Jon Moxley Says Roman Reigns Didn’t Want To Do “Sufferin’ Succotash” Line

Sufferin’ Succotash.

On the Jan. 9, 2015 episode of SmackDown, Roman Reigns channeled his inner Looney Tunes and said Seth Rollins is “full of sufferin’ succotash.” He immediately followed up by saying, “That was not easy to say” before turning and sending a wink to the camera. Reigns was criticized for the line by anyone with the ability to type 280 characters.

In some not-so-shocking news, it turns out that the line was not Roman’s idea.

Speaking to Wade Keller of PWTorch, Jon Moxley (formerly Dean Ambrose in WWE) discussed the infamous “sufferin’ succotash” line.

“Vince had him say ‘Sufferin’ Succotash.’ I remember that day,” recalled Moxley. “You think he wanted to say that? No. He went in [Vince’s office], came out and was like, ‘He wants me to say sufferin’ succotash.’ I remember laughing. ‘Dude, you can’t say that.’ He asked, ‘Is there a cool way to say it?’ His personality is so great. He’s a great dude, and everybody loves him. He’s a guy everybody gravitates to in the locker room because of natural charisma. But they don’t let him be himself.”

Moxley continued, “There were many times where he would cut a promo in the car, and I’m like, ‘That’s awesome. That’s what you should say tomorrow.’ Maybe he got to. Maybe they said, ‘No, you have to say this.’ It’s the same problem for everyone. Not my problem anymore.”

Reigns’ push in WWE has been a big point of contention among WWE fans as many turned on “The Big Dog” once it became evident that the promotion was pushing him to the top spot. When The Shield first split up, Moxley began getting over on his own despite the office backing Reigns.

They definitely hoped [the boos] would stop, but you knew it was going to happen because as soon as everyone realized — when he was in The Shield, everybody loved him,” said Moxley. “He was the hottest thing and booked liked a monster. As soon as everyone realized he was getting ‘tabbed,’ he was always ‘The Guy,’ but as soon as people realized that, they all decided to turn on him. Because [the fans] don’t like that for whatever reason. [John] Cena did it first, and then Roman walked into it.”

Moxley would later say, “Even when we were in ‘competition,’ I love him so much that I couldn’t resent him. If he were a guy that I hated, I’d probably resent the hell out of him. Because there were many times where I felt I had a stronger connection to the audience than him. But he was my best friend. [His push] would have never come between us.”

Moxley has been all over the interview circuit since appearing at AEW Double or Nothing on May 25. In an interview with Chris Jericho, Moxley discussed taking a jab at Reigns and his illness in a WWE promo, which he regretted. You can read his full comments by clicking here.