Leati Joseph “ Joe “ Anoaʻi ( born May 25, 1985 ) is an american professional wrestler, actor, and former professional grid football player. He is presently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the closed chain name Roman Reigns, and is the stream WWE Universal Champion in his second reign. He is separate of the Anoaʻi wrestling kin, which besides includes his father Sika Anoaʻi, brother Rosey, and cousins Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, Yokozuna, Rikishi, Umaga, and The Tonga Kid. [ 4 ] 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 fully season for the Canadian Football League ‘s ( CFL ) Edmonton Eskimos in 2008 before his let go of and retirement from football. He then pursued a career in master writhe and was signed by WWE in 2010, reporting to their developmental district Florida Championship Wrestling ( FCW ). As Roman Reigns, he made his chief roll 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 contest.
Reading: Roman Reigns – Wikipedia
Reigns is a prolific champion in WWE, having held the WWE Championship three times and the WWE Universal Championship twice. He is besides a erstwhile WWE United States Champion, a erstwhile WWE Intercontinental Champion, a erstwhile WWE Tag Team Champion ( with Rollins ), the 2015 Royal Rumble achiever, and the 2014 Superstar of the class. He tied the WWE record for most eliminations in a Survivor Series match with four in the 2013 event and besides 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. Reigns has headlined numerous pay-per-view events, including WWE ‘s flagship event WrestleMania five times ( 31, 32, 33, 34, and 37 ). [ 8 ] [ 9 ] Additionally, Reigns was ranked count one in Pro Wrestling Illustrated ‘s annual PWI 500 number of the top 500 singles wrestlers in 2016. From 2014 to 2020, WWE had attempted to establish Reigns as their adjacent “ confront of the company ”, which was met with intense disfavor by audiences and critics. [ 10 ] however, after his retort from a five months foramen at SummerSlam 2020, Reigns was repackaged as a modern nefarious character, “ The Tribal Chief ”, which has by and large been met with applaud by fans and critics, winning the WWE Universal Championship. [ 11 ] [ 12 ]
early life
Leati Joseph Anoaʻi was born in Pensacola, Florida, on May 25, 1985. [ 13 ] [ 5 ] He is half Samoan and half italian. [ 14 ] Both his founder Sika, and his brother Rosey ( 1970–2017 ), were master wrestlers. [ 15 ] As a member of the Anoaʻi syndicate, he is a cousin to former professional wrestlers Yokozuna ( 1966–2000 ), Rikishi, Umaga ( 1973–2009 ), The Tonga Kid and first cousin once-removed to The Usos and The Rock ( non-biological ). [ 15 ] [ 16 ] Anoaʻi attended Pensacola Catholic High School and Escambia High School, [ 5 ] before going on to major in management at the Georgia Institute of Technology. [ 5 ]
Anoaʻi played football for three years at Pensacola Catholic High School and one year at Escambia High School ; in his senior class, he was named Defensive Player of the year by the Pensacola News Journal. [ 5 ] While at the Georgia Institute of Technology, he was a member of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team along with Calvin Johnson, who former became a across-the-board receiver in the National Football League ( NFL ). [ 5 ] Anoaʻi was a three-year starter beginning in his sophomore class and was besides one of the team captains as a senior. [ 5 ] He 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. [ 17 ] 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. [ 18 ] [ 19 ] The Jacksonville Jaguars signed him in August 2007, only to release Anoaʻi less than a week late before the start of the 2007 NFL season. In 2008, he was signed by the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League ( CFL ). [ 7 ] Wearing the number 99, Anoaʻi played for one season with the Eskimos, featuring in five games, of which he started three. [ 7 ] [ 15 ] Anoaʻi ‘s most celebrated game came against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in September, where he tied for the team contribute with five tackles and had a forced botch. [ 20 ] Anoaʻi was released by the Eskimos on November 10, and proceeded to retire from professional football. [ 7 ]
professional wrestle career
World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE
developmental territories ( 2010–2012 )
