Ricky Steamboat Recalls Young Roman Reigns As ‘A Super Guy’

Speaking recently with WrestleBinge, Hall of Famer Ricky Steamboat recalled some of his history coaching for FCW, WWE’s old development promotion, and his memories of Roman Reigns before his mainstream debut (via Wrestling Inc). Steamboat had lavish praise for the Tribal Chief in his early days and shared his thought about how he grew from a rookie talent into the face of WWE. You can find some highlights from Steamboat and watch the full interview below.

On his evaluation of Reigns’ early days: “Roman was the kind of guy that would open up and try and do anything to get better. He didn’t want to be the shadow of [his real-life cousin] The Rock. He didn’t want that. And he had a Hollywood, movie star face, and that was a big plus right there for the girls. But he’s a very tight family man with his family and his kids, very tight.”

On learning the mindset and psychology needed to be a great wrestler: “That took a little extra time with Roman. I will say definitely he wasn’t the type of guy that said, ‘It’s either my way or no way.’ That’s definitely not Roman. He would ask you more so he would understand better. I just thought he was a super guy and I felt that he had a place with the company and he had everything that it would take to be a world champion and represent the company.”