Wrestlers come and go but Roman Reigns (originally named Leati Joseph “Joe” Anoa‘i) spectacularly managed to create an eternal legacy out of his career. Starting as a football player in his college days to become a phenomenal wrestler, following his father and late brother’s footsteps, was a solid move.
Standing at a height of 6 feet and 3 inches and weighing 265 pounds, he is one of the most outstanding wrestlers in WWE history. His signature moves are the Spear, Superman punch, and Guillotine. His nicknames in the ring are The Tribal Chief, The Big Dog, and The Head of the Table.
He is one of the most grossing wrestlers in WWE and became the face of WWE after John Cena. Diving into his history is a must to understand how he became the head of the table and the WWE universe.
The Anoa’i Family Tree
Leati Joseph “Joe” Anoa‘i, who has Italian and Samoan origins, was born on May 25, 1985, in Pensacola, Florida, U.S. Being a member of the Anoa’i family, he has a broad wrestling history. His father, Sika, who recently passed away, was one-half of the Wild Samoans tag team. There is also his brother, Rosey (Matthew Anoa’i), who had a four-year run in the WWE but sadly passed away in 2017. In addition, his cousins are the Usos and Solo Sikoa, forming Roman Reigns’ Bloodline, and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, who is not biologically related to Reigns, but they belong as a family by a bond of blood brotherhood, a stronger kinship than family ties.
The Wild Samoans (1975-1995)
Formed of the Samoan brothers Sika (Leati Sika Anoa’i Amituana’i), Reigns’ father, and Afa (Arthur Anoa’i Sr.), together they won 21 Tag Team Championships globally throughout their fruitful career, mainly in Mid-South Wrestling, NWA promotions, and in WWF. They were both men of action, where biting opponents and eating raw fish was not a crazy sight whenever The Wild Samoans were in the ring. They were later inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007.
Yokozuna (Rodney Agatupu Anoa’i) (1984-2000)
Yokozuna, Reigns’ cousin, was a 2-time WWF Tag Team Champion, 2-time WWF World Heavyweight Champion, being the first Samoan wrestler to hold the title, and the winner of the 1993 Royal Rumble. It is worth mentioning that he was also the first Royal Rumble winner to receive a World Championship match at WrestleMania‘s main event. He headlined both WrestleMania IX and WrestleMania X against Bret Hart, and he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2012.
The Rock (1997-2004, 2011-2013, 2024)
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is one of the greatest professional wrestlers who made history in the sport and considers himself Reigns’ cousin. He debuted as Rocky Maivia and turned heel to become ‘The Rock’ and grab the audience’s attention. He led the WWF into the Attitude Era, along with Stone Cold Steve Austin and others. The Attitude Era of WWF was one of the best eras, if not the best, in the company’s history specifically, and in pro wrestling generally.
Roman Reigns: Before WWE
Reigns’ Football Career
Before his WWE era commenced, he pursued his degree at Georgia Institute of Technology after graduating from Escambia and Pensacola Catholic High Schools. He played college football for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets as a defensive tackle. In the 2007 NFL draft, he was not drafted and was later signed by both the Minnesota Vikings and the Jacksonville Jaguars but was later released without playing in any regular season games. He then joined the Edmonton Eskimos (now the Edmonton Elks) in the Canadian Football League (CFW) but was later released in 2008.
The Start of Reigns’ Wrestling Career
Anoa‘i then followed in his family’s footsteps and started his professional wrestling career. In 2010, he joined the Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), WWE’s now-defunct developmental territory, where his ring name used to be Roman Leakee and he used to be known as “The Boss.” He then made his first debut in WWE’s NXT in 2012 under the name of Roman Reigns.
The Birth of Roman Reigns’ Iconic Legacy
The Birth of The Shield
Reigns made it into the main roster with Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins, forming The Shield in 2012. At first, CM Punk wanted it to be Rollins, Dean Ambrose, and Kassius Ohno, but Vince McMahon only green-lit the idea when Reigns replaced Ohno. They were made as the “shields from injustice”, seeking to enforce justice on whoever they pleased.