Anoaʻi signed a contract with WWE in 2010 and was belated assigned to their developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling ( FCW ). [ 13 ] He made his telecast debut on August 19, 2010, using the closed chain name Roman Leakee, in a 15-man struggle royal, which was won by Alex Riley. [ 21 ] On the January 16, 2011 episode of FCW, Leakee was a rival in a 30-man Grand Royal, but was eliminated. [ 22 ] later in 2011, Leakee formed a tag team with Donny Marlow and the copulate unsuccessfully challenged Calvin Raines and Big E Langston for the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship on July 8. [ 23 ] In January 2012, Leakee pinned FCW Florida Heavyweight Champion Leo Kruger in a non-title match. [ 24 ] On the February 5 episode of FCW, he defeated Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins in a trio terror match to become the numeral one rival to the FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship. [ 25 ] He failed to win the championship when he lost to Kruger the follow week. [ 26 ] Leakee late won the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship with Mike Dalton [ 27 ] [ 28 ] and would drop the titles to CJ Parker and Jason Jordan curtly after. [ 29 ] After WWE rebranded FCW to NXT in August 2012, [ 30 ] Anoaʻi, with the newfangled ring list of Roman Reigns and a villain character, made his debut on the October 31 episode of NXT by defeating CJ Parker. [ 31 ]
The Shield ( 2012–2014 )
Reigns ( back ) made his WWE debut as a member of The Shield in November 2012 Roman Reigns made his independent roll television receiver debut as on November 18, 2012 at the Survivor Series pay-per-view event alongside Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins, assaulting Ryback during the triple threat main event for the WWE Championship, allowing CM Punk to retain the title, thus establishing themselves as villains. [ 32 ] The trio declared themselves The Shield and vowed to rally against “ injustice ”, while besides denying working for Punk, even though they would routinely emerge from the herd to attack Punk ‘s adversaries, including Ryback and WWE Tag Team Champions Team Hell No ( Daniel Bryan and Kane ). [ 33 ] [ 34 ] [ 35 ] [ 36 ] This led to a six-man tag team Tables, Ladders, and Chairs pit at TLC : Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 16, in which Reigns, Ambrose and Rollins defeated Team Hell No and Ryback in their debut equal. [ 37 ] The Shield continued to aid Punk in January 2013, attacking both Ryback and The Rock. [ 38 ] [ 39 ] On the January 28 episode of Raw, it was revealed that Punk and his director Paul Heyman had been paying The Shield and Brad Maddox to work for them. [ 40 ] The Shield then dimly ended their association with Punk while beginning a feud with John Cena, Ryback and Sheamus that directed to a six-man tag match on February 17 at Elimination Chamber, which The Shield won. [ 41 ] [ 42 ] The Shield then made their WrestleMania introduction, where they defeated Sheamus, Randy Orton and Big Show at WrestleMania 29 in April. [ 43 ] [ 44 ] The come night on Raw, The Shield attempted to attack The Undertaker, but they were stopped by Team Hell No. [ 45 ] This set up a six-man tag team match on the April 22 episode of Raw, which The Shield won. [ 46 ] On the May 13 episode of Raw, The Shield ‘s undefeated streak in telecast six-man tag team matches ended in a disqualification loss in an elimination tag team match against Cena, Kane and Bryan. [ 47 ]
Reigns in November 2013 On May 19 at Extreme Rules, Reigns and Rollins defeated Team Hell No in a tornado rag team match to win the WWE Tag Team Championship. [ 48 ] On the June 14 sequence of SmackDown, The Shield were given their first decisive loss in telecast six-man tag team matches at the hands of Team Hell No and Randy Orton, when Bryan submitted Rollins. [ 49 ] [ 50 ] Reigns and Rollins defeated Bryan and Orton at Payback to retain the WWE Tag Team Championship. [ 51 ] Further successful title defenses followed against The Usos ( Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso ) at Money in the Bank and The Prime Time Players ( Darren Young and Titus O’Neil ) at Night of Champions. [ 52 ] [ 53 ] In August, The Shield began working for foreman operating policeman Triple H and The Authority. [ 54 ] [ 55 ] Their association with The Authority led them to begin a competition with Cody