Original subtitles

What a display of dominance and power.

Roman continues to reign.

At this point, there's no smoke and mirrors with me.

I don't costume myself. I'm not running around with a snake.

Great respect to him, but Hulk Hogan doesn't work in 2022.

Even The Undertaker, it's not the fame as it was back in the early 90s.

Roman Reigns is so good at being a bad guy because he seems to enjoy it. He

seems to revel in it. He seems to get energy from it.

He indulges him.

You can just see in his posture and the tone of voice that he uses.

It's so authentic.

He's not purely evil.

He's purely who he is.

His performance as a villain is above all others.

He's being the worst he's ever been. The most disrespectful.

The most absurd. The most cocky.

Everything that I've ever done up until this point has been a part of making

this performance 100 % authentic.

He's the most ruthless. The most violent.

A desire to be the best that has ever done this.

Who, if anyone, can stop the head of the table?

I'm not playing a character. I am the character.

Roman Reigns is one of the most accomplished WWE superstars of all time.

But unlike most great champions, the WWE Universe does not always embrace the

Big Dog.

After nearly a decade, as his love -hate relationship with the WWE Universe

finally released the demon within.

Bryan is through the table!

And just like that, Roman Reigns will retain the championship.

I've always known I'm supposed to be somebody.

I knew that, like, I had something.

Big that was that was destined for me.

It's not one of those just shot out of the can and right to the moon stories

this has been a very in the trenches day in day out year after year

critical journey that I had to take in order to take on this responsibility of

the family business The bloodline refers to the fact that Roman reigns is a part

of this incredibly successful wrestling family with Tons of big names who have

been massive stars over the years. The branches on the family tree are crazy.

you've got Sika, his father.

Sika is bigger than Hogan is now.

You've got Afa, who is Sika's brother.

Probably one of the greatest tag teams of all time.

And then you've got Rikishi, who is Roman's cousin.

And Rikishi is the dad of Jimmy and Jay.

They're part of the bloodline. You got Yokozuna, who's the cousin through

marriage. You got Tamina, who's the cousin. You got Dwayne The Rock Johnson,

who's the cousin through marriage.

How deep does the bloodline go?

Our legacy is such a thick web.

It wasn't just my dad. It wasn't just my uncle. I mean, I had a dozen cousins do

it. Some of my very first memories is watching my dad smash

his opponents.

Yeah, I mean, you know, I was born and raised in this business.

It's a very physical lifestyle. What I grew up around, watching my dad set that

tone for being a savage out there. It's hard not to picture yourself in this

form of entertainment.

Like, I can do that too.

This is how we've always provided for our families in that ring.

It's just all we've ever known.

It's who we are.

As a kid, Joe was very confident.

And it's exactly what Roman is today.

Growing up, man, he always tried to one -up me and my brother.

He was competing and drawing board games, football games, in the classroom,

with girls, man. I think that's what the big dog was creating.

He's always been playing the mind games when he was a kid.

Yo, man, you want that last slice of pizza? You don't want that last slice of

pizza, man, because you ate it. You already ate it. All the pizza, right?

Because, let me get that, I'm sure. Yeah, all right, go ahead, though. You

have it. You know, you do them things.

Say we're running a basketball game or something. If he got there too late and

we already started the game,

he'd be like, yo, let me jump in. Sorry, bro, we already started. He'd grab the

ball, he'd chunk it over in the next door neighbor's yard.

Ain't nobody playing.

While many in the family were wrestling superstars,

Roman's first passion was football.

He was like 6 '1", 225 in high school. You know, he was a beast.

Definitely thought football would be his calling.

I signed with Georgia Tech, playing Division I college football.

It really pushed me to want to be able to carve out my own path and really

define myself in my own light.

I was really good.

Well, I signed with the Vikings, and I went up there for rookie camp.

Went through all my physicals, and then by the time I was done with my practice,

that first practice, all the test results for my blood work came back, and

that's when I was introduced to leukemia.

My mind was blown.

My heart was broken.

I was scared for my life.

When you have something that you can't control,

It affects you all the way around, mentally, emotionally, affects

It wasn't easy.

I remember feeling just as shocked as everyone, like, not my family, like, no,

not Joe. He can't go out like that.

