Quote of the Week: Roman Reigns is thankful for the opportunity

One of the objectives for WWE on Raw this past Monday was to address the reaction from fans at Royal Rumble and write up a script for Roman Reigns that would alter fan perception back in his favor. This is what they came up with:

Key passage:

"Alright, let's just look at it this way: If I was hand picked by the higher ups, I guess I would have to say 'thanks for the opportunity.' But it's an opportunity. Look at it this way: It's an opportunity. You still have to go out there and capitalize, you have to deliver. No matter what happens, I have to lace up my own boots, I have to go down those stairs, I have to go in that ring by myself, I have to perform, I have to deliver. So regardless of what happens, if you get an opportunity you have to take advantage. If it comes down to it you're either going to capitalize or you're not. Only time will tell."

This was a fascinating interview if only because it seemed to ignore kayfabe completely. It felt a whole lot like a legitimate interview asking Reigns why we, as fans, shouldn't hate him for being hand chosen over the likes of Daniel Bryan, Dolph Ziggler, Dean Ambrose, and so on and so forth.

And maybe it wasn't such an awful idea in theory but it was disastrous in practice. Acknowledging in any way that he may or may not have been hand picked is a bizarre way to go about this considering it confirms the very thing fans are rebelling against, that he was given an opportunity they feel others are more deserving of.

His laughing and smiling while saying "thanks for the opportunity" felt far too much like a man of privilege relishing that privilege.

He is right, though. He'll have to deliver when it matters most, something we know Bryan, Ziggler, and Ambrose can do.

Can Reigns?