Paul Heyman: Roman Reigns Considered Himself Retired

Paul Heyman makes a startling reveal on a moment in time of Roman Reigns‘ WWE career.

2024 WWE Hall of Fame inductee Paul Heyman recently sat down with Uproxx Sports. When asked about Roman Reigns’ decision to walk away prior to his match with Goldberg at WrestleMania 36 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Heyman revealed that Roman considered himself to be retired at that point.

“He considered himself retired. He wasn’t coming back,” Paul Heyman revealed. “I was executive director of Monday Night Raw, and Roman was assigned to SmackDown. But every week, I heard all the SmackDown writers and producers and personnel saying, ‘God, I just wish Roman would come back.’

“And I would ask, has anybody talked to him? Yeah, he says he’s retired. He’s not coming back. No way. Thanks a lot. Done. Finished. Goodbye. So the fact that he came back for this run, for what we have accomplished, is nothing short of a miracle because, as far as he was concerned, he was out.

“I was blessed with the opportunity to collaborate with the top star in the entire industry, the WrestleMania main event eventer, the biggest box office attraction in sports entertainment, the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, on a biography that documents what it’s like for him to be living that life at this very moment.”