The last place I want to, like, just let my dream fall through or everything

that I've worked for is... In Minneapolis, Minnesota, the first thing

home, get back down to Pensacola, Florida, get around my loved ones, my

Once we got to about a year and a half or so, when we really started to see

significant movement in my blood work, that's when I started to feel like,

I might be able to live a normal life.

As far as chasing dreams and being an athlete, that was completely up in the

air.

With his cancer in remission, and his football dreams over.

Roman contemplated his future.

I talked to my cousins. They had already started working on the independent

scene. Making their debut as a tandem here in FCW, Jimmy and Jules Uso.

When me and my brother, we was down in Tampa, Florida, FCW, doing our thing.

Jimmy and Jules Uso.

I remember we had the conversation.

How is it wrestling? Yo, you gotta come.

You got to come down here, bro. You got to be here. This is where we're supposed

to be at.

When I got to FQW, I was just so focused on trying to learn how to wrestle. I

was addicted to going out there. I was addicted to going through the curtain

getting better and growing and working on my craft.

I like to figure things out for myself.

I like to experience it. I like to be in the moment. I like to take it on,

digest it. It was always just about reps.

This is what it's all about here in developmental.

This is what it's all about. To make sure that you stand out. To be the next

person to leave here and to go to the WWE.

I'm just a hard -headed alpha male.

I don't try to be influenced too heavily by anyone because I need to be me.

In the beginning, the pressure on him is immense because he's a part of one of

the greatest lineages of all time.

He's from a family where they won't give you that.

They'll give you an opportunity, but you have to earn everything.

Roman Reigns!

Roman Reigns with tremendous power.

There's the first strike.

Put an arm to the neck area. When Roman was coming out in NXT.

We often joke that if Vince could go into a laboratory and just dial up

what a WWE superstar looks like, that's Roman Reigns. WWE officials know what

they have when they see Roman Reigns. They know they have a potential mega

superstar in their midst.

Big, kind of looked like he was like a Game of Thrones character, you know what

I mean? Like the tattoos and the muscles.

The one thing that I noticed more than anything is incredible footwork and

agility.

He looked the part. He acted the part. You can see the power.

You see magic there.

Lines him up for a powerful throwdown.

Born to win.

Roman Reigns.

There is your winner.

Roman Reigns.

A natural in the ring from day one.

The cocky, self -absorbed Roman Reigns.

Knew he was always destined for greatness.

Up and coming, high -rising superstar Roman Reigns. Finally, we have a chance

talk with... Finally?

What are you talking about, finally?

You got a problem?

You're jealous of me, ain't you? What time is it? Tell me what time it is.

What, you can't read clocks?

Coming across as a bad guy, it's always something that came natural for Joe.

Wallet NXT.

Roman combined his natural athleticism with his real -life swag.

The seeds were planted for what was to come.

Roman finally made his way to the main roster.

It was a debut that changed the course of WWE history.

What is this? These three guys just came rushing through the crowd. This is an

absolute mauling of Ryback.

What is this?

I mean, that's Roman Reigns.

Roman Reigns from NXT.

What is he doing here?

Look out! Hey! What is this?

Hey! What is he doing here?

In 2012...

Roman was the muscle behind a new renegade faction known as the Shield.

Roman made an immediate impact.

When the Shield first debuted, it was one of the coolest mysteries you could

for in pro wrestling. Who are these guys? What's their goal?

They were the people that you could hire for a price to do your dirty work. They

were enforcers.

They was looking hungry.

I knew they was going to make noise, man.

The show was just a vehicle to the main roster. That was the vehicle out of the

warehouse.

It was simple.

Come in and smash people.

Unbelievable that they continue to just gestivate people. Those guys are

incredible.

mopping the floor with people every single week, every trio, every star,

champion, every legend.

They attacked The Rock.

Not just anyone gets to take out The Rock.

If you're someone who's able to powerbomb The Rock, we know as fans he's

We know as fans he's a bad guy.

They're getting cheered by the crowd, but they're still doing villainous acts.

They're putting people through tables that might not really deserve it. These

are the things you do to build a heel persona, and the fans love watching it.

All three look different, and they all represented different things. Dean

Ambrose, the ruthless guy.

Seth Rollins, the brains behind the whole equation.

