Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns

A Professional American Wrestler

Leati Joseph “Joe” Anoaʻi (born May 25, 1985)  is an American professional wrestler, actor, and former professional gridiron football player. He is part of the Anoaʻi family[6] and is currently signed to WWE as a member of the SmackDown brand under the ring name Roman Reigns.

After playing college football for Georgia Tech, Anoaʻi started his professional football career with brief off-season stints with the Minnesota Vikings and Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL) in 2007. He then played a full season for the Canadian Football League‘s (CFL) Edmonton Eskimos in 2008 before his release and retirement from football. He then pursued a career in professional wrestling and was signed by WWE in 2010, reporting to their developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW). As Roman Reigns, he made his main roster debut in November 2012 alongside Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins as The Shield. The trio teamed together until June 2014, after which Reigns entered singles competition.

Reigns is a four-time world champion in WWE, having held the WWE Championship three times and the Universal Championship once. He is also a one-time United States Champion, a one-time Intercontinental Champion, a one-time WWE Tag Team Champion (with Rollins), the 2015 Royal Rumble winner, and the 2014 Superstar of the Year. He tied the WWE record for most eliminations in a Survivor Series match with four in the 2013 event and also previously held the record for most eliminations in a Royal Rumble match with 12 in the 2014 event. Upon winning the Intercontinental Championship, he became the twenty-eighth Triple Crown Champion and the seventeenth Grand Slam Champion. Additionally, Reigns was ranked number one in Pro Wrestling Illustrated‘s annual PWI 500 list of the top 500 singles wrestlers in 2016.

Contents

Football Career:

Anoaʻi played football for three years at Pensacola Catholic High School and one year at Escambia High School. In his senior year, he was named Defensive Player of the Year by the Pensacola News Journal.[7] He then attended Georgia Institute of Technology, where he was a member of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team along with Calvin Johnson, who later became a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL).[7] Anoaʻi was a three-year starter beginning in his sophomore year and was also one of the team captains as a senior.[7] Anoaʻi was named to the first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in 2006 and earned All-ACC first-team honors with 40 tackles, two recovered fumbles and 4.5 sacks.[13]

After going undrafted in the 2007 NFL draft, Anoaʻi was signed by the Minnesota Vikings in May 2007. He was diagnosed with leukemia after his team physical and was released later that month.[8][14][15] The Jacksonville Jaguars signed him in August 2007, only to release Anoaʻi less than a week later before the start of the 2007 NFL season.[8]

In 2008, Anoaʻi was signed by the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League (CFL).[9] Wearing the number 99, Anoaʻi played for one season with the Eskimos, featuring in five games, of which he started three.[9][16] Anoaʻi’s most notable game came against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in September, where he tied for the team lead with five tackles and had a forced fumble.[17] Anoaʻi was released by the Eskimos on November 10, and proceeded to retire from professional football.[9]

World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE

Developmental territories (2010–2012)

Anoaʻi signed a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 2010 and was later assigned to their developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW).[4] He made his televised debut on August 19, 2010, using the ring name Roman Leakee, in a 15-man battle royal, which was won by Alex Riley.[18] On the January 16, 2011 episode of FCW, Leakee was a competitor in a 30-man Grand Royal, but was eliminated.[19] Later in 2011, Leakee formed a tag team with Donny Marlow and the pair unsuccessfully challenged Calvin Raines and Big E Langston for the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship on July 8.[20]

In January 2012, Leakee pinned FCW Florida Heavyweight Champion Leo Kruger in a non-title match.[21] On the February 5 episode of FCW, he defeated Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins in a triple threat match to become the number one contender to the FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship.[22] He failed to win the championship when he lost to Kruger the following week.[23] Leakee later won the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship with Mike Dalton[24][25] and would drop the titles to CJ Parker and Jason Jordan shortly after.[26]

After WWE rebranded FCW to NXT in August 2012,[27] Anoaʻi, with the new ring name of Roman Reigns and a villain character, made his debut on the October 31 episode of NXT by defeating CJ Parker.[28]

The Shield (2012–2014)

Reigns (back) made his WWE debut as a member of The Shield in November 2012

Controversial rise to main event status (2014–2015)

Reigns in April 2014

Following Rollins’s betrayal, Reigns would briefly continue teaming with Ambrose,[70] before embarking on a singles run and being quickly placed into world title contention. After winning a battle royal[71] Reigns was inserted into a ladder match for the vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Money in the Bank; however the match was won by John Cena.[72] His second consecutive pay-per-view main event was at Battleground in July, where Reigns again challenged for the title, this time in a fatal four-way match involving Cena, Kane and Randy Orton, which Cena again won.[73] Following the event, Reigns began a feud with Orton,[74] culminating in a match at SummerSlam in August, which Reigns won.[75]

