ESPN host thinks Roman Reigns benefits from being less accessible in WWE
Roman Reigns’ less accessible nature in WWE comes with a benefit, believes ESPN host Joe Fortenbaugh.
Ever since Reigns returned with the Tribal Chief character during the pandemic, he has maintained a part-time schedule. Appearing very frequently on television and PLEs, Reigns has maintained a mystique around his appearances.
ESPN host Joe Fortenbaugh recently appeared for an interview with Denise Salcedo, where he explained why Reigns’ less accessible nature helped his heel status and even benefited him. When asked to choose between Bret Hart and Reigns, Fortenbaugh opened up in detail about the kind of business Reigns has brought to WWE.
“Bret. I, again, Roman needs to exist like Taker. He needs to exist as a heel. Roman’s, I mean, from a business perspective, the fact that he has done what he has done financially for this company for so long, thoroughly impressive. I think there’s a lot that people like us who work on a camera can learn from him with how slow he takes everything.
“I think sometimes myself, this is something I’m guilty of, being in a rush, trying to get everything out quickly, trying to realize the commercial’s coming. Roman slows everything down. He does everything three steps slower than he needs to, and that dramatic effect really works well for him,” he said.
While Reigns’ rare TV and PLE appearances have attracted criticism on the internet, Fortenbaugh believes it helps his character and essentially creates the supply and demand, where fans long to see him.
“On top of that, supply and demand. You don’t see him doing interviews. He’s not everywhere this week. That is big. Not being able to access him only leads to more desire for seeing him and hearing him.”
Reigns was active during WWE’s road to SummerSlam, where he faced and defeated Seth Rollins.
Shounak Chakrabarti is an experienced sports journalist with a lifelong passion for athletics and storytelling. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Journalism from the University of Leeds and joined F4WOnline in 2025.
Shounak takes particular interest in soccer, closely following top clubs like Real Madrid and Arsenal. Beyond sports, he enjoys fiction writing, photography, gaming, and cinema.