Roman Reigns reacts to harsh anti-TKO chants after WrestleMania

The Tribal Chief achieved another massive WrestleMania moment, defeating the World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk to reclaim the championship.

Roman Reigns’ main event match delivered all the goods and, based on early reviews and fan reactions, outdid the previous night’s Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes matchup. Punk ended up heavily bloodied from the damage he took from Reigns, but kept battling as he tried to defend the championship he claimed at SummerSlam from Gunther.

When all was said, Reigns hoisted the championship belt to end WrestleMania 42 as fireworks went off to cap off the two-day extravaganza. As WWE normally does, they had multiple post-Mania interviews, with various superstars stopping by to talk to Big E, Peter Rosenberg, Corey Graves, and Joe Tessitore.

“I said it. I’m an unsigned billion-dollar check, and guess who cashed it, baby? The WWE TKO endeavor. This is what it is, man. This is the one that brought us up,” he said before pausing.

Fans began booing after he mentioned TKO, then a loud “F*** TKO” chant broke out, prompting Reigns, who looked confused at first, to react on the spot.

“A bipolar bunch out here, huh?” he asked the panel as they all chuckled.

Unfortunately, the fans seemed displeased over what’s transpired since the WWE-UFC merger to create TKO several years ago, and many have expressed strong frustration with the recent WrestleMania 42.

It’s worth noting that Bleacher Report gave out two A+ grades for Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar and Reigns vs. Punk on Night 2. They also gave an A- to Night 2’s Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match, which Penta won to retain his championship.

The outlet gave an overall A- to Sunday night, easily outdoing the D+ they gave to Saturday night. That first lineup of the two nights was definitely lacking and poorly received by many critics and fans.

Newsweek also handed out grades for Night 2, including high praise for the Reigns vs. Punk match that closed out Mania.

Meanwhile, a lot of the harsh criticism of TKO seems justified. There are beliefs among fans that TKO has been doing everything to make the WWE product more corporate, focusing on profit over storytelling, and filling the various shows with too many ads, sponsorships, and commercial breaks.

There are also higher ticket prices and the need for multiple subscription platforms to enjoy WWE shows and premium live events. The partnership with ESPN meant that many United States fans had to subscribe to the new ESPN Unlimited service for $30 per month to watch the PLEs, or miss them.

WWE Raw streams on Netflix on Monday nights, while SmackDown airs on Fridays on the USA Network, giving fans multiple platforms to keep up with all the shows and stories.

Add in the aspect that one of the two nights of WrestleMania 42 was a lackluster presentation, and it would seem fans have plenty of reasons to express their frustrations with TKO.

For more about the WWE and professional wrestling, visit Newsweek Sports.

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