Rhodes and Goldust. [ 56 ] At Battleground on October 6, Reigns and Rollins were defeated by Rhodes and Goldust in a non-title match. [ 57 ] Reigns and Rollins would former lose the chase team titles to Rhodes and Goldust in a no disqualification match on the October 14 episode of Raw, following intervention from Big Show. [ 58 ] At Hell in a Cell on October 27, Reigns and Rollins failed to regain the championship in a triple threat tag team match. [ 59 ] At Survivor Series, The Shield teamed with Antonio Cesaro and Jack Swagger to take on Rey Mysterio, The Usos, Cody Rhodes and Goldust in a traditional Survivor Series match ; Reigns would win the match for his team. [ 60 ] At TLC : Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 15, The Shield were defeated by CM Punk in a 3-on-1 handicap match, after Reigns unintentionally speared Ambrose. [ 61 ] At the Royal Rumble on January 26, 2014, Reigns entered the Royal Rumble match at number 15 and went on to eliminate 12 competitors in the couple, a record that was late broken by Braun Strowman in 2018. [ 62 ] Reigns would be the runner-up in the match after being last eliminated by Batista. [ 63 ] [ 64 ] The following night on Raw, The Shield competed in a six-man tag team peer against Daniel Bryan, Sheamus and John Cena, with all three members of the winning team qualifying for the Elimination Chamber match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, which The Shield lost via disqualification after The Wyatt Family interfered and attacked Cena, Bryan and Sheamus. [ 65 ] A six-man tag team match pitting The Shield against The Wyatt Family on February 24 at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view was arranged, in which The Shield lost after Ambrose abandoned the match mid-way through. [ 66 ]
The Shield in April 2014 In March, The Shield came out to apparently attack Jerry Lawler, lone to attack Kane alternatively, turning all three men face in the process. [ 67 ] This led to a peer between The Shield and Kane and The New Age Outlaws ( Billy Gunn and Road Dogg ) at WrestleMania XXX, which The Shield won. [ 68 ] The feud with Kane besides prompted The Shield to sever ties with Triple H, who reformed Evolution to counteract them. [ 69 ] The Shield then defeated Evolution at both Extreme Rules in May and Payback in June. [ 70 ] [ 71 ] On the Raw following Payback, Rollins turned on The Shield and aligned himself with Triple H and The Authority. [ 72 ]
controversial surface to independent event status ( 2014–2015 )
Reigns in April 2014 Following Rollins ‘s treachery, Reigns would briefly continue teaming with Ambrose, [ 73 ] before embarking on a singles run and being quickly placed into earth title competition. After winning a battle royal [ 74 ] Reigns was inserted into a ladder peer for the vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Money in the Bank ; however the match was won by John Cena. [ 75 ] His second straight pay-per-view main consequence was at Battleground in July, where Reigns again challenged for the title, this time in a fateful four-way match involving Cena, Kane and Randy Orton, which Cena again won. [ 76 ] Following the event, Reigns began a feud with Orton, [ 77 ] culminate in a match at SummerSlam in August, which Reigns won. [ 78 ] The following month, a singles couple 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. [ 79 ] [ 80 ] Reigns returned on the December 8 sequence of Raw, accepting a Slammy Award for “ Superstar of the year ”. [ 81 ] At TLC on December 14, Reigns interfered during Rollins ‘s match with John Cena, attacking Rollins and Big Show. [ 82 ] This started a feud between Reigns and Big Show, [ 83 ] in which Reigns defeated him multiple times by countout [ 84 ] and disqualification. [ 85 ] Reigns then entered the 2015 Royal Rumble pit on January 25, which he won after last eliminating Rusev, therefore granting him a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania 31. After his victory, Reigns was jeered heavy by the crowd, despite portraying a heroic quality. [ 86 ] On the February 2 episode of Raw, Reigns suffered his first base pinfall loss in singles contest on the independent roll when Big Show defeated him after interference from Rollins. [ 87 ] [ 88 ] Reigns then successfully defended his WrestleMania title inject against Daniel Bryan at Fastlane on February 22. [ 89 ] [ 90 ] At WrestleMania 31 on March 29, Seth Rollins cashed in his money in the Bank contract while Reigns ‘s independent consequence catch with Brock Lesnar was in build up, turning it into a treble threat equal, which Reigns lost when he was pinned by Rollins. [ 91 ]
