When Did Roman Reigns Join WWE?

A look at Roman Reigns’ WWE career, from his debut in 2012 to his current status as one of the top stars in the company.

Roman Reigns’ Early Life

Roman Reigns was born on May 25, 1985, in Pensacola, Florida, as Leati Joseph Anoaʻi. His father, Sika Anoaʻi, and his grandfather, Peter Maivia, were both members of the famed Anoaʻi family of Samoan wrestlers. His uncles, The Wild Samoans, Afa and Sika, were also professional wrestlers. Reigns’ cousins, including Rosey and Yokozuna, also pursued careers in the squared circle.

Family

Reigns was born on May 25, 1985, in Pensacola, Florida, to Sika Anoai and Patricia A. Anoai. Reigns is of Samoan heritage through his father and maternal grandfather, Peter Maivia. He has three sisters and a brother.

Football career

Joe Anoai was born on May 25, 1985, in Tampa, Florida, and was raised in Pensacola, Florida. He is part Samoan and part Italian. He played football for Escambia High School and pensacola Catholic high school. Later, he attended Georgia Institute of Technology where he played football as a defensive lineman. Afterward, he was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2007 but was waived before the start of the season. The following year, he was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars but was again waived before the season started. In 2009, he was signed by the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League (CFL) but suffered a neck injury that abruptly ended his career.

Roman Reigns’ WWE Career

Roman Reigns, real name Leati Joseph Anoaʻi, is an American professional wrestler and former professional gridiron football player. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. He is a three-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion, a one-time United States Champion, and a one-time WWE Tag Team Champion. He is also a former NCAA football player.

Debut

Roman Reigns is an American professional wrestler who is signed to WWE. He is a former professional gridiron football player. Roman Reigns made his WWE television debut on November 18, 2012, alongside Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins, assaulting Ryback during the main event of that night’s episode of SmackDown. This led to them being nicknamed “The Shield”. The trio quickly rose to prominence as one of the most dominant factions in WWE, winning their first WWE Tag Team Championship together in January 2013. Reigns is a three-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion, a one-time United States Champion, a one-time Intercontinental Champion, a one-time Universal Champion, and a one-time WWE Tag Team Champion (with Rollins).

Reigns has headlined numerous pay-per-view events for WWE, including WrestleMania 31 in 2015 (alongside Brock Lesnar and The Rock), as well as WrestleMania 32 and 34 in 2016 and 2018 respectively. He has also appeared in two Royal Rumble matches (in 2015 and 2016), winning the latter. Time magazine named Reigns one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2018. ESPN ranked him No. 7 on their listing of the top 50 wrestlers in the world in 2019 while Pro Wrestling Illustrated ranked him No. 1 wrestler of 2016

The Shield

Roman Reigns’ professional wrestling career began in 2010 when he signed with WWE and was assigned to their developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW). He made his main roster debut as one of The Shield in November 2012. The Shield was a conspiratorial stable of three masked wrestlers who attacked opponents seemingly at random, before revealing themselves to be Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Dean Ambrose. The group soon became one of the most dominant factions in WWE history, reigning as WWE Tag Team Champions and winning the Slammy Award for Match of the Year in 2013. After Ambrose and Rollins betrayed Reigns and turned on him during a 2014 match against Evolution at Extreme Rules, Reigns subsequently reformed The Shield with new members Joey Mercury and Jamie Noble (later replaced by Jon Moxley), but was forced to disband the group completely in June 2015 due to injuries.

Main event push

Roman Reigns was quickly pushed to the main event scene upon his WWE debut in November 2012, appearing in his first match on the main roster at that month’s Survivor Series pay-per-view. Roman Reigns had several matches against top performers such as CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, and Sheamus throughout late 2012 and early 2013. At the Royal Rumble in January 2013, Reigns made his debut in the titular Royal Rumble match, entering at number 15 and lasting over ten minutes before being eliminated by Sheamus. The following night on Raw, after Punk retained his WWE Championship against The Rock, Punk challenged anyone from the Royal Rumble match to a match for his title, which Reigns accepted; Punk defeated Reigns later that night.

Roman Reigns’ Promos

Roman Reigns has been a part of WWE since 2010, but he didn’t start giving promos until 2012. His first promo was during a backstage segment with Sheamus. Since then, Roman has become one of the best promo cutters in WWE. He has the ability to connect with the WWE Universe and get them behind him.

“I’m not a good guy”

In early October 2012, Roman Reigns made his debut on WWE’s main roster. He was aligned with Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins, and the three men quickly formed The Shield. The trio ran roughshod over the WWE, decimating anyone who dared step in their way.

Reigns was originally billed as a good guy, or “babyface,” but he slowly began to turn into more of a neutral character. His promos began to take on a more serious tone, and he began to distance himself from Ambrose and Rollins.

On March 3, 2014, The Shield finally disbanded after Reigns turned on Ambrose and Rollins. This led to a face turn for Reigns, who went on to become one of the most popular babyfaces in WWE.

However, Reigns’ popularity took a hit in early 2015 when he was suspended for violating WWE’s wellness policy. He returned later that year and won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, but he lost it shortly thereafter to Sheamus.

Reigns’ momentum was again halted in 2016 when he was forced to take time off due to leukemia. He returned in late 2018 and has been a consistent presence on WWE programming ever since.

