"I used to respect him so much" - WWE Superstar on his conflict with Roman Reigns (Exclusive)

Drew McIntyre has given his in-character thoughts on Roman Reigns’ WWE transformation in recent years.

Reigns performed as a polarizing babyface between 2014 and 2020 after initially bursting onto the WWE scene alongside Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins in 2012. Two years ago, the former Shield member aligned with Paul Heyman and turned heel for the first time as a singles competitor.

McIntyre will challenge Reigns at Clash at the Castle in Cardiff, Wales, on Saturday. In an interview with Sportskeeda Wrestling’s Riju Dasgupta, The Scottish Warrior discussed his rival’s current on-screen persona:

“I’ve been in the ring so many times with Roman and I’ve watched his evolution or devolution, depends how you look at it,” said McIntyre. “I used to respect him so much when he got the job done by himself. If the fans were cheering him, booing him, no matter who he faced, whatever difficult situation he faced, he took it on head on, all against one, and I respected that Roman.” [5:10-5:31]

As one of WWE’s top babyfaces right now, it is no surprise that McIntyre disapproves of Reigns’ villainous antics:

“This Tribal Chief, things have changed. He’s come back, he’s surrounded himself with yes men, they’ve filled his head with nonsense, and he’s still phenomenal in the ring, one of the top superstars of all time, but these days he’ll do whatever it takes to get the job done. He’ll get the family involved, you’ve got The Wiseman [Paul Heyman] pulling strings backstage. It doesn’t matter as long as he keeps hold of those titles.” [5:31-5:51]

Watch the video above to hear McIntyre describe how he felt after suffering an attack at the hands of Roman Reigns’ Bloodline faction last week.

Drew McIntyre is confident he can beat Roman Reigns

The long-term rivals have faced each other in four previous televised singles matches, with Roman Reigns winning every time.

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Two years on from their last meeting at Survivor Series 2020, Drew McIntyre is convinced he is capable of finally defeating his arch-enemy:

“I faced him two years ago, I felt that first-hand, but he’s also felt first-hand what I’m capable of these days, and I’ve got two more years’ experience. I’m going into this match with all that knowledge, with eyes in the front of my head, the back of my head, the side of my head, fully prepared for whatever he tries to throw at me and be the one to dethrone that historic reign.” [5:51-6:09]

As McIntyre referenced, Roman Reigns has been the Universal Champion since August 30, 2020. The Tribal Chief has also held the WWE Championship since April 3, 2022.

Both titles will be on the line when the two men meet at Clash at the Castle.

Do you think McIntyre will leave Cardiff as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.

Watch the LIVE coverage of WWE Clash at the Castle on SONY TEN 1 (English), SONY TEN 3 (Hindi) and SONY TEN 4 (Tamil and Telugu) channels on 3rd September 2022 from 10:30 pm (IST).

Please credit Sportskeeda Wrestling and embed the video if you use quotes from this article.

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