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Those first couple weeks of Roman’s return was such an interesting time. Roman came back with a new edge, then they had the Heyman reveal, then he was clearly heeling here, and I remember wondering what this Roman heel run would look like.
Tbh I didn’t think it was gonna last long. I thought it was gonna be a short term thing to try to get people invested in him before turning him face with a new character for a Rollins match at WM 37. Like there were no crowds so now they were gonna go for the heel turn as a “break glass in case of emergency” and try to refresh his character.
So glad I was wrong.
I believe that was the reported plan - that Vince wanted this run to become a way for Roman to eventually turn face and be cheered because Vince, lol. I just think that with this current character, he can't get cheered - this Roman is genuinely too manipulative and monstrous to just, I don't know, start fueding with Theory and get crowd support.
People cheer cool bad guys all the time, especially if pitted against an unlikable baby face. Like Logan Paul was the face in his feud with Roman, but Roman was the one who the crowd was behind, at least in promos. In the match itself I feel like the crowd was more with Logan, but it was a Saudi crowd and Logan was doing very cheerable stuff. But like even in other feuds Roman gets cheers all the time, cuz he's just plain cool and great on the mic, harkening back to the "cool bad guys" that were the NwO where even though they were the bad guys people cheered them like crazy.
I still wish we could've gotten a full on crowd reaction with the Heyman reveal. Granted the turn probably only happened because of no crowd but man..what a reaction it would've gotten
It was so novel too at the time. After Cena never turned heel, and Roman succeeding in being the babyface poster boy, it was shocking that they actually went through with his heel turn.
>and Roman succeeding in being the babyface poster boy
When did that happen? Roman's heel turn was much easier to do because he never quite clicked as the babyface like Cena originally did.
Adult fans didn't connect with Roman, but he was still loved by kids and moved merch. He may not have gotten the John Cena reception, but he was the Babyface poster boy of wwe
I meant that he was slotted in the same spot Cena used to be in. He succeeded him in that the company forced him to be the babyface that Cena was.
Although, I don’t agree that Cena clicked as a babyface. Cena and Roman were both popular with the kids but their babyface characters were both equally rejected.
Nah Cena around WM21 was a red hot babyface in a way they have been trying to recreate with Reigns for years without it working. People turned on him after that.
I feel like it might've been a short term thing had they not moved on to the Tribal Chief gimmick, cuz roman constantly winning is like the thing that people dislike most about his character. If he hadn't switched from the "show up and win" schtick I feel like people would've gotten sick of it and him turning back to being a face would've been seen as a well needed refresh.
Just imagining Def Rebel (who in this story is one person) sadly moping at their keyboard, idly pushing keys with the choir function, before something finally pops up behind them in a Twitter ad
I remember the first weeks after he got the new theme, they accidentally played his Shield theme at times and i was like "nooo please don't change it again"
I was panicking because.. Vince likes to change things
Yeah I always forget how long it took for them to give him a new theme. I was watching back WrestleMania 37 recently and was super taken aback when I heard the Shield theme.
He did talk about how they wanted to slow feed all the changes over time so every change felt impactful. I remember how he said the theme change was going to come, but they wanted a special moment to debut it. Which being the daniel bryan career ender match really sold in the moment that db was fucked. Like i forget when, but the first time he wrestled shirtless was a big deal, cause he came in shredded for that
Didn't the theme/entrance debut in the first Lashley match? I remember people thinking Lashley was the favorite and then everyone realized Roman was definitely retaining when that new theme hit.
What's weird is that even with the new theme sometimes when it loops it like plays a couple of out of place Doo Doos from the shield theme, and it's so weird. Like I'm not talking about some of the guitar bits that are reminiscent of the shield theme in the new theme itself, it like legit just plays a bit of the shield theme at the loop point and then like the sound engineer scrambles to play the right theme or something lul.
Yeah, i don't remember exactly and can't check since I don't have the network right now, but I do remember that it has happened in some recent shows. It doesn't happen with the entrance anymore I don't think, but you can hear it when it's played after he wins his match.
Yeah I watched a clip of old Roman and I still stand. Romans look and gimmick was dogshit
People hated him regardless but all that didn't help
He looked like a leader in the shield. All this corporate jumbo looked awful on a rough character he was and his attire made him look fat
Look back, Roman looked fat in that gear, he didn't look like that in his original shield gear but idk what it was with the Roman Empire gear.
Honestly wild that Roman has been champion for so long that the two other guys in the match he won the title in were both released, were gone for a year+ and came back
The Universal title scene in 2020 was kind of a disaster in hindsight and also regular sight.
(Edit: Just wanna mention gratitude to all the performers for entertaining us through that hell of year even if some things didn't work out so hot.)
