Chris Pizzello/Associated Press
Benjamin Franklin wrote in 1789 that death and taxes are life’s only certainties, but one can add ex-professional athletes opining how much harder and tougher their sport was back in their day to that list.
The Undertaker and Goldberg recently made remarks with that sentiment, with Undertaker telling The Joe Rogan Experience that the WWE product is “a little soft.” WWE Superstar Roman Reigns responded to those comments when asked about them on the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast with Jimmy Traina on Friday (h/t Marc Middleton of Wresting Inc.):
“We do the same job. It’s not like the bumps got any worse or any better. You’re always hearing ‘a drop kick was a finish back in my time.’ A dropkick is like the second move you see in a wrestling match nowadays. We’re doing a lot more. And sometimes I think we’re a lot more physical. And because the audience has seen so much more, we have to do a little more in order to pique their interest, in order to show them something different.
“What we call a false finish, a pin that people believe will be the final move of a match, we go through those like Steamboat-Savage. You’ll see that on a SmackDown. You’ll see 15 false finishes on a SmackDown.”
Reigns made it clear, however, how much he respects the Undertaker.
“It’s strange. I really feel like he misspoke,” Reigns said. “Because Mark [Calaway] is a really good guy. He’s very knowledgable. Obviously, he has a ton of respect for the business.”
The Undertaker, who is undoubtedly one of the most respected voices in WWE history, officially retired last June after a storied 33-year career that featured four WWF/WWE championships and three World Heavyweight titles.
Reigns is the current WWE Universal Champion. Goldberg still wrestles sporadically and will face off against WWE Champion Drew McIntyre at Royal Rumble on Sunday.
