Roman Reigns has been on the run of his life since returning from hiatus in 2020. The reigning Undisputed WWE Universal Champion went on hiatus in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic raged wild. Following his return, WWW and former CEO Vince McMahon paired him with Paul Heyman, which has now led to the hugely popular Tribal Chief gimmick and the creation of The Bloodline.
Speaking on Rick Rubin’s Tetragrammaton podcast (via Wrestling News), Paul Heyman opened up on how Reigns’ creative direction prior to the pandemic led to frustrations and him going on a hiatus. The Wise Man to Roman Reigns also recalled how he was supposed to be a commentator, but Vince McMahon changed his mind and paired the two together. Heyman, who was Executive Director at the time, was removed from his position, as he thought Reigns needed something “generational” to be on the same level.
Vince McMahon’s last great accomplishment was finally getting Roman Reigns over as the top guy. he tried for years but struck gold in 2020 with the heel turn and it’s been legendary ever since pic.twitter.com/tL4BV22OAZ
— Tiff 💋 (@TiffanyLuv24) June 6, 2023
“The feud rivalry story with Baron Corbin over dog food and the infamous sufferin’ succotash promo had weighed on him enough to where he said, ‘I’ve had enough. I’ve reached the cap. I can’t go any further. As the big dog, I’ve peaked. and as an athlete, I haven’t peaked as a performer. I’ve barely scratched the surface. I have so much more to offer, and since I’m taking time off, I’m not coming back as the same person. […]”
Reigns also opened up about how he became the biggest heel in the promotion.
“So Vince calls me in the middle of August and he says, ‘We’re gonna take you back into television. I’m thinking, ‘Oh, oh. He’s gonna make me a commentator, and Jim Ross isn’t here. I’m thinking Ronda is pregnant. Brock’s not coming back with Saudi down. He’s certainly is not putting me with Roman and he goes, ‘I’m envisioning Roman Reigns with Paul Heyman.’ I’m thinking, ‘Oh my God. He’s gonna pull the trigger on this. He would never pull it with Cena. He would never have allowed Cena to come to the dark side.”
At the time, Roman Reigns was in a storyline with Baron Corbin where the two feuded over dog food. Reigns, who was a babyface at the time, was struggling with his promos. One of the promos involved was the current world champion talking about “sufferin succotash,” a segment that was not received well by fans at the time and got heavily booed despite Reigns being a face. It ultimately led to his heel turn.
Roman Reigns is currently enjoying the heel run of his life in WWE
After his return at SummerSlam 2020, Roman Reigns revealed himself to be associated with Paul Heyman. The Tribal Chief then went on to win the Universal Championship at Payback 2020 from Bray Wyatt. Reigns then went on to have a dominant run as champion, defeating stalwarts such as John Cena and his cousin Jey Uso.
At WrestleMania 38, Reigns combined the Universal and WWE Championship after defeating Brock Lesnar. He has since held both titles and has also amassed 1000 days as the Universal Champion. Reigns is the longest-reigning world champion in the company’s modern history. He was recently presented with a new undisputed world title by Triple H.
It’s lonely at the top. #TribalChief
#SmackDown @HeymanHustle @WWESoloSikoa pic.twitter.com/fZhl4mg3MU
— Roman Reigns (@WWERomanReigns) June 3, 2023
The Tribal Chief is currently witnessing the destruction of The Bloodline as Jimmy Uso has seemingly turned on him. At Night of Champions on May 27, the former tag team champion turned on Reigns after suffering weeks of abuse. The storyline is arguably one of the best storylines in recent memory. Let’s wait and see how it will pan out.