The next month, a singles match was set up between Reigns and Rollins for Night of Champions on September 21, but Reigns developed a legitimate incarcerated hernia which required surgery prior to the event. As a result of Reigns being unable to compete, Rollins was declared the winner via forfeit.[76][77] Reigns returned on the December 8 episode of Raw, accepting a Slammy Award for “Superstar of the Year”.[78] At TLC on December 14, Reigns interfered during Rollins’s match with John Cena, attacking Rollins and Big Show.[79] This started a feud between Reigns and Big Show,[80] in which Reigns defeated him multiple times by countout[81] and disqualification.[82]

Reigns then entered the 2015 Royal Rumble match on January 25, which he won after lastly eliminating Rusev, therefore granting him a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania 31. After his victory, Reigns was jeered heavily by the crowd, despite portraying a heroic character.[83] On the February 2 episode of Raw, Reigns suffered his first pinfall loss in singles competition on the main roster when Big Show defeated him after interference from Rollins.[84][85] Reigns then successfully defended his WrestleMania title shot against Daniel Bryan at Fastlane on February 22.[86][87] At WrestleMania 31 on March 29, Seth Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank contract while Reigns’s main event match with Brock Lesnar was in progress, turning it into a triple threat match, which Reigns lost when he was pinned by Rollins.[88]“Reigns was a greener-than-grass wrestler who WWE identified as the Face of the Performance Center Machine – taking raw talent without the “bad habits” from the independents and trying to manufacture a WrestleManiaMain-Eventer“.

James Caldwell of the Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter in February 2015 on Reigns’s background compared to that of his Shield teammates[89]

In April, Reigns resumed his feud with Big Show, which culminated on April 26 in a Last Man Standing match at Extreme Rules, which Reigns won.[90] On May 17 at Payback, Reigns failed to win the world title from Rollins in a fatal four-way match that also involved Orton and Ambrose.[91] On June 14 at Money in the Bank, Reigns competed in his first Money in the Bank ladder match, which he failed to win after Bray Wyatt interfered and attacked him.[92] On July 17 at Battleground, Wyatt defeated Reigns after Luke Harper interfered and attacked Reigns.[93][94] He would enlist the help of Ambrose in order to take on the reformed Wyatt Family,[95] with the duo defeating Wyatt and Harper at SummerSlam on August 23.[96] The following night on Raw, Reigns and Ambrose were attacked by Wyatt’s new ally, the debuting Braun Strowman.[97] On September 20 at Night of Champions, Reigns and Ambrose teamed with Chris Jericho, but were defeated by Wyatt, Harper and Strowman.[98] The feud between Reigns and Wyatt ended at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view event on October 25, where Reigns defeated Wyatt in a Hell in a Cell match.[99]

WWE World Heavyweight Champion (2015–2016)

Reigns as WWE World Heavyweight Champion in April 2016

On the October 26 episode of Raw, Reigns defeated Alberto Del Rio, Dolph Ziggler and Kevin Owens in a fatal four way to become the number one contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.[100][101] However, champion Seth Rollins legitimately injured his knee on November 4 and vacated the title the following day, which led to a tournament to crown a new champion.[102] Reigns defeated Big Show in the first round,[103] Cesaro in the quarterfinals,[104] Alberto Del Rio in the semifinals[105] and Dean Ambrose in the finals at Survivor Series on November 22 to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship for the first time.[106] Immediately afterward, Sheamus cashed in his Money in the Bank contract and defeated Reigns, thus ending Reigns’s reign at only 5 minutes.[107][108] On December 13, Reigns failed to regain the title from Sheamus in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs following interference by The League of Nations (Alberto Del Rio and Rusev). After the match, he attacked Triple H in anger.[109]

The next night on Raw, Vince McMahon granted Reigns a title rematch against Sheamus, under the stipulation that if Reigns lost, he would be forced to retire. Reigns managed to win after overcoming interferences from McMahon, Del Rio and Rusev, regaining the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the process.[110] McMahon then forced Reigns to defend his title in the 2016 Royal Rumble match on January 24.[111] In the match, Reigns was eliminated by Triple H, who eventually went on to win the match, thus losing the championship.[112] At Fastlane on February 22, Reigns pinned Dean Ambrose in a triple threat match also involving Brock Lesnar to receive a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match against Triple H at WrestleMania 32 on April 3,[113] where he defeated Triple H in the main event to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion for a third time.[114] After WrestleMania, Reigns began a feud with AJ Styles and successfully defended the championship against him at Payback on May 1[115] and then again at Extreme Rules in an Extreme Rules match later that month.[116] After the latter match, Reigns was attacked by a returning Seth Rollins.[117]