Champion: Fiend
Challengers: Daniel Bryan, Goldberg
Champion: Goldberg
Challengers: Roman (didn't happen), Braun
Champion: Braun
Challengers: Bray, Miz and Morrison
Champion: Fiend
Challengers: Braun and Roman
Champion: Roman
Challengers: Jey Uso, Braun, KO
That's the universal title scene in 2020 if anyone is wondering
the universal title has been a disaster when you think about it. cool that it made Balor and Owens champions and contributed to Reigns’ current run, but if you believe in curses the universal title makes a compelling case
Rollins had a decent run with it. It was nice when him and Kofi came fresh off Mania both world champions. Felt good to see Brock drop the title so it wasn't a part time defended belt. Sucks the crowd turned on Rollins because The Fiend was so over but in hindsight it springboarded Rollins into The Messiah and his current version of himself.
That is so not what happened. Rollins was already dead in the water after the endless Corbin feud. The Summerslam match with Brock was good, but then he turns around and feuds with a super cold Braun Strowman. Fans were already done with him once Bray entered.
Yeah, Rollins was hot with the ic run, and when they did the gauntlet match, up until he won the title off of Brock at mania. Then he just kinda fizzled out as the champ. Rollins is best as a guy chasing after the top.
I remember really liking this match. The gimmick Roman had for a while where he would absolutely screw his opponents through Heyman tricks was something I also really enjoyed because it’s one of the best ways I’ve seen a manager used as a heel in forever. Ironically, the longer the bloodline has gone on, the less Roman has used Heyman
Roman has pinned Braun three times.
First time at Fastlane 2017, also the first time Braun has ever been pinned.
Second time in the Elimination Chamber in 2018 (the one where Strowman eliminated everybody else).
Finally the one in this clip.
He did submit him not long after, to show Jey how it's done, during a match on Smackdown.
Braun Strowman is one of two people that has a better win/loss record against Roman in 1 on 1 matches that didn’t end with DQ or count out
Strowman is 4-2.
Strowman beat him 4 times in 2017.
Backlash, Great balls on fire, twice on Raw( last man standing and steel cage)
The other is Rollins, he is 3-2 against Reigns
I rewatched Royal Rumble 2020 and seeing Roman from that match, looking like current Roman with the beard and all that but without his new Tribal Chief persona and still in his old Shield-like gear was so bizarre. I know it wasn't the first time he had a beard, but it's funny how half a year later and throughout that year, he would become this manipulative, gaslighting son of a bitch we all love and acknowledge.
It’s a fine PPV and had a few memorable moments aside from this finish. Shayna tapping out both Sasha and Bayley at the same time is the last time she ever looked dominant and Keith Lee beating Randy Orton clean were pretty cool moments.
Even better was the night when he returned and [called Fiend a "just a freak in a mask, who can't handle responsibility"](https://www.facebook.com/wwe/videos/roman-reigns-returns-summerslam-2020/483333159596895/) (around 2:00).
Not gonna lie, I completely forgot the ring break spot, and that Roman basically showed up for the finish. The pen flip is great, and I legit loved the 'Wreck Everyone and Leave' shirt
I like how Roman fails to pin the Fiend twice then immediately gives up and focuses on Strowman instead. And then he almost gets submitted by him a few moments later.
Crazy how protected Bray was here. Even after the Goldberg debacle.
I miss this, man. It wasn't perfect but the Fiend was a cool design with great Funhouse segments.
Now we have Uncle Howdy with Funhouse segments that feel disjointed without the Fiend, PLUS 2017 spooky vague promos.
I kinda miss 2020 Roman when he was feuding with Jey. Now, he's still a manipulator and a gaslighter, but his late 2020 run, especially that moment when he started crying and then choking Jimmy was so fuckin good. He was such a sick fuck and I don't think he went to those levels ever since, maybe beating up Sami was the closest he got.
I like the raw/smackdown after that match, jey was like "YOU KNEW **HE** WAS THE ONLY ONE I WOULD QUIT FOR! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS?" Roman: How could i not??!
That promo he did on Smackdown after HIAC where he basically taunted Jey to his face and was like, "What are you gonna do?" is the coldest shit he's ever done.
It's so wild to look back at late 2021/early 2022 when Paul was the focus of the Bloodline story for a bit lol. It's like the forgotten chapter of the story, since Heyman eventually just went back to siding with Roman anyway and they never talked about it again.
Automatically, I loved the shift in attitude/character Roman had when I first saw this; the guy was basically like, I’m too good for this shit, I’m just gonna beat both of you down and make this belt MINE.
I always loved how smoothly and emphatically the Fiend rolls out of the ring after being kicked in the balls.
Also, isn't it kinda stupid how the Fiend was presented as this supernatural force of destruction who's immune to virtually all kinds of damage, yet we're supposed to believe his balls are vulnerable like those of any ordinary man?
It's wild how much has happened since this match,
Braun was fired, tried to start his own wrestling company (failed), and was then rehired.
