highest. That's Roman Reigns to me." [0:52 - 1:02]
You can watch the full video below:
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The Tribal Chief last defended his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Jey Uso at SummerSlam. He then appeared on the following episode of SmackDown, where he was attacked by Jey, who destroyed the Bloodline before "quitting."
The segment seemingly wrote Reigns for the television as he is rumored to take a hiatus. WWE has not advertised him for any upcoming major shows, including Payback and Survivor Series. Reigns is also likely to miss SmackDown for weeks. However, legendary superstar John Cena will return to the blue brand tonight and is scheduled to appear on SmackDown regularly for the next month.