At Money in the Bank on June 19, Reigns was defeated by Rollins, marking his first clean loss on the main roster and ending his title reign at 77 days.[118] On June 21, Anoaʻi was legitimately suspended by WWE for 30 days due to violating the WWE Wellness Program, WWE’s internal drug testing program.[119][120] Pro Wrestling Torch and TheWrap reported that WWE knew of Anoaʻi’s violation before Money in the Bank, leading to Reigns being scripted to lose his world title at the event.[121][122]

On July 19 at the 2016 WWE draft, Reigns was drafted to the Raw brand.[123] Despite Reigns’s suspension, WWE continued to advertise Reigns as part of the Battleground main event,[124] and went on to acknowledge Reigns’s suspension on television.[125] At Battleground on July 24, Reigns made his televised return, facing Rollins and Dean Ambrose for the now-renamed WWE Championship,[126] which Ambrose won.[127] The following night on Raw, Reigns also failed to contend for the newly announced WWE Universal Championship against Rollins at SummerSlam, as he lost to the debuting Finn Bálor in a qualifying match.[128]

Championship reigns and leukemia diagnosis (2016–2018)

After feuding for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Reigns was drafted to the Raw and would win the United States Championship in September 2016

In August, Reigns began a feud with United States Champion Rusev,[129] provoking a title match between the two at SummerSlam.[130] At the event on August 21, Reigns and Rusev brawled before the match began, leading to the match being declared a no contest.[131] In a rematch at Clash of Champions in September, Reigns would defeat Rusev to win the United States Championship,[132] and retained the title against Rusev in a Hell in a Cell match at the titular event on October 30 to end their feud.[133] At Survivor Series the following month, Reigns made up part of Team Raw alongside Braun Strowman, Chris Jericho, Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins, in a losing effort to Team SmackDown.[134] At Roadblock: End of the Line on December 18, Reigns faced Owens for the Universal Championship, but lost via disqualification when Chris Jericho attacked Owens to prevent Reigns from winning the match and the title.[135] On the January 9, 2017 episode of Raw, Reigns lost the United States Championship to Jericho in a handicap match also involving Owens ending his reign at 106 days.[136]Reigns in May 2017

This led to a no disqualification rematch with Owens at the Royal Rumble on January 29 that saw Jericho being suspended above the ring in a shark cage,[137] where Reigns lost after Braun Strowman interfered.[138] Later in the event, Reigns entered at number 30 in the Royal Rumble match, eliminating Bray Wyatt, Chris Jericho and The Undertaker before being last eliminated by Randy Orton.[139] At Fastlane on March 5, Reigns defeated Strowman, giving Strowman his first pinfall loss on the main roster.[140][141] The following night on Raw, Reigns was chokeslammed by The Undertaker after they both joined forces to attack Strowman.[142] This led to a No Holds Barred match between Reigns and Undertaker at WrestleMania 33 on April 2,[143] which Reigns won in his third consecutive WrestleMania main event.[144] The next night on Raw, Reigns opened the show to ten minutes of severe boos and chants from the crowd, attempting to stop him from speaking, before simply stating “This is my yard now” and leaving the ring.[145][146] Reigns then resumed his feud with Strowman, after Strowman kayfabe injured Reigns’s shoulder.[147] A match was set up between the two at Payback on April 30,[148] which Reigns lost.[149]

The feud between the two was put on hold after Strowman legitimately injured his elbow.[150][151] Reigns competed in a fatal five-way match at Extreme Rules in June against Bray Wyatt, Finn Bálor, Samoa Joe and Seth Rollins, with the winner becoming the number one contender for the Universal Championship. Joe would win the match after forcing Bálor to pass out to a submission hold.[152][153] On the June 19 episode of Raw, Reigns was attacked by a returning Strowman, who challenged Reigns to an ambulance match at Great Balls of Fire,[154] which Reigns lost.[155] At SummerSlam on August 20, Reigns was pinned by Brock Lesnar in a Universal Championship match also involving Strowman and Joe.[156][157] Following this, Reigns would begin a rivalry with John Cena.[158] The two faced off at No Mercy, which Reigns won.[159] The next night on Raw, Reigns described his victory over Cena as the biggest win in his career.[160] In October, due to mutual issues with The Miz, The Miztourage (Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel) and Cesaro and Sheamus, Reigns, Ambrose and Rollins decided to reform The Shield in order to combat the aforementioned alliance.[161] Reigns was due to team with Rollins and Ambrose at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on October 22,[162] but he was removed from the match due to an illness concern. He was replaced by Kurt Angle.[163]