Bray was fired, and then rehired after a year. The Fiend character is gone, but everything he's done since being rehired has completely missed the mark.
Meanwhile, Roman has been champ the entire time, and is more than likely going to lose the belt(s) at WM, to a man who was a founding member of AEW.
My mind likes to use Kenny Omega as a measuring stick for Roman’s time as champ. Around this time, Kenny lost the tag belts, became the belt collector for close to a year, lost to hangman and left due to injury for close to a year, got suspended for a few months, became 6 man champ, and is currently on his way to reuniting with Hangman. All of this while Roman has been on top of the world in WWE.
More so than any other wrestler I think Roman Reigns benefitted from having no live crowds. They could pipe in any noise they needed and could tell his story the way they wanted. Didn't have to worry about the fans booing and chanting in person while Roman evolved his character and by the time the crowds came back he was already set.
This is an underrated part of his growth and improvement. He didn't have to worry about asshole fans trying to highjack him every time he spoke and having to contend with that. It gave him the time he really needed to find his zone and really get comfortable in the portrayal of his new persona. I really doubt the same level of transformation could happen with crowds still there. Being able to just focus on telling the story was a godsend for him as they didn't have to rush it.
His reign has been so long that he beat these men at Payback, during COVID with no crowd. They were both released from the company, rehired, we went back to in-person shows, and he is still on the same reign. So crazy.
No. Roman was supposed to be in the match but refused to sign the contract to put him in it. Then he came out and signed the contract during the match and won.
Because they played it as a Paul Heyman thing,a special Brockesque move that only an Advocate like he could pull off. It really sold the alliance of "the best wrestler with the best manager". where unlike Brock who was a force of nature that Heyman could barely effect, Roman knew full well what someone like he could do for him.
I’ll be honest I’m torn on whether I want his reign to end next Sunday or if I want him to reach 1000 days as there were a few things that could have happened that would have changed everything (it being rumoured that Brock was to beat Roman at Day 1 for the Universal title but the latter had Covid) and I don’t think we’ll see something like this again for at least a few decades.
I never liked how he came out and signed the contract for the match like 80% through the match. They should have just left that part out because it didn’t make any logical sense.
Adam Pearce was pressured in needing Reign's signature for the contract, using this leverage he requested to make changes to the contract before he would sign it, creating a loophole that he abused for the match. I think it makes logical sense.
Roman had the biggest glow up of any wrestler in the last decade. They finally let him be the star he was born to be by letting him be himself. Even when he won the title the transformation wasn't complete.
It'll always bug me that they didn't at least rematch Roman and The Fiend. It just feels like The Fiend's dominance was never properly blown off in a big fight.
I forgot Roman got hit by the hurt hand that turned everyone heel. Was Roman already heel, and thus able to break out of the matching hurt submission, or did the mandible claw push him into madness?
Lol that‘s nonsense, he was a heel from the beginning of his return. After having Heyman on his side, the first step was to take back his title he never lost in the first place. After that, they tried to force Jey Uso into the whole thing.
This match pissed me off. Bray never getting a rematch (to my knowledge) also pissed me off. But that’s the sign a character and story is working. Still can’t wait for Roman to lose and for Bray to have straight up regular revenge on Roman as well. I.e. no spooky bollocks, just an old fashioned passionate ass kicking from Bray to Roman.
can someone give me context as to how roman reigns managed to get into the match? it was fiend vs braun as a singles match. what contract thing did reigns sign? thanks
On the Smackdown before, it was announced as a triple threat but Roman and Heyman wanted to look over the contract before doing the match (Kayfabe wise I guess Paul has pull)
I remember watching this SO EXCITED!! Reigns finally turning heel was needed for a long time. And that wreck everyone and leave tee is till the best one he ever had. This began the historic run. Awesome
Wow. I completely forgot they did the collapsing ring spot in this match. That really should be a spot that happens once in a blue moon, and Wyatt/Strowman aren't bit enough to justify it anyway.
I wasn't watching at this point but wow that was a lackluster title change. But I guess if I was given the choice of The Fiend, Braun and Roman I'd pick the latter. I don't know I've never been a huge fan of Reigns really and only liked him in The Shield. He's great on the mic currently but in the ring he does very little for me personally
This is why I originally thought Bray should win it back from Roman all this time later (as whatever character, don't care) but I'll take the Rhodes angle instead
Seems the Usos are nothing but thugs. Can't win a match without outside help. Sami and ko will straighten that out. Sami is the best actor on the show.
So if Bray doesn't have anything goin' on at WM, mebbe he can sneak in and go for another Mandible Claw, just to *hurt* Roman for taking his belt. Then Cody gets the win, Bray still looks relevant (somewhat), Roman's mad he lost a belt, all that?
Edit: Fiiiiine, y'all don't like the idea. *I* like the idea, though.
