Bischoff Says He’s Lost Interest In Roman Reigns’ Character

Eric Bischoff has weighed in on Roman Reigns, making clear his criticism is aimed squarely at the Tribal Chief character rather than the man portraying him.

The topic came up on Bischoff’s 83 Weeks podcast after co-host Conrad Thompson called Reigns “probably the most overrated main eventer in WWE history.” Bischoff used the moment to expand on his own view, and while he stopped short of Thompson’s framing, he made it clear he’s no longer invested in what he’s currently seeing from Reigns on WWE television.

Bischoff opened by praising Reigns as a person, citing what he’s overcome in his life and the priorities he’s shown around his family. “I respect the hell out of Roman,” Bischoff said. “It has nothing to do with respect… my opinion of his performances as of this moment have nothing to do with the respect I have for the man.”

His actual gripe is with the character work. The Tribal Chief persona reshaped Reigns’ career and anchored one of WWE’s most successful runs in years, and Bischoff acknowledged it’s still working financially. But he argued that commercial success doesn’t equate to the character still being compelling, comparing the backlash he anticipated to the reaction he’s gotten in the past for criticizing Hulk Hogan.

“I’m bored with him. I don’t see anything new from him. I don’t see a character evolving,” Bischoff said, adding that what fans are getting now is “maintenance” rather than growth. For Bischoff, sustained interest in any long-running character depends on evolution — new stakes, new circumstances, a shift in presentation — and he doesn’t believe Reigns has gotten that lately. “I’ve seen that movie,” he said, adding he won’t be interested again “until and unless there’s an evolution in his character.”

Interestingly, Bischoff didn’t argue that familiarity is inherently a problem. He pointed to Ric Flair as a counterexample, noting Flair essentially wrestled the same match for decades without losing his audience because fans stayed invested in what he was doing regardless of repetition.

That distinction matters here. Bischoff isn’t saying Reigns should be doing something totally different every time out — he’s saying the character has to feel like it’s moving somewhere, and right now it doesn’t. It’s a critique that lines up with a broader conversation that’s followed Reigns since he stepped back from the title picture: with the Bloodline story largely resolved and Reigns working a lighter, more selective schedule, WWE hasn’t yet handed him a new arc with real dramatic tension attached.

Reigns remains one of the most decorated and bankable stars WWE has, and nothing here suggests his drawing power has slipped. But Bischoff’s comments echo a growing sentiment among longtime observers that the Tribal Chief character has been coasting on past momentum rather than building toward something new. Whether WWE addresses that with a fresh storyline heading into the fall remains to be seen, but Bischoff’s take adds another voice to the debate over what comes next for Reigns.