Roman Reigns, the power guy.

All three of those are good workers.

But there was one out of that three.

was going to be the guy, and that was Joe.

He has what we call the it factor.

He's handsome.

He looks like a superhero.

And when you see this kid here's face on the marquee, it's what we call asses in

seats.

With Roman Reigns, I think we all kind of saw...

From a look standpoint, a body standpoint, a pedigree standpoint, he

makings of a guy who could be the next top WWE superstar.

In the WWE, the top superstar is the face of the company.

It's not just about winning championships.

It means you represent the company wherever you are, whenever you are

To love America is to love all Americas.

We all felt.

Roman would be believable as kind of the quote -unquote face of the company.

We're not asking for your approval.

He very quickly got pegged as the next John Cena, the next Hulk Hogan, the next

top guy.

The big dog here is going to headline WrestleMania.

Believe that.

We all felt that we know where we want to go with this person, so the time came

that we were going to break the shield up to push Roman in that direction.

Randy Orton, bring your ass out here and let me break your jaw with the symbol

of excellence.

Triple H comes out with that sledgehammer of his, and Seth Rollins

chair, and if you watch the clip, you can hear there's one person in the crowd

who screams, No!

When Seth Rollins did what he did, Roman Reigns kind of by default became a

sympathetic figure.

The Shield was no more.

Roman was on his own, and his star was clearly on the rise.

But to some in the WWE universe, the Roman Reigns who was becoming the face

the company wasn't the same Roman Reigns from The Shield.

Something was different, and they didn't like it.

i'm here about the pig he was just being presented as this white knee baby face

when you just literally came from the big dog from the shield right take time

be a dad now we're over here kissing babies and stuff which is cool but when

you're transitioning from a villain to like the good guy that stuff has to come

naturally right you just can't here here's a good guy

Joe's a heel, too, in real life. Can't let those pearly whites fool you, right?

That persona of good guy Roman, nice guy Roman, very sweet and jovial Joe

didn't really feel like Roman Reigns.

This guy's such a natural heel. Why are they shoving this handsome, athletic,

well... Groomed, pedigreed wrestler down my face as somebody who's a good guy.

He's never going to lose. What's the point of cheering for this guy?

That's what it's all about, becoming the next world heavyweight champion.

He was suddenly finding himself in main event pay -per -view matches against

some of the biggest stars.

Roman Reigns is taking out everybody.

Look out, guys, look out. It was very clear he was going to have a significant

run as a singles competitor in the WWE.

You got to push early because Vince McMahon saw the physical potential and

talent that would make Roman Reigns the face role of the WWE.

And now I'm about to ride their jet.

We're going to go to Big Apple. We're doing the Today Show.

Have a little fun.

Show off our hardware.

It became clear that this is who Vince McMahon wants to be the champion.

At WrestleMania, there's going to be a new champion crowned. I feel like you

have some psychic ability.

As fans, we see this, and he feels more and more like a corporate champion, like

Vince's champion.

So when Roman Reigns would win, when Roman Reigns would be putting the main

event at WrestleMania, it felt like entitlement.

Real fans, RH.

Just don't like that, dude. I'm sorry. Keep pushing him to the damn roof.

If nobody wants him there, why keep him there?

A lot of people had like a preconceived notion of I'm like a favored performer

or something because of Vince McMahon.

But I've simply made different choices that not everybody can understand

they're not in this position.

Give it up for Roman Reigns.

Every generation has an American hero to kind of carry the show.

But that set to the top is not easy.

Within the WWE Universe, there was an undercurrent of resentment building

towards Roman Reigns.

You can make all the plans in the world, but the WWE Universe is going to voice

their feelings one way or the other.

The point of critical mass with Roman came at the 2015 Royal Rumble.

The last man in the ring will advance to the main event at WrestleMania.

Say what you want about Roman Reigns. He's a warrior.

Roman Reigns with a spear.

This guy who was always getting cheered started to get booed.

Roman Reigns got booed so bad that when The Rock came down to lift up his arm in

victory to say, respect this man, everyone cheered for The Rock.

And when he touched Roman, they booed.

That's how much the WWE Universe turned on Roman Reigns.

He was in a position that was impossible.