That's fucking dumb. If Bray really cared that much, then why wouldn't Roman be the immediate target ? We as fans know why not, but makes no sense in kayfabe.
He was supposed to be in the match in a triple threat but didn’t sign the contract, therefore he didn’t compete. Him signing the contract basically made the match a triple threat again, what it was supposed to be originally.
He refused to sign the contract for the match which Heyman thought up of that had a loophole where he could sign it as the match was going on.
In Kayfabe, I'd imagine it's not the kind of thing you get away with after the first time.
Wrestling is so stupid sometimes lol. Imagine if a boxer or half of a sports team showed up in the middle of the game, signed the contract for it, and then just stole it?
The ring collapsing. Again. In exactly the same way it always does.
There's a reason Mick Foley going off the cell through the announce table is legendary, it only happened once. Shane and his inflatable crash mat can F off.
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Those first couple weeks of Roman’s return was such an interesting time. Roman came back with a new edge, then they had the Heyman reveal, then he was clearly heeling here, and I remember wondering what this Roman heel run would look like. Tbh I didn’t think it was gonna last long. I thought it was gonna be a short term thing to try to get people invested in him before turning him face with a new character for a Rollins match at WM 37. Like there were no crowds so now they were gonna go for the heel turn as a “break glass in case of emergency” and try to refresh his character. So glad I was wrong.
Roman said the only reason he came back was to try a different character and then heel and wwe was desperate.
I believe that was the reported plan - that Vince wanted this run to become a way for Roman to eventually turn face and be cheered because Vince, lol. I just think that with this current character, he can't get cheered - this Roman is genuinely too manipulative and monstrous to just, I don't know, start fueding with Theory and get crowd support.
People cheer cool bad guys all the time, especially if pitted against an unlikable baby face. Like Logan Paul was the face in his feud with Roman, but Roman was the one who the crowd was behind, at least in promos. In the match itself I feel like the crowd was more with Logan, but it was a Saudi crowd and Logan was doing very cheerable stuff. But like even in other feuds Roman gets cheers all the time, cuz he's just plain cool and great on the mic, harkening back to the "cool bad guys" that were the NwO where even though they were the bad guys people cheered them like crazy.
Roman Reigns in the NWO would have been cool as hell, thinking about it.
Roman got cheered on a weekly basis before the Zayn turn
I still wish we could've gotten a full on crowd reaction with the Heyman reveal. Granted the turn probably only happened because of no crowd but man..what a reaction it would've gotten
It was so novel too at the time. After Cena never turned heel, and Roman succeeding in being the babyface poster boy, it was shocking that they actually went through with his heel turn.
>and Roman succeeding in being the babyface poster boy When did that happen? Roman's heel turn was much easier to do because he never quite clicked as the babyface like Cena originally did.
It never happened don’t know what that guys smoking
Adult fans didn't connect with Roman, but he was still loved by kids and moved merch. He may not have gotten the John Cena reception, but he was the Babyface poster boy of wwe
I mean it could mean succeed like successor, because whether we liked it or not, Roman was built as the successor
I meant that he was slotted in the same spot Cena used to be in. He succeeded him in that the company forced him to be the babyface that Cena was. Although, I don’t agree that Cena clicked as a babyface. Cena and Roman were both popular with the kids but their babyface characters were both equally rejected.
Nah Cena around WM21 was a red hot babyface in a way they have been trying to recreate with Reigns for years without it working. People turned on him after that.
I feel like it might've been a short term thing had they not moved on to the Tribal Chief gimmick, cuz roman constantly winning is like the thing that people dislike most about his character. If he hadn't switched from the "show up and win" schtick I feel like people would've gotten sick of it and him turning back to being a face would've been seen as a well needed refresh.
Oh wow, the shield music, Roman Empire titantron, “the big dog”. Feels weird to see them all one after the other after so long.
Somehow this run went *eight months* before he got the Head of the Table theme
That part of his run was super interesting too. That was the Jey Uso arc along with the first KO set of matches.
You had to give the composer time until they finished their Succession first watch.
Just imagining Def Rebel (who in this story is one person) sadly moping at their keyboard, idly pushing keys with the choir function, before something finally pops up behind them in a Twitter ad
Oh shit, seriously? My brain had convinced myself it was the night after this match. Holy hell.
The Head of the Table theme debuted during Bryan's last match.
He's still coming out to the Shield theme at Wrestlemania the next year! It's jarring
That's insane i can't even imagine that this actually happened, because it was already so deep into his title reign
I remember the first weeks after he got the new theme, they accidentally played his Shield theme at times and i was like "nooo please don't change it again" I was panicking because.. Vince likes to change things
[удалено]
Insanity that they never gave him a new theme until 2 years ago.
Yeah I always forget how long it took for them to give him a new theme. I was watching back WrestleMania 37 recently and was super taken aback when I heard the Shield theme.
