Roman Reigns sends emotional message to legendary 5-time champion after subtle tribute on the Netflix premiere of WWE RAW: "It was an honor"
Roman Reigns subtly paid tribute to a legendary five-time champion during his match against Solo Sikoa at RAW's premiere on Netflix. He then broke character to send an emotional message.
Kobe Bryant was one of the greatest NBA players ever. He was widely regarded for his work ethic, which made him a multi-time champion. Very few players in the league could match his skill. Sadly, Mamba passed away in a helicopter crash in 2020. People pay tribute to him to this day.
Roman Reigns faced off against Solo Sikoa in a Tribal Combat match on RAW's premiere on Netflix. During the bout, Roman sported Kobe's 9 Protro custom shoes. During the post-show conference, Roman spoke about Bryant's importance to the game of basketball. He also said they would auction off the shoes and donate the money to a children's hospital.
"Everyone has such a deep respect for Kobe and what he brought to the game and even more so not just the game but that mentality that Mamba mentality. To wear these Protros, it was an honor you know what I mean. To have them painted up and to be able to do something a little bit different, especially on such a big stage. But I just wanted to be able to do a collaboration, do something a little different, show a different layer, but then ultimately, we'll probably just auction these off and then donate them to the children's hospital or something like that. There's too many good things going to not do it so we did it."
Seth Rollins makes a serious claim about Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins have a lot of history together, dating back to their days in The Shield. It was The Visionary who stabbed Roman and Dean Ambrose in the back at that time, thereby aligning himself with The Authority. Over the years, Reigns and Rollins have stood across the ring from each other on multiple occasions.
During a recent interview with Chris Van Vliet, Seth Rollins claimed that Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes wouldn't be in the position they are currently in if it wasn't for him. He even said that he felt it was vital for him not to put his selfish interests above the industry for it to thrive.
"I mean, look, Roman doesn't get to where he's at without me, I don't think. I think he would tell you that as well. And certainly, Cody coming back, there's a reason when he came back that I was the first person they put him with, so I don't think he's where he's at if it's not for me. I don't mean that in a way that's arrogant or anything, but I've always been the person who wanted to put the industry and the company before my own personal desires. I was okay with it. If we all did better, if the company did better, and the business as a whole was healthier, I felt like I was doing my part, even if it was kind of unsung in many ways," he said.
It will be interesting to see what is next for Roman Reigns now that he has defeated Solo Sikoa.
