Witness how WWE elevated Roman Reigns to the status of a shining star and the face of WWE. Following the departures of The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin in 2003, WWE confronted a roster void, seeking a prominent wrestler to carry the company’s legacy.
During this period, John Cena emerged and gradually gained acceptance from the audience. From 2005 to 2015, spanning almost a decade, Cena firmly established himself as the face of WWE.
Realizing the WWE Universe’s desire for change, WWE brought back Lesnar in 2012, as Vince sought to refresh the company’s direction, following Lesnar’s departure in 2006. In 2012, Reigns made his debut in NXT, a wrestling brand established by the current Chief Operating Officer, Paul ‘Triple H‘ Levesque in 2010.
By early 2014, the company had identified Roman Reigns as their top choice and was actively promoting him as the new face of the company.
According to Wade Keller of PWTorch on the Steve Austin Podcast, he said, “Sean Waltman was on PWTorch Livecast a few months ago and he said that he told Hunter back then that Roman Reigns is potentially a guy that they should build around…..so I blame Sean Waltman!”
Keller further added, “But Hunter a year ago was debating Vince McMahon. Hunter saying ‘I like Roman’ and Vince was saying ‘I like Big E’. I mean clearly, Roman is way ahead of him now but…I mean not that Vince wasn’t for Roman but Vince’s big project was Big E at that moment…”. It became evident that Cena’s era was approaching its conclusion, and the era of Reigns was dawning.
Big E’s statement on Roman Reigns
In a revealing talkSPORT interview, Big E disclosed that it has taken him until this moment to truly find comfort as a performer. He openly admitted that WWE made the right decision years ago by seeking their next rising star elsewhere.
Former Shield star, now WWE’s top performer, Roman Reigns has earned numerous world championships and triumphs against legends like The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar.
Big E acknowledges the right choice in selecting Reigns and praises his in-ring prowess. However, Big E is eager to demonstrate his individual abilities and make his mark in the wrestling world. He said, “There was a point – and I don’t know if this was a thing – but there was a rumour that the choice was between me and Roman and they were kind of deciding [who to push].
He further added, “To me, Roman made so much sense – look at him! You can say what you want about him, but look at the guy”. Big E asserted that anyone who has shared the ring with him would understand why he acknowledges Roman Reigns as deserving of the spot he attained.
Roman Reigns persistently establishes an unprecedented standard and attains levels that surpass any wrestler in WWE, both past and future. The world is fortunate and delighted to witness his exceptional journey.