In April, Reigns resumed his feud with Big Show, which culminated on April 26 in a survive Man Standing match at Extreme Rules, which Reigns won. [ 93 ] On May 17 at Payback, Reigns failed to win the earth title from Rollins in a fatal four-way match that besides involved Orton and Ambrose. [ 94 ] 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. [ 95 ] On July 17 at Battleground, Wyatt defeated Reigns after Luke Harper interfered and attacked Reigns. [ 96 ] [ 97 ] He would enlist the aid of Ambrose in order to take on the reformed Wyatt Family, [ 98 ] with the duet defeating Wyatt and Harper at SummerSlam on August 23. [ 99 ] The following nox on Raw, Reigns and Ambrose were attacked by Wyatt ‘s new ally, the debuting Braun Strowman. [ 100 ] On September 20 at Night of Champions, Reigns and Ambrose teamed with Chris Jericho, but were defeated by Wyatt, Harper and Strowman. [ 101 ] 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. [ 102 ]
WWE World Heavyweight Champion ( 2015–2016 )
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 rival for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. [ 103 ] [ 104 ] however, champion Seth Rollins legitimately injured his knee on November 4 and vacated the title the succeed day, which led to a tournament to crown a newfangled champion. [ 105 ] Reigns defeated Big Show in the first round, [ 106 ] Cesaro in the quarterfinals, [ 107 ] Alberto Del Rio in the semifinals [ 108 ] and Dean Ambrose in the finals at Survivor Series on November 22 to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship for the beginning time. [ 109 ] Immediately subsequently, Sheamus cashed in his money in the Bank contract and defeated Reigns, thus ending Reigns ‘ reign at alone 5 minutes. [ 110 ] [ 111 ] On December 13, Reigns failed to regain the entitle from Sheamus in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match at TLC : Tables, Ladders & Chairs following hindrance by The League of Nations ( Alberto Del Rio and Rusev ). After the match, he attacked Triple H in wrath. [ 112 ] The next night on Raw, Vince McMahon granted Reigns a title replay 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. [ 113 ] McMahon then forced Reigns to defend his title in the 2016 Royal Rumble match on January 24. [ 114 ] In the meet, Reigns was eliminated by Triple H, who finally went on to win the match, frankincense losing the championship. [ 115 ] At Fastlane on February 22, Reigns defeated Brock Lesnar and Dean Ambrose in a triple threat match to receive a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match against Triple H at WrestleMania 32 on April 3, [ 116 ] where he defeated Triple H in the independent event to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion for a third base clock time. [ 117 ] After WrestleMania, Reigns began a feud with AJ Styles and successfully defended the championship against him at Payback on May 1 [ 118 ] and then again at Extreme Rules in an extreme Rules match late that month. [ 119 ] After the latter match, Reigns was attacked by a returning Seth Rollins. [ 120 ] At Money in the Bank on June 19, Reigns was defeated by Rollins, marking his first base uninfected loss on the chief roll and ending his title reign at 77 days. [ 121 ] On June 21, Anoaʻi was legitimately suspended by WWE for 30 days due to violating the WWE Wellness Program, WWE ‘s internal drug testing platform. [ 122 ] [ 123 ] Pro Wrestling Torch and TheWrap reported that WWE knew of Anoaʻi ‘s trespass before Money in the Bank, leading to Reigns being scripted to lose his world title at the event. [ 124 ] [ 125 ]
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On July 19 at the 2016 WWE draft, Reigns was drafted to the Raw brand. [ 126 ] Despite Reigns ‘s suspension, WWE continued to advertise Reigns as function of the Battleground main event, [ 127 ] and went on to acknowledge Reigns ‘s suspension on television. [ 128 ] At Battleground on July 24, Reigns made his telecast return, facing Rollins and Dean Ambrose for the now-renamed WWE Championship, [ 129 ] which Ambrose won. [ 130 ] The trace night on Raw, Reigns besides failed to contend for the newly announced WWE Universal Championship against Rollins at SummerSlam, as he lost to the debuting Finn Bálor in a qualify match. [ 131 ]