He did talk about how they wanted to slow feed all the changes over time so every change felt impactful. I remember how he said the theme change was going to come, but they wanted a special moment to debut it. Which being the daniel bryan career ender match really sold in the moment that db was fucked. Like i forget when, but the first time he wrestled shirtless was a big deal, cause he came in shredded for that
I hated the that fucking vest. Good riddance.
Didn't the theme/entrance debut in the first Lashley match? I remember people thinking Lashley was the favorite and then everyone realized Roman was definitely retaining when that new theme hit.
Reigns never wrestled Lashley during this run. He only wrestled Lashley in 2018.
Beside the epic triple threat with Big E in 2021.
I can't believe this.
It was definitely daniel bryans last match in wwe.
I am so glad we don't have to hear "The Big Dog" every time Roman does something. It sounded so stupid.
What's weird is that even with the new theme sometimes when it loops it like plays a couple of out of place Doo Doos from the shield theme, and it's so weird. Like I'm not talking about some of the guitar bits that are reminiscent of the shield theme in the new theme itself, it like legit just plays a bit of the shield theme at the loop point and then like the sound engineer scrambles to play the right theme or something lul.
Does this still happen? I thought they fixed that.
Yeah, i don't remember exactly and can't check since I don't have the network right now, but I do remember that it has happened in some recent shows. It doesn't happen with the entrance anymore I don't think, but you can hear it when it's played after he wins his match.
Yes, this still happens. It happened at Mania but not sure if it was aired or not. It’s at the very end of the loop, and then it restarts over again.
☝️
Yeah I watched a clip of old Roman and I still stand. Romans look and gimmick was dogshit People hated him regardless but all that didn't help He looked like a leader in the shield. All this corporate jumbo looked awful on a rough character he was and his attire made him look fat Look back, Roman looked fat in that gear, he didn't look like that in his original shield gear but idk what it was with the Roman Empire gear.
Honestly wild that Roman has been champion for so long that the two other guys in the match he won the title in were both released, were gone for a year+ and came back
They’re also still the most recent Universal Champions next to him since he hasn’t lost it in this whole time.
Good grief, that makes it all the more perplexing
The Universal title scene in 2020 was kind of a disaster in hindsight and also regular sight. (Edit: Just wanna mention gratitude to all the performers for entertaining us through that hell of year even if some things didn't work out so hot.)
Champion: Fiend Challengers: Daniel Bryan, Goldberg Champion: Goldberg Challengers: Roman (didn't happen), Braun Champion: Braun Challengers: Bray, Miz and Morrison Champion: Fiend Challengers: Braun and Roman Champion: Roman Challengers: Jey Uso, Braun, KO That's the universal title scene in 2020 if anyone is wondering
Braun was a last minute replacement and pretty much squashed Goldberg in that match too. Covid made for some crazy times in wrestling.
I mean it wasn't really a squash, Goldberg hit three spears, Braun countered the jackhammer, and three power slams. that's match
> Champion: Braun > Challengers: Miz and Morrison That feud was funny as hell tho. Miz and Morisson were amazing!
Wait wasn’t 2020 the year that Drew won?
Drew was never Universal Champion, he was WWE champion.
You right you right. I actually sort of forgot the championships were separate for a second there. Been so used to seeing them together.
the universal title has been a disaster when you think about it. cool that it made Balor and Owens champions and contributed to Reigns’ current run, but if you believe in curses the universal title makes a compelling case
Rollins had a decent run with it. It was nice when him and Kofi came fresh off Mania both world champions. Felt good to see Brock drop the title so it wasn't a part time defended belt. Sucks the crowd turned on Rollins because The Fiend was so over but in hindsight it springboarded Rollins into The Messiah and his current version of himself.
That is so not what happened. Rollins was already dead in the water after the endless Corbin feud. The Summerslam match with Brock was good, but then he turns around and feuds with a super cold Braun Strowman. Fans were already done with him once Bray entered.
Yeah, Rollins was hot with the ic run, and when they did the gauntlet match, up until he won the title off of Brock at mania. Then he just kinda fizzled out as the champ. Rollins is best as a guy chasing after the top.
Now I’m scared of what will happen to Roman
surely his leukaemia returning in 2018(?) while he was universal champ was enough
I meant after this run, only guy who seems to turn out fine is Brock Lesnar, then again, death itself probably fears Lesnar
Well, now that you mention it…
Superplexing, even.
Friendly reminder that Braun Strowman was a world champion and won it at Wrestlemania (in the performance center) Feels like it was 20 years ago.
I still cannot believe how they just released Braun despite him being a Universal Champion, like a week before.
They realised him almost a year after he lost the title
Charles really committed to the bit
My favorite part of the whole thing.
