Roman Reigns Was Nervous, Worried About Ring Rust Ahead Of WWE Fastlane Bout

Roman Reigns discusses his return to the ring this past Sunday at WWE Fastlane. 

For the first time in five months, Roman Reigns competed inside a WWE ring at Fastlane, teaming with Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins to take on Baron Corbin, Drew McIntyre, & Bobby Lashley. Speaking to Variety, Reigns discussed how he felt going into his first match since overcoming leukemia. 

“I think a lot of it was nerves,” Reigns said. “Nothing prepares you for the ring like the ring. I’ve had some really good training sessions, some great workouts, but nothing is like being in that ring in front of that crowd with the lights on you. I was pretty nervous that I would have that ring rust…but I felt once I got out there and started moving around. My instincts took over and it was just like riding a bike.”

The bout was billed as “one last ride” for The Shield as Dean Ambrose is reportedly set to leave the company after his contract expires in April. When Reigns announced his leukemia had returned on the Oct. 22 episode of Raw, Ambrose shocked the world by turning on Rollins later in the night. But with Reigns back in the mix and Ambrose’s time in WWE coming to an end, the trio reunited on the Raw prior to Fastlane. 

“It was nice coming back with those guys, and it was more than just me. Obviously with Ambrose, the news out with him not resigning, you just don’t know. It’s a unique time for us,” stated Reigns. “We’ve grown as performers and young me to be able to handle a split to where we were separated…but it was nice to be able to put that aside after being out for five months and entertain the fans. It felt fitting to come back in and lean on those guys one more time.”

The Shield was victorious against Lashley, Corbin, & McIntyre, looking like they hadn’t missed a beat inside the squared circle. The next night on Raw, they gave their farewell address, going their separate ways leading into WrestleMania 35.