For several tag-team matches, The Shield pulled off consecutive wins. Later at the Extreme Rules, Reigns and Rollins won over Team Hell No and were dubbed the winners of the WWE Tag Team Championship. Reigns was always seen as the center-piece and powerhouse of The Shield and the company tried to utilize him effectively as an irreplaceable asset.
It is worth mentioning that in 2014’s Royal Rumble, Reigns eliminated both Ambrose and Rollins, which was not so brotherly of him and created tensions between them. Later, The Shield, unfortunately, split up in 2014 since Seth Rollins betrayed Ambrose and Reigns by whacking them with a steel chair and aligned himself with Triple H, joining The Authority.
Post-The Shield Split
Afterward, Reigns became the WWE World Heavyweight Champion for the first time in Survivor Series after defeating Dean Ambrose. However, Sheamus cashed in his Money in the Bank contract and defeated Roman Reigns to win the title. 22 days later, Reigns secured the title from Sheamus again after Mr. McMahon, the CEO of WWE, granted Reigns a rematch against him. This made Reigns a two-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
Triple H took the title from Reigns at the 2016 Royal Rumble but Reigns managed to regain the title in the main event of WrestleMania 32. Reigns was later suspended for violating the WWE Wellness rules.76 days later, Seth Rollins returned from his injury to snatch the title from Reigns at WWE Money in the Bank. However, Rollins’ reign didn’t last long as Dean Ambrose cashed in his WWE Money in the Bank briefcase that he’d won earlier in the night and snatched the title from Rollins. Additionally, Reigns defeated The Undertaker in WrestleMania 33. No one has ever defeated The Undertaker in WrestleMania except for him and Brock Lesnar.
There were a few The Shield reunions from 2017-2019 but were hindered by injury and illness. 2019 saw the last reunion, as Reigns was in remission and Ambrose announced that he was not renewing his WWE contract, leading to the three of them reuniting for one last time as Bobby Lashley, Drew McIntyre, and Baron Corbin tried to fight them but The Shield kicked them out of the ring.
The Big Dog Being Joe Anoa’i to Break Some Tragic News
Reigns had his first grip on the WWE Universal Championship title in 2018’s SummerSlam after beating his biggest rival, Brock Lesnar, with a spear. He later had to break out of character to announce that his leukemia had come back. He opened up to the crowd about his diagnosis. He suffered from chronic myeloid leukemia in 2007 after signing a contract with the Minnesota Vikings and went into remission two years later. In 2018, the leukemia came back, which forced him to relinquish his WWE Universal Championship title and take a pause to get the proper treatment he needed.
Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), also known as chronic myelogenous leukemia, chronic granulocytic leukemia, and chronic myelocytic leukemia is one of four main types of leukemia. Most CML patients are treated with daily oral drug therapy. CML occurs due to damage occurring in the genetic material of a developing stem cell (the cell that forms blood cells) in the bone marrow. This damaged cell becomes a leukemic cell and multiplies into many CML cells, becoming more and surviving better than normal cells. The decrease in normal blood cell count unfortunately has bad consequences.
Reigns Makes a Short-lived Comeback
Reigns returned on Feb. 25, 2019, and announced on Raw that he was in remission, which earned him a lot of excitement and support from his fans. Reigns got back to action in March when he reunited with Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins as The Shield. He also beat Drew McIntyre a few weeks later at Wrestlemania 35 in his first singles match since October.
In February 2020, Reigns would confront Goldberg for the Universal Championship. However, the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020 and he had to step down indefinitely despite having no crowd in attendance as he was immunocompromised due to the chemotherapy he was undergoing for his leukemia. In addition, his wife was pregnant with twins during that time so he had to take care of himself and his family.
Reigns Makes a Huge Comeback
Reigns made his return at 2020’s SummerSlam after the conclusion of the Braun Strowman–Bray Wyatt match, taking the fans by surprise. Afterward, he defeated both Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman in a No Holds Barred Triple Threat Match at WWE Payback to win the WWE Universal Championship and become the longest holder of the title for over 1,300 days, becoming a close second to Hulk Hogan, who held his title for over 1400 days almost 35 years ago.
