“Get Over, Kids”: Roman Reigns, Creative Stagnation, and the Question of WWE’s Decline

In a pointed appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Roman Reigns declared, "Get over, kids. Get over. It's been two years now, and we haven't advanced or evolved. We have great leadership in Nick Khan. God bless, what a businessman, a genius, but creatively, we have to keep up with that. That's why people like me, people striving to be the very best, the GOAT, can't just sit around and watch mediocrity. Not when I set it up for everyone to knock it out of the park." The comments, delivered with confidence and conviction, struck at the core of contemporary debates about WWE's creative direction.

Were these remarks merely the candid reflections of a top performer, or did they signal a deeper structural problem and perhaps the beginning of a downturn in WWE's cultural and creative dominance?

This article argues that Reigns' comments did not cause WWE's creative challenges. Rather, they publicly crystallized tensions already present within the company: tensions between corporate growth and creative innovation, between star-centered storytelling and roster depth, and between legacy branding and fan-driven evolution. In doing so, Reigns' remarks became a flashpoint in a broader conversation about WWE's trajectory in the post-Vince McMahon era.

Roman Reigns and the "Tribal Chief" Era

Since 2020, Roman Reigns has anchored WWE programming through his "Tribal Chief" persona and leadership of The Bloodline faction. This heel turn revitalized his career and ushered in one of the most critically acclaimed long-term storylines in modern WWE history. The saga involving Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, and later Sami Zayn demonstrated WWE's capacity for layered narrative, emotional pacing, and factional drama.

During this period, WWE achieved record financial milestones: lucrative television deals, international expansion, and increased brand visibility. Reigns' championship reign, historic in length, became a symbolic marker of stability during industry uncertainty.

Yet the very dominance that fueled WWE's narrative resurgence also exposed its vulnerabilities. Reigns' part-time schedule in later years left weekly programming dependent on episodic build rather than sustained main-event presence. Critics argued that the overreliance on a single narrative arc limited the upward mobility of other stars.

Reigns' "Get over, kids" remark can be interpreted as both a challenge and a critique: a challenge to younger talent to seize opportunities and a critique of creative inertia. His emphasis on mediocrity suggests frustration not with corporate management, which he praised by citing Nick Khan, but with storytelling stagnation.

Corporate Strength vs. Creative Evolution

Reigns' praise of Nick Khan underscores an important distinction. WWE's business model has thrived in recent years. Media rights deals, streaming partnerships, and global brand positioning demonstrate executive success. Under corporate leadership, WWE transitioned into a new era of consolidation and profitability.

However, professional wrestling operates in a dual economy: financial metrics and audience engagement. A promotion may achieve record revenues while fans experience creative fatigue. The rise of online fan discourse, especially within the so-called "IWC" (Internet Wrestling Community), intensifies scrutiny of storytelling decisions.

Critics cite several examples that fueled perceptions of stagnation:

• Prolonged title reigns are limiting the unpredictability of main events.

• Cyclical booking patterns on weekly television.

• Inconsistent pushes for emerging talent.

• Abrupt storyline shifts following major events.

  
  

Reigns' statement that WWE has not "advanced or evolved" suggests recognition that creative dynamism must match corporate ambition. When a top star publicly calls for evolution, it signals internal awareness of structural tension.

Was It the Beginning of a Downfall?

To label Reigns' comments as the beginning of WWE's downfall risks overstating their causal power. WWE's creative ebbs and flows predate this moment. Periods of perceived stagnation occurred during the mid-2010s, when audience dissatisfaction with repetitive booking and constrained creative freedom was widespread. Similarly, the Attitude Era's collapse in the early 2000s followed creative overextension rather than a single comment.

Instead, Reigns' remarks functioned as a symbolic moment. They revealed three interrelated dynamics:

1. Star Self-Awareness: Reigns acknowledged his own role in setting the standard. His invocation of GOAT status framed mediocrity as a failure to capitalize on the platform he helped build.

2. Generational Tension: The phrase "Get over, kids" evokes wrestling's long-standing ethos that performers must connect organically with audiences. Yet in an era of scripted promos and tightly controlled creative processes, organic ascension is structurally constrained.

3. Fan Agency: Modern audiences demand narrative coherence and long-term payoff. When fans perceive stagnation, they articulate it across social media platforms, shaping public discourse.

   
   

If a downturn were to occur, it would likely stem not from Reigns' critique but from WWE's response or lack thereof to such critiques.

Historical Parallels

Professional wrestling history demonstrates that creative stagnation often follows dominant eras. The post-Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock period exposed WWE's difficulty in replacing transcendent stars—likewise, John Cena's long-term positioning polarized fans who wanted a narrative change.

In each case, the company eventually recalibrated. Wrestling's cyclical nature resists permanent decline. What appears as a downturn may instead represent transitional instability.

Reigns' comments align with this historical pattern. They resemble internal course correction rather than fatalistic prophecy. By publicly articulating dissatisfaction with creative inertia, he positioned himself as both company man and creative critic.

The Broader Industry Context

The existence of All Elite Wrestling (AEW) further complicates narratives of WWE's decline. Competitive pressure has historically spurred innovation. If WWE fails to evolve creatively, alternative promotions offer stylistic and narrative contrasts that attract disillusioned viewers.

However, WWE's structural dominance, global distribution, brand recognition, and financial backing render immediate downfall unlikely. A creative downturn does not equate to a corporate collapse. Instead, it manifests as fluctuating audience enthusiasm and shifting cultural relevance.

Catalyst or Commentary?

Roman Reigns' remarks on The Pat McAfee Show did not initiate WWE's downfall. They exposed anxieties already circulating among fans and performers. His comments highlighted the tension between corporate excellence and creative stagnation, between long-term dominance and adaptive storytelling.

If WWE experiences a decline, it will not be because Reigns spoke candidly. It will result from whether the company embraces evolution or retreats into a formula. Wrestling history suggests resilience rather than collapse. Dominant eras invite critique; critique invites reinvention.

Reigns' statement should therefore be read not as the beginning of the end but as a diagnostic moment, an internal star publicly acknowledging that creative momentum must match corporate ambition. In that sense, the comment functions less as a harbinger of downfall and more as a call to creative accountability.

The future of WWE depends not on silencing such critiques but on answering them.