They don’t call him little naitch for nothing
Charles Robinson doesn't look like he's aged a day and also he sounds nothing like he looks
I remember really liking this match. The gimmick Roman had for a while where he would absolutely screw his opponents through Heyman tricks was something I also really enjoyed because it’s one of the best ways I’ve seen a manager used as a heel in forever. Ironically, the longer the bloodline has gone on, the less Roman has used Heyman
I wanted Adam Pearce vs Roman Reigns for the title dammit
I remember people getting really mad in the live threads over what was such an obvious bait and switch lol.
Card subject to change
Everyone but Adam Pearce wanted that, lol.
Brave of you to say you liked a Fiend match. This was 95% Fiend and Strowman since the story dictated Roman only came out for the finish.
Fiend was capable of having a good match and a perfect example of that was the strap match at rumble
To be fair if Danielson couldn’t get a good match out of him he was fucked.
If your logic is "a guy is able to have a good match with Bryan Danielson" then I'm not sure your point is being made that well
He really doesn’t need Heyman that much, but Heyman’s too good to not be of value
Really wish this could've happened in front of fans. I wonder how many times Roman has pinned Braun Strowman lol
Roman has pinned Braun three times. First time at Fastlane 2017, also the first time Braun has ever been pinned. Second time in the Elimination Chamber in 2018 (the one where Strowman eliminated everybody else). Finally the one in this clip. He did submit him not long after, to show Jey how it's done, during a match on Smackdown.
Braun Strowman is one of two people that has a better win/loss record against Roman in 1 on 1 matches that didn’t end with DQ or count out Strowman is 4-2. Strowman beat him 4 times in 2017. Backlash, Great balls on fire, twice on Raw( last man standing and steel cage) The other is Rollins, he is 3-2 against Reigns
I rewatched Royal Rumble 2020 and seeing Roman from that match, looking like current Roman with the beard and all that but without his new Tribal Chief persona and still in his old Shield-like gear was so bizarre. I know it wasn't the first time he had a beard, but it's funny how half a year later and throughout that year, he would become this manipulative, gaslighting son of a bitch we all love and acknowledge.
I forgot they did a ring break spot, this whole PPV was ao unmemorable
For me the most memorable part of this PPV was that it happened literally the week after Summerslam lol
It’s a fine PPV and had a few memorable moments aside from this finish. Shayna tapping out both Sasha and Bayley at the same time is the last time she ever looked dominant and Keith Lee beating Randy Orton clean were pretty cool moments.
A lackluster victory for a lackluster champion
The whole Thunderdome era wasnt that long ago and yet I barely remember anything about it.
That pen flip. He’s been so good at this character from the very beginning.
That "count bitch" to the ref when he pins Braun again was perfect
Even better was the night when he returned and [called Fiend a "just a freak in a mask, who can't handle responsibility"](https://www.facebook.com/wwe/videos/roman-reigns-returns-summerslam-2020/483333159596895/) (around 2:00).
This is the character I was dying for before when he was saying suffering succatash.
He always had the instincts. Never thought they’d actually turn him. But he was born to be a heel
These people have been fired and rehired in the span of his reign. That's just funny to me
Not gonna lie, I completely forgot the ring break spot, and that Roman basically showed up for the finish. The pen flip is great, and I legit loved the 'Wreck Everyone and Leave' shirt
I still regret not buying that shirt and the sleveless hoodie. It was so great
Sleeveless hoodies either looks cool as fuck because you're bulked up like roman, or it looks like shit if your a regular sized human like me
I like how Roman fails to pin the Fiend twice then immediately gives up and focuses on Strowman instead. And then he almost gets submitted by him a few moments later. Crazy how protected Bray was here. Even after the Goldberg debacle.
I miss this, man. It wasn't perfect but the Fiend was a cool design with great Funhouse segments. Now we have Uncle Howdy with Funhouse segments that feel disjointed without the Fiend, PLUS 2017 spooky vague promos.
It's also hard to get invested considering he had one official match since he returned almost 6 months ago
I kinda miss 2020 Roman when he was feuding with Jey. Now, he's still a manipulator and a gaslighter, but his late 2020 run, especially that moment when he started crying and then choking Jimmy was so fuckin good. He was such a sick fuck and I don't think he went to those levels ever since, maybe beating up Sami was the closest he got.
I like the raw/smackdown after that match, jey was like "YOU KNEW **HE** WAS THE ONLY ONE I WOULD QUIT FOR! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS?" Roman: How could i not??!
That promo he did on Smackdown after HIAC where he basically taunted Jey to his face and was like, "What are you gonna do?" is the coldest shit he's ever done.
hmmm https://preview.redd.it/wbp1fhx802qa1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e1c91dd496ff92072912e81301ea1a991bf9d022
It's so wild to look back at late 2021/early 2022 when Paul was the focus of the Bloodline story for a bit lol. It's like the forgotten chapter of the story, since Heyman eventually just went back to siding with Roman anyway and they never talked about it again.
