Reggie Reveals Tragic Reason He Stopped Watching WWE As A Kid

On January 29, the WWE will hold the 2022 Royal Rumble at The Dome at America's Center in St. Louis, Missouri, making the event a homecoming for WWE star Reggie. The former WWE 24/7 Champion grew up in St. Louis after being born in Memphis, Tennessee, and the Rumble will represent the first match he's ever wrestled in his hometown.

In an interview with the St. Louis Post Dispatch to promote the Royal Rumble, Reggie detailed the origin of his wrestling fandom, which came from watching wrestling with his late uncle. When discussing working the PPV, Reggie said coming back, wrestling in St. Louis and being a positive influence while doing so will make the event a dream come true.

"We would catch 'Monday Night Raw' and 'SmackDown' on TV, and that was just something that I shared with my uncle," Reggie said. "We were the only two in our household watching wrestling. And he was very popular in the neighborhood. He was one of the higher drug dealers and one of the famous guys in the neighborhood.

"And you know, being a wrestling fan, growing up, it wasn't easy. You got picked on for being a wrestling fan, but I thought that it was cool because one of the coolest guys in our neighborhood was watching wrestling with me, and that was my uncle. And then I stopped watching wrestling once he was shot and killed.

"Every time I watched it, I thought about him. I just stopped watching it. Now I come back as a positive influence, a role model to so many people in my community as a WWE superstar. You have people who haven't watched wrestling since they were younger, and they're tuning in right now because someone they grew up with is on the show. I performed many circus shows in St. Louis, but this one is special because this is one of the first dreams I ever gave myself. It's going to be a great show."