Championship reigns and The Shield reunion ( 2016–2018 )
In August, Reigns began a feud with United States Champion Rusev, [ 132 ] provoking a title match between the two at SummerSlam. [ 133 ] At the event on August 21, Reigns and Rusev brawled before the match began, leading to the match being declared a no contest. [ 134 ] In a replay at Clash of Champions in September, Reigns would defeat Rusev to win the United States Championship, [ 135 ] and retained the title against Rusev in a Hell in a Cell match at the titular event on October 30 to end their feud. [ 136 ] At Survivor Series the following calendar month, Reigns made up function of Team Raw alongside Braun Strowman, Chris Jericho, Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins, in a miss campaign to Team SmackDown. [ 137 ] 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. [ 138 ] On the January 9, 2017 sequence of Raw, Reigns lost the United States Championship to Jericho in a disable match besides involving Owens ending his predominate at 106 days. [ 139 ]
Reigns in May 2017 This led to a no disqualification replay with Owens at the Royal Rumble on January 29 that saw Jericho being suspended above the ring in a shark cage, [ 140 ] where Reigns lost after Braun Strowman interfered. [ 141 ] Later in the event, Reigns entered at numeral 30 in the Royal Rumble match, eliminating Bray Wyatt, Chris Jericho and The Undertaker before being survive eliminated by Randy Orton. [ 142 ] At Fastlane on March 5, Reigns defeated Strowman, giving Strowman his first pinfall loss on the chief roll. [ 143 ] [ 144 ] The adopt night on Raw, Reigns was chokeslammed by The Undertaker after they both joined forces to attack Strowman. [ 145 ] This led to a No Holds Barred match between Reigns and Undertaker at WrestleMania 33 on April 2, [ 146 ] which Reigns won in his third consecutive WrestleMania chief event. [ 147 ] The following night on Raw, Reigns opened the usher to ten minutes of hard boo and chants from the push, attempting to stop him from speak, before merely stating “ This is my yard nowadays ” and leaving the ring. [ 148 ] [ 149 ] Reigns then resumed his feud with Strowman, after Strowman kayfabe injured Reigns ‘s shoulder. [ 150 ] A match was set up between the two at Payback on April 30, [ 151 ] which Reigns lost. [ 152 ] The feud between the two was put on detention after Strowman legitimately injured his elbow. [ 153 ] [ 154 ] 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 act one rival for the Universal Championship. Joe would win the equal after forcing Bálor to pass out to a submission hold. [ 155 ] [ 156 ] 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, [ 157 ] which Reigns lost. [ 158 ] At SummerSlam on August 20, Reigns was pinned by Brock Lesnar in a Universal Championship match besides involving Strowman and Joe. [ 159 ] [ 160 ] Following this, Reigns would begin a competition with John Cena. [ 161 ] The two faced off at No Mercy, which Reigns won. [ 162 ] The next night on Raw, Reigns described his victory over Cena as the biggest win in his career. [ 163 ] In October, due to common 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 aforesaid alliance. [ 164 ] Reigns was due to team with Rollins and Ambrose at TLC : Tables, Ladders & Chairs on October 22, [ 165 ] but he was removed from the equal due to an illness concern. He was replaced by Kurt Angle. [ 166 ] Reigns returned on the November 13 sequence of Raw and challenged The New Day ( Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods ) to a six-man rag team match at Survivor Series. [ 167 ] At the event on November 19, The Shield emerged triumphant over The New Day. [ 168 ] The following night on Raw, Reigns defeated The Miz for the Intercontinental Championship, [ 169 ] frankincense becoming the twenty-eighth Triple Crown and seventeenth Grand Slam supporter, the second extremity of The Shield after Ambrose to achieve the Grand Slam. [ 170 ] Following his style winnings, Reigns would successfully defend the title against Elias, [ 171 ] Jason Jordan, [ 172 ] Cesaro [ 173 ] and Samoa Joe [ 174 ] [ 175 ] before losing it back to The Miz on the twenty-fifth Anniversary of Raw on January 22, 2018, ending his reign at 63 days. [ 176 ]