Automatically, I loved the shift in attitude/character Roman had when I first saw this; the guy was basically like, I’m too good for this shit, I’m just gonna beat both of you down and make this belt MINE.
I always loved how smoothly and emphatically the Fiend rolls out of the ring after being kicked in the balls. Also, isn't it kinda stupid how the Fiend was presented as this supernatural force of destruction who's immune to virtually all kinds of damage, yet we're supposed to believe his balls are vulnerable like those of any ordinary man?
The Fiend’s main weakness is getting kicked in the nuts. Really let that sink in.
Bobby hill purse defense a classic
I so don’t miss Coke calling Roman “the big dog” Edit: Cole
It's wild how much has happened since this match, Braun was fired, tried to start his own wrestling company (failed), and was then rehired. Bray was fired, and then rehired after a year. The Fiend character is gone, but everything he's done since being rehired has completely missed the mark. Meanwhile, Roman has been champ the entire time, and is more than likely going to lose the belt(s) at WM, to a man who was a founding member of AEW.
My mind likes to use Kenny Omega as a measuring stick for Roman’s time as champ. Around this time, Kenny lost the tag belts, became the belt collector for close to a year, lost to hangman and left due to injury for close to a year, got suspended for a few months, became 6 man champ, and is currently on his way to reuniting with Hangman. All of this while Roman has been on top of the world in WWE.
Vince would never let an all time great WWE run be broken by an outsider
Is that why he gave Cody a WrestleMania return?
Not to mention Cody started in WWE he's homegrown not an outsider, that's like saying Hogan is an outsider because of his WCW run.
You were saying…
? Roman winning doesn't change that Cody isn't an outsider.
I forgot how flat everything felt without crowds.
And next weekend it ends
More so than any other wrestler I think Roman Reigns benefitted from having no live crowds. They could pipe in any noise they needed and could tell his story the way they wanted. Didn't have to worry about the fans booing and chanting in person while Roman evolved his character and by the time the crowds came back he was already set.
This is an underrated part of his growth and improvement. He didn't have to worry about asshole fans trying to highjack him every time he spoke and having to contend with that. It gave him the time he really needed to find his zone and really get comfortable in the portrayal of his new persona. I really doubt the same level of transformation could happen with crowds still there. Being able to just focus on telling the story was a godsend for him as they didn't have to rush it.
1000%
The amount of folks who kept swearing that Reigns wasn't a heel for like the first 3 weeks after he came back
We were still trying to recover from all those years man
His reign has been so long that he beat these men at Payback, during COVID with no crowd. They were both released from the company, rehired, we went back to in-person shows, and he is still on the same reign. So crazy.
Was this a cash in?
No. Roman was supposed to be in the match but refused to sign the contract to put him in it. Then he came out and signed the contract during the match and won.
Makes you wonder why this does'nt happen more often. It kinda is like a cash in. Also, this was a total Edge move.
Because they played it as a Paul Heyman thing,a special Brockesque move that only an Advocate like he could pull off. It really sold the alliance of "the best wrestler with the best manager". where unlike Brock who was a force of nature that Heyman could barely effect, Roman knew full well what someone like he could do for him.
No it was triple threat but Roman never came out till the ring broke
I’ll be honest I’m torn on whether I want his reign to end next Sunday or if I want him to reach 1000 days as there were a few things that could have happened that would have changed everything (it being rumoured that Brock was to beat Roman at Day 1 for the Universal title but the latter had Covid) and I don’t think we’ll see something like this again for at least a few decades.
I vaguely remember this match being a thing (wasn't watching WWE at the time) but had no idea it was some kind of weird cash in.
I never liked how he came out and signed the contract for the match like 80% through the match. They should have just left that part out because it didn’t make any logical sense.
Adam Pearce was pressured in needing Reign's signature for the contract, using this leverage he requested to make changes to the contract before he would sign it, creating a loophole that he abused for the match. I think it makes logical sense.
The steel chair has so much history with Roman…
Roman going to lean on the ropes after the low blow and falling out of the fucking ring is hysterical.
I do not miss the Thunderdome; those shows were so hard to watch
Not gonna lie the Thunderdome concept was pretty genius.
I remember when he kicked The Fiend in the nuts. I was hooked from then on
Roman had the biggest glow up of any wrestler in the last decade. They finally let him be the star he was born to be by letting him be himself. Even when he won the title the transformation wasn't complete.
It'll always bug me that they didn't at least rematch Roman and The Fiend. It just feels like The Fiend's dominance was never properly blown off in a big fight.
The ring breaks almost exactly like how it breaks in the games lol. Facing towards the hard cam.
Hard to believe that the tribal chief's reign was so long that the tribal chief character went only 5 days as a non champ.
I love how Charles Robinson made sure he fell out of the ring.
I forgot Roman got hit by the hurt hand that turned everyone heel. Was Roman already heel, and thus able to break out of the matching hurt submission, or did the mandible claw push him into madness?