Reigns returned on the November 13 episode of Raw and challenged the The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) to a six-man tag team match at Survivor Series.[164] At the event on November 19, The Shield emerged victorious over The New Day.[165] The following night on Raw, Reigns defeated The Miz for the Intercontinental Championship,[166] thus becoming the twenty-eighth Triple Crown and seventeenth Grand Slam champion, the second member of The Shield after Ambrose to achieve the Grand Slam.[167] Following his title win, Reigns would successfully defend the title against Elias,[168] Jason Jordan,[169] Cesaro[170] and Samoa Joe[171][172] before losing it back to The Miz on the 25th Anniversary of Raw on January 22, 2018, ending his reign at 63 days.[173]Reigns facing Brock Lesnar before their Universal Championship match at WrestleMania 34

Reigns competed in the 2018 Royal Rumble match on January 28, but was the last participant eliminated by eventual winner Shinsuke Nakamura.[174] After defeating Bray Wyatt on the February 5 episode of Raw,[175] Reigns qualified for the Elimination Chamber match, which he won, earning the right to face Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 34.[176] At WrestleMania, Reigns failed to win the championship from Lesnar.[177] They had a rematch for the championship at the Greatest Royal Rumble, this time in a steel cage match, which Reigns narrowly lost after spearing Lesnar through the cage wall.[178][179]

After defeating Samoa Joe at Backlash[180] and Jinder Mahal at Money in the Bank,[181] Reigns then entered a feud with Bobby Lashley, where both men believed that they were the rightful challenger to Lesnar’s championship. This set up a match at Extreme Rules, where Lashley was victorious.[182] The following night on Raw, two triple threat matches were set to determine Lesnar’s challenger for SummerSlam. Reigns and Lashley won their respective matches, setting up a number one contender’s match between the two the following week,[183][184] which Reigns won.[185] At SummerSlam, Reigns defeated Lesnar and won the Universal Championship for the first time in his career.[186] Reigns went on to reignite his feud with Braun Strowman, who was the Money in the Bank holder.[187] Strowman would also ally himself with Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre in order to challenge The Shield.[188] Reigns then faced Strowman at Hell in a Cell in a Hell in a Cell match, which ended in a no contest after Brock Lesnar returned and attacked both men.[189] On October 6 at Super Show-Down, The Shield defeated Strowman, Ziggler and McIntyre in a six-man tag team match before losing to them in a rematch on Raw two nights later.[190][191]

A triple threat match between Reigns, Strowman and Lesnar for the Universal Championship was scheduled for the Crown Jewel event,[192] however, on October 22, Reigns relinquished the title and announced his hiatus on Raw, revealing that his leukemia had returned after 11 years of privately battling it and being in remission. Following this announcement, Reigns would go on an indefinite hiatus to receive treatment.[193][194] Reigns was first diagnosed in May 2007 when he was signed to the Minnesota Vikings, and went into remission around two years after the initial diagnosis.[195]

Return and move to SmackDown (2019–present)

Reigns in May 2019

On February 25, 2019, Reigns made his return to Raw, revealing that his leukemia is once again in remission to a huge ovation from the crowd. Later in the night, Reigns and Rollins would appear to assist Ambrose from an attack by Drew McIntyre, Bobby Lashley, Elias and Baron Corbin.[196] The following week on Raw, Ambrose assisted Reigns and Rollins from another attack by the four, before the trio performed their signature pose, officially reuniting the group for the third time.[197] The Shield defeated the team of McIntyre, Lashley and Corbin at Fastlane.[198] On the March 25 episode of Raw, Reigns accepted a challenge from McIntyre for a match at WrestleMania 35.[199] At the event, Reigns was successful in defeating McIntyre.[200]