Reigns competed in the 2018 Royal Rumble match on January 28, but was the last participant eliminated by eventual winner Shinsuke Nakamura. [ 177 ] After defeating Bray Wyatt on the February 5 episode of Raw, [ 178 ] Reigns qualified for the Elimination Chamber equal, which he won, earning the right to face Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 34. [ 179 ] At WrestleMania, Reigns failed to win the backing from Lesnar. [ 180 ] They had a replay for the championship at the Greatest Royal Rumble, this time in a sword cage catch, which Reigns narrowly lost after spearing Lesnar through the cage wall. [ 181 ] [ 182 ] After defeating Samoa Joe at Backlash [ 183 ] and Jinder Mahal at Money in the Bank, [ 184 ] Reigns then entered a feud with Bobby Lashley, where both men believed that they were the rightful rival to Lesnar ‘s backing. This set up a equal at Extreme Rules, where Lashley was victorious. [ 185 ] The trace night on Raw, two treble threat matches were set to determine Lesnar ‘s rival for SummerSlam. Reigns and Lashley won their respective matches, setting up a act one rival ‘s catch between the two the following week, [ 186 ] [ 187 ] which Reigns won. [ 188 ] At SummerSlam, Reigns defeated Lesnar and won the Universal Championship for the foremost time in his career. [ 189 ] Reigns went on to reignite his feud with Braun Strowman, who was the Money in the Bank holder. [ 190 ] Strowman would besides ally himself with Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre in order to challenge The Shield. [ 191 ] 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. [ 192 ] 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 replay on Raw two nights later. [ 193 ] [ 194 ] A treble terror peer between Reigns, Strowman and Lesnar for the Universal Championship was scheduled for the Crown Jewel event, [ 195 ] however, on October 22, Reigns relinquished the title and announced his foramen 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 discussion. [ 196 ] [ 197 ] 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. [ 198 ]
return from leukemia ( 2019–2020 )
Reigns in May 2019 On February 25, 2019, Reigns made his return to Raw, revealing that his leukemia was 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 approach by Drew McIntyre, Bobby Lashley, Elias, and Baron Corbin. [ 199 ] The following week on Raw, Ambrose assisted Reigns and Rollins from another attack by the four, before the three performed their touch pose, officially reuniting the group for the third time. [ 200 ] The Shield defeated the team of McIntyre, Lashley, and Corbin at Fastlane. [ 201 ] On the March 25 episode of Raw, Reigns accepted a challenge from McIntyre for a match at WrestleMania 35. [ 202 ] At the consequence, Reigns was successful in defeating McIntyre. [ 203 ] During the 2019 WWE Superstar Shake-up, Reigns was drafted to the SmackDown post on the April 16 episode of SmackDown, with WWE ‘s announcers describing Reigns as “ SmackDown ’ sulfur greatest ever learning ”, ampere well as the future of SmackDown and WWE. [ 204 ] During the episode, Reigns attacked Elias and Vince McMahon. [ 205 ] The be workweek, Elias challenged Reigns to a match at Money in the Bank which Reigns accepted and besides won. [ 206 ] 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 peer at Super ShowDown, which the latter accepted. [ 207 ] At Super ShowDown in June, Reigns lost to McMahon after intervention from McIntyre. [ 208 ] Three weeks later, Reigns defeated McIntyre at Stomping Grounds, despite intervention from McMahon. [ 209 ] The watch night on Raw, Reigns was saved by The Undertaker from an assault from McMahon and McIntyre. [ 210 ] Reigns and Undertaker teamed up to defeat McMahon and McIntyre in a No Holds Barred chase team match at Extreme Rules on July 14. [ 211 ] On the July 30 episode of SmackDown, an nameless person pushed lighting equipment on Reigns. [ 212 ] The pursuit week, Reigns was again targeted by the attacker as he was a victim of a hit and run. [ 213 ] After ruling out Samoa Joe [ 213 ] and Buddy Murphy as suspects, Reigns future investigated Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowan due to testimony from Murphy and apparently criminative video footage. [ 214 ] however, Bryan revealed the attacker as a man who merely resembled Rowan. [ 215 ] Nonetheless, Reigns found extra footage that showed Rowan pushing over