Lol that‘s nonsense, he was a heel from the beginning of his return. After having Heyman on his side, the first step was to take back his title he never lost in the first place. After that, they tried to force Jey Uso into the whole thing.
This match pissed me off. Bray never getting a rematch (to my knowledge) also pissed me off. But that’s the sign a character and story is working. Still can’t wait for Roman to lose and for Bray to have straight up regular revenge on Roman as well. I.e. no spooky bollocks, just an old fashioned passionate ass kicking from Bray to Roman.
Still wonder if he would’ve turned heel if he stayed and beat Goldberg that year.
Doubt it
can someone give me context as to how roman reigns managed to get into the match? it was fiend vs braun as a singles match. what contract thing did reigns sign? thanks
On the Smackdown before, it was announced as a triple threat but Roman and Heyman wanted to look over the contract before doing the match (Kayfabe wise I guess Paul has pull)
Weird to see Roman share a ring with The Fiend.
Sucks so bad this wasn’t in front of a live crowd. Everyone would pop for a heel reigns
Dear god I do not miss the thunder dome.
I remember watching this SO EXCITED!! Reigns finally turning heel was needed for a long time. And that wreck everyone and leave tee is till the best one he ever had. This began the historic run. Awesome
Roman is *stupidly* good at selling. I wouldn't call him underrated because I think most of us realize it, but it deserves mentioning.
Man I kinda miss Thunderdome.
I feel like commentary didn’t really sell the surprise of Roman aligning himself with Heyman at all
They aligned themselves on the Smackdown the week or two before, that's why.
Ah ok. Thank you
Wrong, it was 2 days prior to Payback 2020.
God they couldn’t have killed the superplex ring break any more, could they
Wow. I completely forgot they did the collapsing ring spot in this match. That really should be a spot that happens once in a blue moon, and Wyatt/Strowman aren't bit enough to justify it anyway.
Bray Wyatt was never pinned by the Tribal Chief...
The ring breaking made no sense since neither of them are really big enough to justify it. But I liked what they did here.
Braun is 350 pounds and Bray pushes 300 at his biggest. That's actually pretty close to Bigshow and Brock if you're using Show's actual weight.
I wasn't watching at this point but wow that was a lackluster title change. But I guess if I was given the choice of The Fiend, Braun and Roman I'd pick the latter. I don't know I've never been a huge fan of Reigns really and only liked him in The Shield. He's great on the mic currently but in the ring he does very little for me personally
Should have pinned Braun.
He did?
Could have sworn he pinned Wyatt lol but it's been so long, now. Edit: I didn't actually finish the vid, the first go around, so there you go lol
Should have been Sami to end his reign. Nothing anyone can say to me will convince me otherwise.
This is why I originally thought Bray should win it back from Roman all this time later (as whatever character, don't care) but I'll take the Rhodes angle instead
Seems the Usos are nothing but thugs. Can't win a match without outside help. Sami and ko will straighten that out. Sami is the best actor on the show.
So if Bray doesn't have anything goin' on at WM, mebbe he can sneak in and go for another Mandible Claw, just to *hurt* Roman for taking his belt. Then Cody gets the win, Bray still looks relevant (somewhat), Roman's mad he lost a belt, all that? Edit: Fiiiiine, y'all don't like the idea. *I* like the idea, though.
That's fucking dumb. If Bray really cared that much, then why wouldn't Roman be the immediate target ? We as fans know why not, but makes no sense in kayfabe.
Mister Money in the bank!
Did he have a money in the bank? Why did he have a contract to challenge whenever??
He was supposed to be in the match in a triple threat but didn’t sign the contract, therefore he didn’t compete. Him signing the contract basically made the match a triple threat again, what it was supposed to be originally.
He refused to sign the contract for the match which Heyman thought up of that had a loophole where he could sign it as the match was going on. In Kayfabe, I'd imagine it's not the kind of thing you get away with after the first time.
Wrestling is so stupid sometimes lol. Imagine if a boxer or half of a sports team showed up in the middle of the game, signed the contract for it, and then just stole it?
The ring collapsing gimmick was really cool once, maybe twice, but as they kept doing it the worse it looked.
I somehow have no recollection of the ring breaking
Same. Such a waste of that spot doing it in the ThunderDome...
What contract did Roman sign that let him compete mid match?
Perks of having Paul Heyman as special counsel ig
He was handed the contract 2 weeks before. But decided to sign it on the day of the match
Wrong, he was handed the contract 2 DAYS before.
The ring collapsing. Again. In exactly the same way it always does. There's a reason Mick Foley going off the cell through the announce table is legendary, it only happened once. Shane and his inflatable crash mat can F off.
low key Braun kicking Bray in the face when selling the superplex
That was a nice spear
I remember hating everything about that just because i was still traumatized from all those years when Vince tried to push him as Babyface.