However, in October 2018, a big turnaround came in Reigns career where he revealed that about his suffering from leukaemia. Adding an insult to the injury he also had to surrender his Universal Championship belt that time, it was indeed a big blow for his fans at that moment. However, ‘The Big Dog’ fought like a warrior and made a return to Monday Night Raw on Feb 25, 2019, where he announced that his leukaemia is in remission.
This was the rematch of WrestleMania 33, after failing to gain victory against Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania that year. ‘The Big Dog’ finally had the upper hand over Lesnar at SummerSlam 2018 as he became the Universal Champion for the first time by defeating ‘The Beast Incarnate’.
Roman Reign overcame Rusev, Big Show, Kane and other wrestlers at Royal Rumble 2015 to seal WrestleMania spot against Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 31. He received little help from his cousin Dwayne Johnson ‘The Rock’ in that match.
Leati Joseph “Joe” Anoaʻi, better known by the ring name of Roman Reigns turns 35 years old on May 25, 2020. Roman Reigns is also sometimes called ‘The Big Dog’. He is currently signed to WWE where he wrestles under SmackDown brand. Roman Reigns was signed by WWE in 2010, reporting to their developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW). ‘The Big Dog’ made his main roster debut in November 2012 alongside Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins asThe Shield. The trio teamed together until June 2014, after which Reigns entered singles competition.
This match was fought to determine the face of the company. The single contest between Roman Reigns and John Cena at No Mercy 2017 was no less than a WrestleMania main event contest. Reigns kicked out at Cena’s attitude adjustment and gave him a spear to win the match and become the new face of WWE.
Reigns’ return to action has been the highlight of WWE programming in recent months By
Since making his surprise return at SummerSlam, Roman Reigns has been one of the consistent highlights of all WWE programming. From his sizzling promos to a unique storyline involving his cousin, Jey Uso, Reigns is clicking better than he ever has in his already-impressive career.
Reigns was sidelined at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, a product of an enlarged spleen making it unsafe for the leukemia survivor to compete in an uncertain environment. As Reigns told CBS Sports, the locker room leader being forced to sit out during a difficult time for the company and its performers was a double-edged sword.
“You know, it was tough, but I tried to just focus on things I could control and the time with my family,” Reigns said. “For a long time — and I think maybe the reason people consider myself a locker room leader is the dedication to my craft and to the performance and to our locker room and being there for those guys and not only being where I worked as far as my character but really being there in the locker room and being approachable and going through the grind with those guys. I think I was able to earn the respect when they saw how I carried myself and how I operated on a daily basis and the work output that I put in. But, for me, it was either dwell on the negatives because, yeah, I wanted to be there and wanted to help the team and help the product, but it was also very nice to be able to help my family and be there for my children and my wife and create a little bit of a solid foundation and structure in these crazy times.
“For me to be home when everything is in question and its scary just to go to the grocery store, I think that was something critical for my household to see that mom and dad are doing this together and theyre spearheading this thing and taking it on as it comes. But I wont lie, theres something very gratifying about going to work and doing your job at a high level and earning and providing for your family. Luckily, the work that I put in in the past and up to that point, it built a good equity with WWE all the way to the fact that nothing changed for me. I was still fortunate enough to receive my paycheck and take care of my family. Were in a very blessed situation to be able to stay home and still operate as a household and family but have security and food on the table.”
Reigns return saw “The Big Dog” become “The Tribal Chief,” shifting from a longtime status as one of the companys top faces to a role as its top heel. Reigns paired off with advocate Paul Heyman and made it clear he had returned to action with no concern for how he was perceived as he recaptured the universal championship.
He then brutally attacked Uso and kicked off a program with a focus on his place at the “head of the table” for their family. The change in character has breathed new life into Reigns career.