Two years later, he secured the WWE Heavyweight Championship by beating Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 38, unifying the Universal and WWE Championships and becoming the undisputed WWE Universal Champion in the Biggest WrestleMania Match of all time as he held the title for over 700 days.
The Bloodline – One of the Most Successful WWE Storylines
How it All Started
Reigns was the star of this storyline. It started when Reigns turned heel upon making a comeback, and chose Paul Heyman to be his advisor. Roman’s cousin, Jey Uso, fought against Reigns in a Hell in a Cell “I Quit” match for the Tribal Chief’s title, on the condition that if Jey lost, he would have to follow Reigns’ orders or suffer the consequences of being kicked out of the family. The result was that Jey lost after Reigns attacked Jimmy Uso and forced him to say “I quit” to save his brother, and eventually turned into Reigns’ “right-hand man.”
After Jimmy Uso returned from his injury, he expressed his disapproval of their alliance, which created tension between him and Reigns. This tension led Jey to walk out temporarily and Roman manipulated Jimmy into feeling guilty about the rising tensions. Ever since then, Jimmy would assist Reigns in winning his matches, and after Jey’s return, their allegiance has been solidified to create The Bloodline faction. In addition, in 2022, Solo Sikoa helped Reigns in a match as well, securing his spot in the faction with his family.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and The Bloodline
Everyone was able to smell what The Bloodline was cookin’ as Reigns announced that Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson was joining the faction on Smackdown about 2 months before WrestleMania 40. Both of them didn’t fail to serve as The Rock made an iconic entrance as “The Final Boss,” making us see The Rock version 10.0. Reigns and Johnson did a fantastic job in their match against Cody Rhodes and Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins in WrestleMania 40, securing a huge win against them, and making sure that the Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes main event match was played under the faction’s rules.
The Faction Now
In 2024, after Reigns got defeated by Cody Rhodes, he didn’t make much of an appearance, and The Rock is taking an indefinite time off to keep up with his Hollywood obligations. Thus, Solo Sikoa has been crowned as the new Tribal Chief, adding new members to the faction such as Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, and Jacob Fatu. It is expected that when Reigns makes his return he might fight for his place back in the faction, and who knows? The Usos and The Rock might follow in his steps and it could turn into a big feud.
Reigns’ Personal Life
His wife is Galina Joelle Becker. He dated her for several years back in their Georgia Institute of Technology days, and the couple was blessed with a daughter on December 14th, 2008. Roman and Galina got married in December 2014, when their daughter was a flower girl at their wedding. In 2016, the couple was blessed with twin boys, and in 2020, Reigns and Galina were blessed with another set of twins.
Reigns used to live in a mansion in Bloomingdale, Washington D.C. He sold the mansion in 2020 for around $800,000. He now lives in a $2.43 million house in Tampa, Florida, United States with a beautiful sea view. His house is known as one of the safest places in the town. Additionally, Reigns owns a luxurious set of cars including a Cadillac Escalade worth $96,000, a Range Rover worth $177,000, a Chevrolet Equinox worth $24,795, a Mercedes GLE 250d worth $55,700, a Mercedes-Benz V 220D worth $67,000 and a Nissan Rogue worth $25,490.
Reigns’ Net Worth and Salary
Reigns is one of the most-grossing wrestlers in WWE. According to Sports World News, Reigns has a net worth of $20 million. His salary is $5 million annually. Sports Brief classified him as the third-highest WWE star to have such a salary, with John Cena ($8.5 million) and Brock Lesnar ($12 million) ahead of him. In addition, after additional perks and bonuses, his salary and net worth are worth more. It’s worth mentioning that wrestling is not his only source of income, as he also acts in movies, sells merchandise, and has cash-rich endorsements with big brands like C4 Energy, Shady Rays, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Nike, and others.
