The Tribal Chief was not only the best character played by Roman Reigns, but it was also the career saver of the longest reigning WWE World Champion of the modern era. Vince McMahon was determined to project Reigns as the face of WWE and the successor of John Cena as ‘The Champ’ was edging in on his Hollywood career.
Reigns had been pretty impressive from the very first day of joining WWE but the fans were desperate not to accept him as the face of WWE. They constantly booed him and he received immense heat from the fans. But Vince McMahon was also desperate to build Reigns as the face and he continuously forced on the fans’ throats.
Breaking: The Origin of “The Tribal Chief” Roman Reigns Revealed By Paul Heyman
But Reigns could not do it with his Big Dog character despite his hard work, the fans were in absolute denial mode. Finally, Reigns reinvented himself in 2020 with the brand new Tribal Chief character and this time the fans accepted him. Paul Heyman; the Wiseman of Reigns recently spoke with Logan Paul on Impaulsive where he discussed the birth of the Tribal Chief character;
Roman Reigns is a six times WWE World Champion
"He was still the 'Big Dog' and I was still known as Brock Lesnar's advocate, and the camera pans out for the last five seconds of 'SmackDown,' and he had hit my catchphrase, that's not a prediction that's a spoiler. Adam Pearce gets a look on his face and the camera pans out," Heyman recalled. "I'm sitting on a couch with Roman ... and I just said, 'believe that,' and we're off the air."
Roman Reigns is the longest reigning World Champion the modern day of WWE
"For five seconds we end a 'SmackDown' with Brock Lesnar's advocate on the couch with the 'Big Dog.' Within a week, we named him the 'Tribal Chief.' We named him the 'Head of the Table,' and he had the title on him 48 hours later. I can't tell you that's not the moment, because the whole WWE universe at that moment shifted. That was the moment that completely changed everything," said Paul Heyman.
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It was really difficult to even think that Roman Reigns would actually be a fan favorite one day. But it actually happened, not only he picked up a new character, he also turned heel to cope up with the negative reactions of the fans. Ultimately, Reigns became a fan favorite and today, he is one of the most beloved members of the WWE roster.
Credit "IMPAULSIVE" podcast
H/T to Wrestling Inc. for transcription.