“I definitely think a lot of the stuff that we present is very factual,” Reigns said of the idea. “A lot of people want to say, Oh, hes a heel. And, Oh, he was a babyface,” and this and that. I try not to look at it as that. I try to look at it as this being a character in a storyline and he has choices like anyone else. Some of his choices are going to be perceived as good, some of them are going to be perceived as bad and some of them people wont understand because they wont understand where hes coming from. That might be because theyre not in the same field or on the same level, kind of like how I told my cousin that he wouldnt understand what its like to be on top. I say it with love and respect, but hes a tag team guy. He never has operate at the top. Hes never been WWE champion, hes never been universal champion. I have … many times. I understand the grind and what it takes to maintain that, not only to get there but to maintain it. I think there are a lot of elements that are true and I think its important for a performer to connect to the character theyre displaying. There has to be shades of a real person in there. But, like youve heard every superstar all the way back to Bruno Sammartino say, you have to be able to take that to an 11 or 12.
“Ive taken these real-life qualities and experiences and put them in a storyline. That has been able to connect with our audience in a really cool way because theyve seen me grow and theyve seen my path and theyve seen me operate on this top tier of WWE for a long time. For me to actually emote and explain the dimensions of it, I think they dig that and the feeling that the fourth wall is down from time to time. To me, this is Roman. Hes not Joe. Im able to connect to everything Im doing now way stronger than anything Ive done before.”
The feud with Uso has been driven by pure emotion, with Uso looking to prove he can serve the same role as Reigns as a provider for their extended family. Reigns has taken exception to Uso believing he can elevate himself from a tag team specialist to someone on the same level as the universal champion.
That built to a match at the recent Clash of Champions PPV which saw Jimmy Uso throw in the towel as Reigns continuously mauled Jey, demanding he be acknowledged as Tribal Chief. Reigns, unsatisfied with the win after Jey did not give him the acknowledgement, laid out a challenge for the upcoming Hell in a Cell pay-per-view where the two will meet inside the Cell in an I Quit match.
Reigns credited Uso for helping make his transition back to active competition go smoothly while also noting that theres a special kind of nerves that come with working with — and trying to elevate — a family member.
“Roman would say thats the island of relevancy. Thats how powerful the character is, and if we can take someone like my cousin who has been half of the best tag team of my generation and elevate him and put him in the spotlight all the way from … just 15 minutes ago Im talking about him on ESPN First Take. That wasnt happening before. Now, we put him in a position to where all eyes are on him.
“But, if I talk to you as Joe, Im just so proud of him. Theres this weird energy of being nervous for him. I dont get nerves only for myself, but I get nerves that hes going to be able to deliver the goods, that hes going to deliver that, Which one are you? line. To me, these are critical moments for him to be able to continue to see that growth, to get that push. If he doesnt answer the call, if he doesnt step up to the plate and knock it out of the park the way that hes been doing, this wouldnt have happened. Im just really proud and it just feels good to be able to show our family and our bloodline and know our dads can watch and see that our storyline is the most interesting in WWE and is the main event of WWE — Im just really proud of that. Coming back, you have to get back on the bike and get comfortable again. I dont think theres anyone Id have been more comfortable with in the ring from a creative standpoint than being with my own blood and my cousin.
“We were saying before Clash of Champions, From the porch to the pay-per-view. He taught me the basics of this business in a ghetto in Tampa on a crappy porch of a crappy apartment. On days off when hed get off the road and Id get out of FCW, wed talk all night long. Wed have a couple beers and just talk about it while hed teach me the ABCs of this dance we do. Its really cool to be able to share my knowledge of the higher-up portion of this business now and help pull him along.”
He has gone by many names over his legendary run in the WWE. He was known as “The Powerhouse” as part of the Shield, then gained a number of nicknames as he ran roughshod over the WWE for a number of years. The Tribal Chief, the Juggernaut and The Guy are just a few of the names he has been known as over the years.
The name could be a reference to his time in The Shield. One nickname the trio had was “The Hounds of Justice”, with him being the biggest dog implying he is the best of the three. The term “Big Dog” is used to indicate the toughest person in a group, so it’s also likely a reference to that.
However, the one he is most known as is the Big Dog. This is the name he first had after breaking up from Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins and has followed him all this time, 8 years later. Hearing Michael Cole yelling it every match as he got beat down only to hit a spear and win the fight every night was maddening and it has been burned into everyone’s memory – not always as a good thing.
As he continues his record breaking run as the Unified WWE Universal Champion, Roman Reigns continues to impress as the “Head of the Table”. The leader of the Bloodline has held the World Championship for two years at this point and shows no signs of letting up, and could hold the title until Wrestlemania and beyond.