
Poor Roman Reigns had to withstand several months of steroid use claims, mainly coming from a disgraced gym owner who was arrested for steroid dealing. While he claimed Reigns was one of his clients, he forgot to mention he was talking about Luther Reigns!
Sorry…I Meant Luther Reigns?
The steroid story involving Roman Reigns and Richard Rodriguez was odd, to begin with, but it becomes ridiculous now after it has been revealed Rodriguez seem to confuse Luther Reigns with Roman Reigns.
A filmmaker called Johnny Bravo attempted to get to the truth behind the scandal. Contacting Rodriguez, a series of text messages were exchanged, in which Rodriguez stated the WWE wrestler he was referring to as Reigns was “Luther Reigns,” not “Roman Reigns.”
https://twitter.com/davidbix/status/972150662510383104
Actions Have Consequences
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59heSOcLrgI
On March 2, 2018, filmmaker Johnny Bravo released a statement that he would provide evidence that Roman Reigns was indeed a client of Rodriguez. However, Bravo seems to have taken a u-turn now, claiming it was Luther Reigns after all. This is the statement Bravo made before the release of his report.
“The WWE & WFN REport is complete.
Along with the former wwe legend who placed over 140k in orders with wfn. where they distributed to other wwe stars and who was aiding the distribution? the report will contain not only the evidence on reigns, but all former and current wwe stars & their connections with wfn. It will contain shipping info with tracking, phone records, and orders directly from the wfn database.”
(Note how he mentioned Reigns, but not specifying Luther? Of course, he has covered his behind by saying “former WWE legend”, but this one is undoubtedly deceiving!)
The fake story seemed to go so far as the WWE creating a backup plan for WrestleMania. If Bravo would have come up with evidence, it is claimed the WWE was ready to put Braun Strowman in the title picture instead of Roman Reigns at WrestleMania!
When I reported on the story a couple of months ago, I stated at the time that there was zero evidence of Roman Reigns being on steroids and that he should be seen as an innocent man until proven otherwise. I am indeed glad Reigns is cleared and vindicated, but this name mistake could have been much worse for the WWE superstar!
Let’s be honest here, all the so-called “reporting” over the past couple of months – including the reports of Johnny Bravo – almost seem to have been purposely deceiving. It did not state “Luther Reigns” at all, but simply mentioned “Reigns,” leaving everything open to much speculation. Come on now; you are playing with a person’s livelihood and reputation!
While I am a reporter myself and have to come up with exciting headlines to make people read my articles, my headlines are a far cry from the gutter journalism we had to witness over the past couple of months. There should be a public apology to Roman Reigns, just because of these unfounded accusations and the deceitful journalism that supported them.
To be honest, I have learned a big lesson as a journalist as well. It was easy to be sucked into the sensation of this story, even though I probably knew Roman Reigns was an innocent man. While I did not accuse him of being guilty at all in my previous post, it could have gone in the wrong direction.
https://twitter.com/davidbix/status/972188717828988931
I reported both sides of the story, but I must admit that I sometimes feel guilty of publishing the wrong side (the Rodriguez claims) once the truth comes out; this is not just for the Roman Reigns story, but other rumored stories too. Yes, I stayed neutral in this case, but poor Roman Reigns had to withstand gossip and rumors because of “neutral” reporting? Some stories are complicated for me to be neutral with as well, Bray Wyatt’s divorce as one prime example.
So, what have I learned about this? Maybe to have more trust in human nature and the people we see as our idols. To be more skeptical of things released by some “reporters,” who find it more important to sell their story to the public than protecting the integrity of an innocent man. Lesson learned.
I send my sincere apologies to Roman Reigns. Roman Reigns deserves an apology from at least one wrestling reporter, even if this reporter is not the one he wants the apology from!
Fire your unsalted opinions on this story below.