The 2015 Royal Rumble. I think the audience felt that the push, quote

was happening and rejected Roman in that moment.

Every bit of... Who I am has gone into this character.

They booed me louder than I've ever heard before. I've never been booed like

that.

It hurt my feelings.

It did.

Because at the end of the day, we're all humans.

In a business where...

fan perception is reality. How fans perceive you within the WWE has a lot of

power.

Nothing in the world is more dictated by the fans than WWE.

When it comes to Roman Reigns, wrestling fans totally bought into our own

narrative that he was being shoved down our throat. It doesn't matter if that

was true or not, but we all believe that.

For years, Roman would win match after match.

And championship after championship after championship after championship.

Once fans get a sense of, oh, you're a Prop Cup champion, it's hard to recover.

Roman Reigns!

For decades, WrestleMania was considered the Undertaker's yard.

In 2017, Roman Reigns was still the face at WWE.

But taking on one of the most highly revered superstars of all time at

WrestleMania was a no -win scenario for Roman Reigns.

One of the most controversial figures, perhaps, in WWE history, Roman Reigns.

Look out here.

Oh, man!

With great respect to who The Undertaker is, it's changing.

Like, it's happening.

This guy in front of us, Roman Reigns, is doing it.

But people don't like change.

They were angry.

It's so transcending that people are still chewing on it. They haven't even

swallowed it and digested it at this point.

We knew there were going to be boos. We knew there were going to be very loud

boos.

But we hadn't seen this before with John Cena.

There was a time when he was getting booed by the audience.

John Cena!

The feeling was that John had played out.

Vince was particularly steadfast in that as far as keeping John in that

position, and it paid off ultimately.

Vince was looking at that same long -term process with Roman.

in that we could ride this out and Roman's talent would ultimately win out

move forward.

Monday Night Raw!

The following night on Raw, Reigns was greeted with a universal chorus of hate.

Roman stood tall and delivered a message of his own. One of the reasons the WWE

Universe is booing Roman Reigns is because last night's match was indeed

last ride for The Undertaker.

People booed him for almost 10 minutes straight.

And to be able to get out there and boo, for us and our family, that pisses us

off.

Where we all come out there to perform, and you're trying to do the best you can

because that's all we got when we come through those curtains.

I come out here and you boo me, that tells me that I got to come back. I'm

to come back with some stuff that's going to make you respect me.

You can see that evil side.

You can see the wheels turning. You can see his mannerisms. And he's doing it

with a smirk.

the hostility toward Reigns from the WWE Universe continued.

Here comes the big dog!

Especially after winning his first Universal Championship.

between Roman and the WWE Universe ran deep. There was seemingly nothing that

could be done to ever bridge the divide.

Now to the wrestling superstar who stunned his fans with an emotional

announcement on live television.

Roman Reigns, one of the biggest stars in the WWE, going public with a private

battle and stepping away from the ring.

My real name is Joe.

And I've been living with leukemia for 11 years.

And unfortunately, it's back.

At the peak of his career, the reigning WWE Universal Champion was

once again in a fight for his very life.

My real name is Joe.

And I've been living with leukemia for 11 years.

And unfortunately, it's back.

And because the leukemia is back, I cannot fulfill my role, and I'm going to

have to relinquish the Universal Championship.

Everybody was shocked.

By no means is this a retirement speech.

Because after I'm done whooping leukemia's ass once again, I'm coming

It was a sad moment, but he was confident about it. He was honest about

was upfront about it. He did it on his terms.

At that moment in time, we all were with Roman Reigns. We were all with Joe. We

all... sat back and said, this is bigger than wrestling, and the only thing we

wanted for him to do was get healthy and get better and come back.

Reality intervenes, right? At that point, you have to kind of like set

your petty grievances.

We come out here every Monday night to entertain.

We live in this alternate reality sometimes, and I think we all forget the

superstars in the locker room are real people, and reality came up and bit us

here tonight.

My whole life.

All the way back to when I was just a little boy, everything that I've worked

for, as long as I hyper -focus on it, I should be able to do it.

That's why I am where I am.

But when you have something that you can't control completely disrupt that

narrative, that's the toughest part to deal with.

With the love and support of his friends and family.

Joe was battling for his very life.