the equipment. Rowan then admitted that it was him and admitted that he was creditworthy for the hit and run a well. [ 216 ] [ 217 ] This caused Bryan and Rowan to split due to Rowan lie, and a no disqualification couple between Reigns and Rowan was scheduled for Clash of Champions, [ 217 ] [ 218 ] which Rowan won after hindrance from a returning Luke Harper. [ 219 ] Reigns would late defeat Rowan in a lumberman equal on the twentieth Anniversary of SmackDown [ 220 ] and subsequently team with Bryan to defeat Rowan and Harper at Hell in a Cell on October 6 in a crack tag team match to end the feud. [ 221 ] At Crown Jewel late that calendar month, Reigns was character of Team Hogan ( aboard Rusev, Ricochet, Shorty G, and Ali ), defeating Team Flair ( Randy Orton, King Corbin, Bobby Lashley, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Drew McIntyre ). [ 222 ] In November, Reigns began a feud with King Corbin and his allies Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode. [ 223 ] Reigns was named team captain for SmackDown at Survivor Series, [ 224 ] where he and his four teammates defeated Team Raw and Team NXT in a five-on-five-on-five chase team elimination equal. During the match, Corbin caused Mustafa Ali to be eliminated. Reigns responded by spearing Corbin and allowing him to be eliminated. [ 225 ] This led to a tables, ladders, and chairs match being arranged for the TLC pay-per-view, [ 226 ] which Reigns lost after hindrance from Ziggler and The Revival ( Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson ). [ 227 ] At the Royal Rumble on January 26, 2020, Reigns defeated Corbin in a waterfall count anywhere equal, after receiving aid from The Usos. Later that night, he entered the Royal Rumble equal, but was the final rival eliminated by the eventual winner Drew McIntyre. [ 228 ] The following month at Super ShowDown, Reigns defeated Corbin in a steel cage catch to end their feud. [ 229 ] The follow night on SmackDown, Reigns challenged Goldberg for the Universal Championship, leading to a match between the two being set up for WrestleMania 36. [ 230 ] however, on April 3, it was announced that Braun Strowman would replace Reigns at the event, after Reigns pulled out of the event amid concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and his being immunocompromised from his leukemia. [ 231 ] [ 232 ] Following WrestleMania, Reigns continued to remain absent from WWE programming in the midst of the pandemic, telling Hindustan Times : “ For me, I just had to make a choice for my family. The party ( WWE ) has done everything that they can to make it the safest work environment possible. It is not the workplace that I was necessarily concerned about. The decision was taken chiefly because each performer travels therefore a lot, and we are all such a diverse group and from all over the place. I ‘m not convinced, and I ca n’t trust the fact that everybody is taking it as seriously and locking themselves down at home like I am. I trust my life with my co-workers every time I step foot in the resound, but I merely ca n’t put the lapp hope when it has my children, my wife, and my family involved. ” [ 233 ]
The Tribal Chief ( 2020–present )
Reigns returned at SummerSlam on August 23, attacking the new Universal Champion “ The Fiend ” Bray Wyatt, and Braun Strowman after their match for the title. [ 234 ] On the following SmackDown, Reigns aligned himself with his new director, Paul Heyman, turning heel for the first time since 2014. [ 235 ] At Payback, Reigns defeated defending supporter The Fiend and Strowman to win the Universal Championship for the second time. [ 236 ] [ 237 ] Reigns then began a competition with his cousin Jey Uso. [ 238 ] In his beginning championship defense at Clash of Champions, Reigns retained the title against Jey Uso by technical smasher, after Reigns viciously beat down Jey, and Jimmy Uso threw in the towel. [ 239 ] After this, Reigns granted Jey a replay at the Hell in a Cell event, and the match was by and by confirmed as a Hell in a Cell match, with the add stipulation of being an “ I Quit ” pit. [ 240 ] [ 241 ] [ 242 ] In his second backing refutation at the Friday Night SmackDown Season 2 Premiere, Reigns defeated Braun Strowman by technical foul submission to retain the title. [ 243 ] At Hell in a Cell on October 25, Reigns made Jey depart after attacking the injured