During the 2019 WWE Superstar Shake-up, Reigns was drafted to the SmackDown brand on the April 16 episode of SmackDown, with WWE’s announcers describing Reigns as “SmackDown’s greatest ever acquisition”, as well as the future of SmackDown and WWE.[201] During the episode, Reigns attacked Elias and Vince McMahon.[202] The following week, Elias challenged Reigns to a match at Money in the Bank which Reigns accepted and also won.[203] On the May 20 episode of Raw, Reigns, who appeared via the wild card rule, was interrupted by Shane McMahon, who was still bothered by Reigns’ earlier attack on his father. Reigns then challenged Shane to a match at Super ShowDown, which the latter accepted.[204] At Super ShowDown in June, Reigns lost to McMahon after interference from McIntyre.[205] Three weeks later, Reigns defeated McIntyre at Stomping Grounds, despite interference from McMahon.[206] The following night on Raw, Reigns was saved by The Undertaker from an assault from McMahon and McIntyre.[207] Reigns and Undertaker teamed up to defeat McMahon and McIntyre in a No Holds Barred tag team match at Extreme Rules on July 14.[208]

On the July 30 episode of SmackDown, an unidentified person pushed lighting equipment on Reigns.[209] The following week, Reigns was again targeted by the attacker as he was a victim of a hit and run.[210] After ruling out Samoa Joe[210] and Buddy Murphy as suspects, Reigns next investigated Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowan due to testimony from Murphy and seemingly incriminating video footage.[211] However, Bryan revealed the attacker as a man who merely resembled Rowan.[212] Nonetheless, Reigns found additional footage that showed Rowan pushing over the equipment. Rowan then admitted that it was him and admitted that he was responsible for the hit and run as well.[213][214] This caused Bryan and Rowan to split due to Rowan lying, and a no disqualification match between Reigns and Rowan was scheduled for Clash of Champions,[214][215] which Rowan won after interference from a returning Luke Harper.[216] Reigns would later defeat Rowan in a lumberjack match on the 20th Anniversary of SmackDown[217] and subsequently team with Bryan to defeat Rowan and Harper at Hell in a Cell on October 6 in a tornado tag team match to end the feud.[218] At Crown Jewel later that month, Reigns was part of Team Hogan (alongside Rusev, Ricochet, Shorty G, and Ali), defeating Team Flair (Randy Orton, King Corbin, Bobby Lashley, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Drew McIntyre).[219]

In November, Reigns began a feud with King Corbin and his allies Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode.[220] Reigns was named team captain for SmackDown at Survivor Series,[221] where he and his four teammates defeated Team Raw and Team NXT in a five-on-five-on-five tag team elimination match. During the match, Corbin caused Mustafa Ali to be eliminated. Reigns responded, spearing Corbin and allowing him to be eliminated.[222] This led to a tables, ladders, and chairs match being arranged for the TLC pay-per-view,[223] which Reigns lost after interference from Ziggler and The Revival (Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson).[224] At the Royal Rumble on January 26, 2020, Reigns defeated Corbin in a falls count anywhere match, after receiving assistance from The Usos. Later that night, he entered the Royal Rumble match, but was the last competitor eliminated by eventual winner Drew McIntyre.[225]

Persona and reception

Main article: Persona and reception of Roman Reigns

Personal life

Anoaʻi is half-Samoan and half-Italian.[226] Both his father Sika Anoaʻi, and his brother Rosey, who died on April 17, 2017, were professional wrestlers.[16] As a member of the Anoaʻi family, he is a cousin to former professional wrestlers Yokozuna, Rikishi, Umaga, who died on December 4, 2009, The Tonga Kid and first cousin once-removed to The Usos and The Rock (non-biological).[16][227]

Anoaʻi married Galina Joelle Becker in early December 2014. He has a daughter named Joelle, with whom he appeared in a public service announcement in June 2014.[228][229] His wife gave birth to twin boys in 2016.[230]

At the Georgia Institute of Technology, Anoaʻi majored in management.[7] He is a Roman Catholic and uses the sign of the cross every time he enters the ring.[7]

Anoaʻi considers Bret Hart his wrestling idol.[231]

On December 30, 2015 at a WWE house show, Anoaʻi had his nose broken during his match against Sheamus.[232][233] He underwent nasal reconstruction surgery two months after the injury, which altered the appearance of his nose.[234]

Other media

Anoaʻi made his first appearance in a video game in 2004’s NCAA Football 2005.[235] He later appeared, as Roman Reigns, in WWE 2K14,[236] WWE 2K15,[237] WWE 2K16,[238] WWE 2K17,[239] WWE 2K18,[240] WWE 2K19[241] and WWE 2K20 (of which he was the cover star).[242] He also makes regular appearances on fellow WWE wrestler Xavier Woods‘s YouTube channel UpUpDownDown, under the nickname “The Merchandise”.[243][244]

On December 31, 2019, Reigns appeared on the 2020 edition of Fox’s New Year’s Eve with Steve Harvey, where he defeated Dolph Ziggler in a pre-taped match.[245]

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