Six months later, he stood before the WWE Universe to share some incredible

news.

The good news is,

I'm in remission, y 'all.

That night, everyone.

joyously celebrated with Joe and his victory over cancer.

But were they finally ready to embrace Roman?

80 ,000 plus here tonight, and it marks the return of the big dog after the

battle of his life. It's going to be big.

I haven't been in there for a singles match, and I haven't been in there for

full duration of a match, so you won't know until you go do it. So let's go do

it.

And here comes the...

I remember thinking that this isn't that big moment that everybody will accept

him.

But once he came back from his leukemia battle, I thought it would be impossible

to boo him. It's going to be impossible to boo a guy who beat cancer.

I can tell you one thing. Tonight it's not just about Roman fighting for

or even just his family. It's about anybody who's ever...

been ill, who's ever struggled, who's ever suffered and had to overcome. Roman

Reigns is fighting for the world tonight.

Roman came back and he was getting booed.

I looked at my man. I said, bro, I said, Roman Reigns beat leukemia and he's

still getting booed?

That was complete disrespect.

A slap across the face of Reign. Might have been what Reign needed.

Oh, and a clothesline.

And Roman Reign starting to fire back now.

We were so used to Roman eliciting this feeling from us that it's so easy to

slide right back into.

And you would imagine the human side, we would have more empathy, but it's

almost... our ability to go, okay, cool, we're back into what I'm used to and

what I know.

Those old emotions came right back up again for the fans.

They were like, man, please.

Oh, he's healthy? He's good?

Is it remission? We booing his dude again. I was like, are you serious?

It's been a while since we've heard the big dog roar!

Scare by Reigns!

Reigns with the win!

Reptilemania, the big dog is back.

That was a tough pill to swallow.

With the toxicity and all the negativity that can come with this type of

lifestyle, all of that has been just balled up and used.

It's heartbreaking.

The competitive mind and competitive spirit of Joe, he never forgot that.

I would sit in the back and I would think, too, like, damn, that was a

out there. Like, they legit don't like Joe. Like, they legit don't like him.

I remember him saying that he wanted to do something.

I was like, man, if you feel in your gut it's time for you to change, go.

But be careful.

because the timing is everything, right?

Just as Roman was beginning to question his role in the WWE, the COVID -19

pandemic hit.

As a cancer survivor, he was forced to take leave.

He began to reflect on his life and his career.

He was kind of quiet for a little minute. I think he was back in the lab

work, you know, trying to find himself.

When you're working out by yourself in your own gym through a quarantine, you

spend about two to three hours in the gym every day. You start to think of

things. What I want to do, who I want to be, how I want to present it.

Then I started to realize if they want me to do my job to the best of its

ability, with the weight and the burden of being the face of WWE, I have to do

it my way.

Ladies and gentlemen, SummerSlam. The Fiend is champion.

You know the hell that is? Oh my God, it's Roman Reigns! Roman Reigns! The Big

Dog is here!

Roman Reigns is back!

When Roman showed up at SummerSlam, it was a shock.

It was a great jolt to the audience.

The Big Dog, Roman Reigns, with an emphatic statement.

I automatically knew when I saw him on screen, this is a different Roman.

This Roman Reigns right here is the one we know, but they about to know who he

is. We never saw this coming!

Oh my God, it's Roman Reigns! The big dog with an emphatic statement!

A sneak attack on the champion sent a clear message to the WWE Universe.

Roman Reigns was back, and doing things his way.

I automatically knew when I saw him on screen, this is a different Roman.

The way he was acting, the way he looked, you know, the vibes he was

was radiating through the TV screen.

Okay, hold on. This is different.

He's being a jerk.

He's being rude.

and

I

will win back my universal championship that I never lost in the first place

that's a spoiler

see him sitting next to Paul Heyman on the couch, you're like, Roman Reigns is

bad guy.

There's no turning back, because they know no matter what, Paul Heyman ain't

good guy. I exploit historical facts to shove my points down your

throats.

Paul Heyman is a slimy, backstabbing, weaselly,

annoying. He's a combination of every scummy lawyer.

businessman shady car salesman you've ever known in your life he always had

client in the focal point of the wwe he's someone that will use every

single trick in the book to get his way when you saw roman reigns and paul

heyman together it solidified that he's really gone to the dark side

I think everyone always knew that Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman would end up

being side by side at some point. I think it was inevitable.

