Independent star Lance Anoa’i opened up about missing out on the chance to appear in a segment alongside Roman Reigns.
The July 7th episode of SmackDown saw The Bloodline put Roman Reigns on trial in a heavily-promoted Tribal Court segment. Cracks in the group were evident, and after Reigns hit a low blow on Jey Uso, he and Solo Sikoa laid a massive beatdown on both Usos. Jimmy Uso was stretchered out of the arena, and Jey would return later in the night with a steel chair in hand, demanding that Roman Reigns pay for what he did.
Ahead of the show, it was assumed that more Anoa’i family members might be involved in the segment, and according to former MLW star Lance Anoa’i, that was indeed the plan.
Speaking in a new interview with Steve Fall of WrestlingNews.co, Anoa’i opened up about asking for his MLW release and said he missed out on a number of opportunities because of his contractual obligations.
“I’ve missed a few opportunities being with MLW. That one on A&E. I missed the possibility of being on the Tribal Court they were doing, bringing in the whole family. I missed that opportunity. Now I can do it all. I can be at extra work. I can be at tryouts. Like nothing is stopping me now, so I’m just ready to go.”
“They Wanted A Lot Of Us” – Lance Anoa’i On Roman Reigns Tribal Court Segment
Continuing, Anoa’i revealed that WWE wanted multiple family members to be involved in the segment, but he and his brother Jacob were unavailable due to their MLW contracts.
“So the Tribal Court, they wanted a lot of us. They asked my grandfather, my dad, my uncles, me, Jacob, they wanted us all and unfortunately, you know, due to our contracts and everything, we weren’t able to, but that’s okay, you know. We weren’t able to and we just carried on and now we just don’t know man.
“Time will tell. Impact looks very strong right now. In January they become TNA again. AEW looks awesome. You just you just never know. Hey, man, that’s the life of the freedom.”
h/t WrestlingNews.co