“The guy”

Promos are a huge part of professional wrestling. A good promo can get a wrestler over with the fans, while a bad promo can make them booed out of the arena. Roman Reigns is one of the best talkers in WWE today, and he’s able to deliver promos that get the fans behind him.

Reigns wasn’t always able to deliver great promos, though. When he first joined WWE, Reigns was very green on the mic and it showed. His promos were often stiff and awkward, and he didn’t connect with the fans the way he does now.

So when did Roman Reigns turn into “the guy” who could deliver great promos? It’s hard to say exactly, but there are a few key moments that stand out.

-Reigns’ promo after winning the 2015 Royal Rumble match is often cited as his breakout moment on the mic. In this promo, Reigns showed emotion and passion that he hadn’t displayed before, and it helped endear him to the fans.

-Reigns’ promo during The Shield’s reunion in 2017 was another big moment for him on the mic. In this promo, Reigns showed off his strength as a talker by cutting a intense promo that got The Shield over as a babyface stable again.

-Reigns’ recent promo on RAW after being diagnosed with leukemia was perhaps his best promo ever. In this promo, Reigns was incredibly vulnerable and open with his emotions, and it led to an incredibly powerful moment for him and WWE as a whole.

Roman Reigns’ Feuds

Roman Reigns is a professional wrestler who is currently signed to WWE. He is a former WWE World Heavyweight Champion and a three-time WWE Universal Champion. Roman Reigns has been with WWE since 2010, when he made his debut on WWE’s main roster.

Brock Lesnar

Roman Reigns’ first high-profile feud was with Brock Lesnar. The two men had a series of matches, beginning at WrestleMania 31 in 2015, which saw Lesnar defeat Reigns to become WWE World Heavyweight Champion. The feud continued through the summer of 2015, with the two men exchanging wins and losses. The feud culminated at SummerSlam in August, where Reigns defeated Lesnar to become WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

The Rock

Roman Reigns’ first major feud was with The Rock. The two superstars have a long history, as The Rock is Reigns’ cousin. The two men feuded in 2014 and 2015, with The Rock defeating Reigns at WrestleMania 31.

Roman Reigns’ Championship Reigns

Roman Reigns is a professional wrestler who is currently signed to WWE. He is a former member of The Shield, and is currently one of WWE’s top Superstars. Roman Reigns has held the WWE Championship three times, and is the current holder of the Universal Championship. He has also held the Intercontinental Championship and the United States Championship.

WWE World Heavyweight Champion

On December 18, 2015, at the TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view, Reigns defeated Sheamus in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match to win his first WWE World Heavyweight Championship. This made Reigns the twenty-ninth Triple Crown Champion and the seventeenth Grand Slam Champion in WWE history.He held the title until the Royal Rumble on January 24, 2016, when he was defeated by Brock Lesnar in controversial fashion. The following night on Raw, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon nullified the result of the match due to Lesnar’s early cash-in attempt, thus making Reigns still champion. McMahon then scheduled a rematch between Lesnar and Reigns for Fastlane on February 21. At the event, Reigns successfully defended his title against Lesnar via pinfall after multiple Superman Punches and a Spear.

United States Champion

Roman Reigns is a one-time United States Champion. He defeated Rusev for the title at Fastlane 2015. He successfully defended his title against Dean Ambrose and Sheamus at WrestleMania 31 in a triple threat match. His final successful title defense was against Big Show at Extreme Rules 2015, after which he vacated the title due to injury.

Intercontinental Champion

In August 2014, at SummerSlam, Seth Rollins betrayed The Shield by attacking Reigns and Ambrose, thus turning heel in the process and aligning himself with The Authority. This led to a match between Rollins and Reigns at Night of Champions, which Reigns won to become the WWE United States Champion for the first time. However, on the September 22 episode of Raw, Rollins defeated Reigns via cash-in of his Money in the Bank contract to regain the title. Two nights later on Main Event, Reigns defeated Rollins to win back the United States Championship.

Reigns then entered a tournament to determine the number one contender for Brock Lesnar’s WWE World Heavyweight Championship. After defeating Alberto Del Rio and Dolph Ziggler in the first two rounds respectively, Reigns was attacked by Big Show before their semifinal match could take place. Due to this, Reigns was unable to participate in the tournament and Sheamus advanced to the final where he defeated Cesaro to become the new number one contender.

At Survivor Series on November 23, Team Authority (Rollins, Kane, Big Show and Mark Henry) defeated Team Cena (Lesnar, Ambrose, Jack Swagger and Miz) in a 5-on-5 traditional Survivor Series elimination tag team match. This resulted in The Authority regaining power within WWE. Following this event it was announced that a fatal four-way match between Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt vs. Luke Harper vs. Dolph Ziggler would take place at TLC: Tables Ladders & Chairs with the winner receiving a future WWE World Heavyweight Championship opportunity against Brock Lesnar at Royal Rumble. On December 14 at TLC: Tables Ladders & Chairs Ambrose retained his title opportunity after last eliminating Harper from the match; immediately following this another Hell in a Cell match was booked for that evening with Ambrose losing dirty to Bray Wyatt thus allowing Harper and Rowan back into The Wyatt Family while disqualifying himself from challenging Lesnar at Royal Rumble as well as being suspended indefinitely without pay by Triple H due to excessive hardcore style use much like what happened with CM Punk years prior though this storyline was dropped just as quickly as it started.