I broke into this industry when I was a teenager.

I built my way into Madison Square Garden when the garden was still being

Vincent Kennedy McMahon's father, Vincent James McMahon.

Two of the people that looked after me from the beginning.

were Roman's uncle Afa and Roman's father Sika.

I've been with Roman's family before Roman was with Roman's family.

When Roman revealed that he was associated now with Paul Heyman, it just

put out this whole new dynamic.

The fan ate up, ate up Roman Reigns as

a heel.

They felt like they won when she went heel.

Immediately it clicked

with the audience because this was the Roman that they had been waiting to see.

Just that confidence and arrogance, that feeling of I am the top guy.

I've always been the top guy, and for all of you who didn't recognize that and

acknowledge me as that are now going to pay and suffer.

This is a different human being fundamentally.

Everything about his aura is completely different.

Then I'm just doing the same thing. So now when I came back, I set a whole new

tone and put on a whole different paint job of the character.

From a creative standpoint, there was no conversation.

I said what I wanted to do and I did it.

That's the beauty of being the one with your finger on the trigger.

I don't care who I face.

Feed them in and watch them all get slaughtered because this is my island.

I left and I literally gave the whole company an opportunity to step up and

it from me and they couldn't.

And it just showcased why I'm needed.

And that's the power.

And when you have this kind of power...

All you got to do is show up and win.

Believe that.

Roman tapped into the power of his Samoan roots.

The sacred role of high chief is reserved for the tribal leader.

Roman declared himself as the tribal chief and, by default, the head of the

family table.

Roman ordered his cousins to fall in line.

Starting... It's Jey Uso.

Big Usman throwing his weight around since we was little.

But we not little no more, Caleb.

Not only is it his first defense of the Universal Championship, it's against

family. It's against Roman's very own blood, Jey Uso.

We're blood.

Family, man.

Proud of you. But the truth is, like when we were kids, I'm going to whoop

ass. They have this storyline, and it's so close to home. It's like brothers

that are actually... Fighting.

Just like when they were kids.

Roman assured his cousin that he was doing everything in the best interest of

the family.

All I wanted to do was raise you up.

Every time I see Roman Reigns and the Usos, I think, man, that's not far from

real life. They're always kind of at each other's throats. You wonder how

they are, if they really like one another or if they don't. This has to

my shoulder.

for our family to stay where it is you understand this new version of roman

reigns is very much like a mob boss you will respect me for who i am in the

wwe and all that i do for our family the idea that you would

want to challenge me is offensive to who i am and so he didn't want to just beat

jay uso he wanted to show that jay uso is below him his own cousin his own

and blood below him and he beat him down until he acknowledged

roman reign as the head of the table the head of the family and now jay

uso and his brother jimmy uso there are the guys that do the enforcing for him

when he can't be there No, wait a minute. From behind.

Give me a chance. The tag team champions.

All of us working together.

Can't nobody touch us.

Can't nobody touch us.

If we do it my way.

At first, I was against it.

But Roman being Roman.

Had a bigger plan.

Told me we stronger together.

Bloodline.

He's the head of the table of his family. He feeds his father and his

his cousins, and every member of his family survives and indeed thrives off

the living that is made by Roman Reigns. You can call this place whatever you

like, but this is my yard. This is my island. This is my ring.

This is my WWE.

He is there not only to protect, but to move into the future the legacy of a

dynasty.

The tribal chief, he's the boss of everything that takes care of the

They all respect him as our leader, as our high -talking chief.

That anything that this chief says, that we are to follow. That's out of respect

of the culture.

I love that every time he talks, it feels like he's trying to help you.

Come on.

You can do better.

You're here for one hour.

One hour.

I do you a favor.

I put the spotlight on you.

I bring you back. I put you with us.

And what happens?

You screw it up.

He really has a way of talking to the audience and to his friends and family

a way. He gaslights all of us. He makes you feel like you're... No, I hate you

for a reason, don't I?

No, no, no. Why would you hate me?

I'm here for you.

When it comes to lifting our legacy up, our history, what we're known for, to

continually be the very best in this business, I think that my family heavily

depends on me.