Reigns’ Collaboration With C4 Energy
C4 Energy is an energy drink brand that Reigns has a sponsorship agreement with. Reigns was seen as the ideal face for the brand alongside Bianca Belair, Montez Ford, and Mandy Rose as they embody C4 Energy’s values through their drive, performance, and boundless resilience. These superstars achieve the mission of inspiring and maximizing performance beyond the ring to daily life. As part of the partnership, all four superstars agreed to appear in the company’s first-ever global brand campaign.
Reigns’ Collaboration With Nike
Reigns showcased a unique Bloodline collection. The Tribal Chief’s attire was co-branded with Roman Reigns x Air Jordan. There was also a package showcasing ‘Air Reigns’ branding. Reigns was presented with the Air Jordan 3 Retro Craft ivory, Air Jordan 4 Retro Reimagined Bred, and two colorways of the Jordan Stadium 90. They were all customized with unique graphics saying ‘Air Reigns’ in addition to the laser-printed logo, the Ones, and the Bloodline logos.
Reigns’ Collaboration With Shady Rays
Shady Rays teamed up with Reigns, designing a pair of custom patterns designed for charity. The sunglasses featured a tribal style from his personal tattoo artist on Shady Ray’s best-selling Titan Series. 10% of proceeds from every pair of glasses sold were donated to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, a nonprofit funder of blood cancer research that Reigns greatly supports.
Reigns’ Side Gigs
Reigns has appeared in shows like This Week in WWE, Friday Night SmackDown, WWE24, Journey to SummerSlam: Destruction of Shield, and the 2019 action-comedy film Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. He was also a guest in Conan, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and WWE Unfiltered With Renee Young.
Furthermore, Reigns is a remarkable face at the Make-A-Wish foundation. He grants the children’s wishes who want to meet him. The Tribal Chief also supports the Susan G. Komen charity working for those who suffer from breast cancer. He has been a significant contributor as well to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society for young children who suffer from leukemia.
Top Achievements and Awards
- Two-time Universal champion; first win on Aug. 19, 2018 (SummerSlam)
- Four-time WWE world champion; first win on Nov. 22, 2015 (Survivor Series)
- One-time Intercontinental champion; won on Nov. 20, 2017 (Monday Night Raw)
- One-time United States champion; won on Sept. 25, 2016 (Clash of Champions)
- One-time WWE tag team champion (with Seth Rollins); won on May 19, 2013 (Extreme Rules)
- Royal Rumble winner (2015)
- WWE Grand Slam champion
- 7-time Slammy Award winner (Superstar of the Year in 2014)
- Holds the record for most eliminations in a single Royal Rumble (12 in 2014)
The Tribal Chief’s Future
Reigns will be leaving the WWE indefinitely following his WrestleMania defeat to Cody Rhodes. However, he will still have a big say in the faction’s storyline. The Tribal Chief will not be appearing on Raw, SmackDown, or Premium Live Events soon, but he will continue to have his impact on the upcoming faction debacles involving Solo Sikoa, The Usos, and probably even The Rock. In addition, Triple H teased Reigns’ return, which is something that fans are anticipating.
There is no apparent reason for his absence, however, he has been seen on Keke Palmer’s social media on a film set, surrounded by women, money, and gold. This film, which is Aziz Ansari’s Good Fortune, is rumored to be a heist comedy that also stars Eddie Murphy and Pete Davidson and features Keanu Reeves, Sandra Oh, and Seth Rogen. Therefore, it seems like the WWE star’s life is busy on the entertainment side.
Conclusion
Reigns managed to leave his stamp on the WWE world through many things. Firstly, he fought his way into being one of the longest holders of the WWE Universal Championship title. Secondly, he fought leukemia countlessly, planting flowers out of a thunderous storm where he used his illness to raise awareness and donate to charities and foundations. Finally, his character development over the years has been remarkable. From first being introduced as the baby face of the company to turning heel and giving birth to one of the most successful storylines in WWE’s history, all this made him an unforgettable name and face in the industry.