Teddy Long defends a major criticism of Roman Reigns, says it's not his fault (Exclusive)

Roman Reigns is the undisputed #1 WWE superstar of this generation, but even during his iconic Tribal Chief run, he hasn't been free from criticism. One of the biggest criticisms, however, isn't his fault, according to WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long.

On the latest episode of The Wrestling Time Machine, host Mac Davis asked Teddy Long and legendary wrestling journalist Bill Apter about their thoughts on Roman Reigns' situation.

Apter was quick to point out how much he disliked the fact that Reigns doesn't defend the Universal title as much as he should - stating that Hulk Hogan and Bruno Sammartino defended the title four to five times a night on house shows. This has been one of the biggest criticisms that The Tribal Chief has faced.

Teddy Long disagreed with this, telling Apter and Mac Davis that the advent of broadcast television and social media has been a big difference maker:

"Well, back in the day there was no cable TV, no social media, none of that. That's why guys had to go from town to town every night - that's the only way people got a chance to see them. Now, you know, with all the TV and technology and stuff, it's unbelievable." (3:40-4:00)

He stated that times have changed and that it's not Reigns' decision as to how long he will keep the title:

"To get back to the first thing you were talking about, Roman Reigns and you know, Bill [Apter] automatically said no. Times have changed. I look at it in a different way because it's really not Roman Reigns' decision. You know what I mean? Whether he keeps the title or not, that decision is up to the company [WWE]. If somebody wants him to break [Hulk] Hogan's [title reign length] then I won't say no, but never say never." (4:01-4:43)

You can watch the full video below:

What did Roman Reigns say about going part-time?

How exactly is Reigns' part-time schedule different from that of a star like Brock Lesnar?

Roman Reigns told Sports Illustrated last year that the plan was for him to skip a few premium live events in between and mainly compete in the "Big Four" (Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Survivor Series) and Saudi Arabia shows, but admitted that it falls into the part-time category:

"-Compared to what I did, I guess, yeah, you could say technically, that’s, compared to a full-time, taking on everything, you only get a day-and-a-half-a-week, yeah, I guess it’s a part-time compared to what I usually run but, I’m an annual character on WWE television."

Has The Tribal Chief done enough to earn his part-time schedule? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

---

If you take any quotes from the first half of the article, please embed the YouTube video and credit Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.