The undisputed tribal chief was creating a version of WWE in his own image.

There would be no ceremonial passing of the torch.

Roman was at SummerSlam to seize it.

Tonight marks day number 356 in the Universal Championship reign

of the head of the table.

Roman Reigns had been building a resume that was undeniably making him

the face of the company.

But there was always that voice in the back of everyone's head that said, John

Cena's the guy.

You know, we talk about Cena being the greatest of all time, but an argument

be made that the past year has been one of the most dominant years in history of

WWE.

Every bit of who I am has gone into this character. Every little speed bump, the

adversities, the growing pains, the transitions, all of that has been just

balled up and used into what you see today.

There are 51 ,326 WWE fans on hand

to witness one of the greatest main events in SummerSlam history.

SummerSlam 2021.

We saw Roman Reigns in the ring with John Cena.

This generation's champion.

taking on the previous generation's champion.

The opportunity for Reigns to cement his legacy.

When it comes to an arena full, sold out, to capacity

crowd, I don't think there's really going to be anybody that can get 100 %

them at all times.

Roman with the right hand, dropping John.

And now Roman mocking the WWE Universe.

But to keep 100 % of them invested one way or the other, to make

them do what I want them to do, that's the key.

Roman Reigns is so good at being a bad guy because from whatever negativity is

coming at him and the booze, he seems to really enjoy what it gives to him.

The combination that makes Roman Reigns work is you don't like him, but you kind

of want to be him.

He's good looking and there's envy. You want to be in his shoes, and yet you

can't stand that he's in that position.

Roman Reigns is the character everyone loves to hate.

He's the quarterback that steals your girlfriend and there's not a damn thing

you can do about it.

And again, a right drops job.

It feels like a lot of Allegiant Stadium is on team scene.

Acknowledge me.

Acknowledge me is the perfect catchphrase for Roman Reigns.

When he says acknowledge me, that's a contradiction because the champ doesn't

need to ask people to acknowledge him, but he does.

Because he doesn't get the fan love that other champions get.

I view Roman Reigns as a righteous man.

Driven to villainous circumstances to survive.

Hollywood, I apologize.

But I'm going to hurt this man.

I'm going to hurt, I'm going to whoop his ass.

And we're going to send him to the ring. He ain't going to get the work.

We ain't going to get the work. Don't bring him back here.

I'm WWE.

When we think about Roman Reigns becoming villain.

embodying that evil persona, leaning into the hate, I think that gave him

and gave him strength.

He is a guy who was sick of everyone coming after him for no good reason,

showed no respect for his skill, his talent, and frankly, his lineage.

And he stood up for it.

It totally changed the landscape of the business.

The head of the table, Roman Reigns with a spear.

And just like that, Roman Reigns will retain the championship.

When Roman Reigns beat John Cena, he did not just retain his title. He became

officially the man of the company, the faith of the company, and the champion

this generation.

Nobody in this generation that came up like me.

I'm the only one that really came in and removed these legends that made way for

the new generation.

In 20 years, there might be more people molded after me opposed to, like, the

parallels of John Cena to Hulk Hogan. Like, target the kids. Hustle loyalty,

respect. Doing the same old shtick. You know what I mean? It's the same format.

It's just on a different dude.

And nobody's done it like me, but maybe in like 20 or 30 years, if there's

someone out there with the ability, we might be able to see this mold again.

Roman is entering the peak of his career and is already one of the greatest

superstars of this era.

So is the undisputed tribal chief and head of the Samoan family table

destined to be one of the greatest superstars of all time?

Obviously, when you think about all -time great Samoan superstars, no one's

bigger than The Rock.

And Roman knows that shadow is there.

And I'm sure that's something that drives him.

Do you ever fight The Rock?

I would, yes. I don't know if he wants him.

Roman Reigns beating your hero? He beats Dwayne Johnson as a villain?

No one will be able to deny Roman Reigns as the greatest villain of all time. No

one.

We haven't even begun yet.

There's so much greatness to chase.

The moments can get bigger.

We're not even scratching the surface.

I think the legacy that Roman Reigns will leave is being the best of all

And doing it my way.

Though everything I've ever done is to get into the position to where I have

power And now I have the power