Jimmy, frankincense retaining his championship. [ 244 ] due to the loss, Jey was ordered to follow Reigns ‘ commands and address him as “ The Tribal Chief ”, thus turning him heel. [ 245 ] At Survivor Series on November 22, Reigns defeated Raw ‘s WWE Champion Drew McIntyre in a Champion vs. Champion meet. [ 246 ] Reigns then began a feud with Kevin Owens, after Reigns perceived Owens to be disrespecting his family. [ 247 ] [ 248 ] Reigns successfully defended the title against Owens in a TLC catch at TLC : Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 20 [ 249 ] [ 250 ] and a last Man Standing meet at the Royal Rumble on January 31, 2021, respectively. [ 251 ] Reigns then retained his title against Daniel Bryan at both the Elimination Chamber and Fastlane events. [ 252 ] [ 253 ] At this fourth dimension, Reigns would besides feud with Edge, who had won the Royal Rumble match. [ 254 ] In the chief consequence of night 2 of WrestleMania 37 on April 11, Reigns defeated Bryan and Edge in a treble menace match to retain the Universal Championship after aid from Jey. [ 255 ] On the April 30 episode of SmackDown, Reigns defeated Bryan in a backing vs. career match, which resulted in Bryan being banished from SmackDown. [ 256 ] Reigns ‘ next rival for the backing was Cesaro, whom Reigns defeated at WrestleMania Backlash on May 16. [ 257 ] Afterwards, Reigns initiated a competition with Rey Mysterio, after Reigns brutalized Mysterio ‘s son Dominik Mysterio. [ 258 ] The two faced off for the backing in a Hell in a Cell pit on the June 18 episode of SmackDown, [ 259 ] with Reigns emerging as the winner. [ 260 ] On the June 25 episode of SmackDown, while addressing his victory over Mysterio, Reigns was attacked by the return Edge, [ 261 ] leading to a title match between the two at Money in the Bank, where Reigns retained with the aid of Seth Rollins. [ 262 ] After the match, Reigns was confronted by a returning John Cena. Over the following weeks, Cena challenged Reigns for a championship catch at SummerSlam, and after initially rejecting Cena ‘s challenge, a match was made official for the two at the consequence. [ 263 ] At the event, Reigns defeated Cena to retain the title. immediately after the match Reigns would be confronted by a returning Brock Lesnar. [ 264 ] concisely after, Reigns would begin feuding with Finn Bálor. The two would finally face each other for the Universal Championship on the September 3 sequence of Smackdown but Reigns would retain the title following interference from The Usos. [ 265 ] Following the pit, a crimson light appeared over Bálor, teasing the retort of his Demon King persona. [ 266 ] At Extreme Rules late that month, Reigns would again defeat Bálor. [ 267 ] On October 21, at Crown Jewel, Reigns successfully defended his title against Brock Lesnar, again with the avail of The Usos. [ 268 ] On November 8, it was announced that Reigns would face WWE Champion Big E at Survivor Series. [ 269 ] At the consequence, Reigns would defeat Big E. [ 270 ]
Persona and reception
personal life
Anoaʻi married Galina Joelle Becker in early December 2014. The couple met in 2006 while they both studied at Georgia Institute of Technology. They reside in Tampa, Florida. [ 271 ] Their first child, daughter Joelle, was born in 2008 and appeared with Anoaʻi in a PSA in June 2014. [ 272 ] [ 273 ] Anoaʻi and Becker had twin boys in 2016, followed by another plant of twins in 2020. [ 274 ] Anoaʻi is a Roman Catholic and uses the polarity of the cross every time he enters the band. [ 5 ] He considers Bret Hart his wrestle idol. [ 275 ] On December 30, 2015, at a WWE theater show, Anoaʻi had his nose break during his match against Sheamus. [ 276 ] [ 277 ] He undergo rhinal reconstructive operation two months after the injury, which altered the appearance of his nose. [ 278 ]
other media
Anoaʻi made his beginning appearance in a television game in 2004 ‘s NCAA Football 2005. [ 279 ] He subsequently appeared, as Roman Reigns, in WWE 2K14, [ 280 ] WWE 2K15, [ 281 ] WWE 2K16, [ 282 ] WWE 2K17, [ 283 ] WWE 2K18, [ 284 ] WWE 2K19, [ 285 ] WWE 2K20 ( of which he was the top star ) and WWE 2K Battlegrounds. [ 286 ] He besides makes regular appearances on fellow WWE wrestler Xavier Woods ‘s YouTube channel UpUpDownDown, under the nickname “ The Merchandise ”. [ 287 ] [ 288 ] 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 couple. [ 289 ]