- 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.
- Look at this.
- The Mouth is fighting for his life in there.
- Great respect to him,
but Hulk Hogan doesn't work in 2022.
Even The Undertaker,
it's not the same as it was back in the early '90s.
- Roman Reigns is so good at being a bad guy
'cause he seems to enjoy it. He seems to revel in it.
He seems to get energy from it.
- I'll whoop all y'all's asses.
Come on, suckers. Come on.
- He indulges in it.
You can just see it in his posture
and the tone of voice that he uses...
- In all that I do for our family.
- It's so authentic.
He's not purely evil,
he's purely who he is.
- Oh, God, are you kidding me? - [groans]
- Roman, no. - No.
[groans]
- 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.
- I told you.
Everything that I've ever done, up until this point
has been a part of making this performance 100% authentic.
- [screams]
- 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.
[eerie music]
* *
[crowd cheering]
- Roman Reigns is one of the most accomplished
WWE Superstars of all time.
But unlike most great champions,
the WWE Universe has not always embraced the Big Dog.
[crowd chanting "Roman sucks!"]
[crowd chanting "Go away!"]
[crowd chanting "You suck!"]
After nearly a decade,
has his love/hate relationship with the WWE Universe...
[crowd chanting "Roman Reigns!"]
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 destined for me.
It's not one of those just shot out of the cannon,
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.
- They've got to be the toughest tag team.
- 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.
So you got Sika, his father.
- Sika is bigger than Hogan is now.
- You got Afa who is Sika's brother.
Probably one of the greatest tag teams of all time.
And then you got Rikishi who is Roman's cousin.
And Rikishi is the dad of Jimmy and Jey.
And they're a part of the Bloodline.
You got Yokozuna who's the cousin through marriage.
You got Tamina who's a cousin.
You got Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson
who's a 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...
- Here comes Sika again with another headbutt.
- Smash his opponents.
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 family is 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.
- We was competing in drawing, board games,
football games, in the classroom,
even with girls, man.
I think that's where the Big Dog was created.
* *
- He's always been playing
the mind games when we was kids.
"Yo, man, you want that last slice?
"You don't want that last slice of pizza, man.
"'Cause you ate--you already ate all the pizza, right?
"'Cause let me get--I'm sure. Yeah, all right.
Go ahead, dog. You can have it."
You know, he do them things.
Say we 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 chuck 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.
- Joe 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 carve out my own path
and really define myself in my own light.
I was really good.
[birds chirruping]
Well, I signed with the Vikings,
and I went up there for rookie camp.
Went through all my physicals.
And by the time I was done with my practice
that first practice...
All the test results for my bloodwork 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. It effects everything.
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.
Like, so the first thing was to get home,
get back down to Pensacola, Florida.
Get around my loved ones, my mom.
Once we got to about a year and a half or so,
when we really started to see significant movement
in my bloodwork, that's when, you know,
I started to feel like,
"Okay, 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 at FCW,
Jimmy and Jules Uso.
- When me and my brother, we was down in Tampa, Florida
with the FCW doing our thing.
- Jimmy and Jules Uso.
- I remember we had the conversation.
"How is it wrestling?" "Yo, you gotta come.
"You gotta come down here, bro. You gotta be here.
This is where we supposed to be at."
* *
- When I got to FCW, 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
and getting better, 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.
- Stumbling to his feet. A big flying forearm.
Ricardo turned inside out.
- This is what it's all about here in developmental.
This is what it's all about... - [screams]
- To make sure you stand out.
To be the next person to leave here
and to go to the WWE.
- I'm just a hardheaded 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. - [screams]
- What an arm to the neck area.
- When Roman was coming up in NXT,
we often joked that if Vince could go into a laboratory
and just dial up exactly 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.
- One thing that I notice more than anything--
his incredible footwork and agility.
- He looked the part, he acted the part.
You can see the power.
You see magic there.
- Winds him up for a powerful throwdown.
* *
For the win. [match bell dings]
Roman Reigns! - Here is your winner,
Roman Reigns!
[crowd booing]
- 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 to talk with--
- Finally?
What 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.
[stutters] What, you can't read clocks?
- Coming across as a bad guy,
it's always something that came natural for Joe.
He knows what to say out there.
- It's Roman Reigns' time,
and you should feel very fortunate right now.
Get out of here.
- You're very important and we have questions...
[phone rings] that we want to ask you...
- That's what makes a good heel
is to be able to get out there...
- His animosity still not spent.
- Get out.
- And have all those fans want to jump through the TV
to pretty much strangle your ass
from being so pissed off. [chuckles]
- While at NXT,
Roman combined his natural athleticism
with his real life swagger.
The seeds were planted for what was to come.
When Roman finally made his way to the main roster,
it was a debut that changed the course of WWE history.
- Ryback is unstoppable. - Oh, my God.
- Ryback's unbelievable. - Oh, my God.
- What in the world? What is this?
These three guys just came rushing through the crowd.
This is an absolute mauling of Ryback.
What is this?
That--that's Roman Reigns.
Roman Reigns from NXT. What is he doing here?
- Look out! Wait!
Ryback's down. - Oh, my God.
- What in the world? What is this?
- Ryback's down. - Oh, my God.
- That's Roman Reigns from NXT.
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.
- [groans]
- When The Shield first debuted,
it was one of the coolest mysteries
you could ask 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.
- [groans]
- They was looking hungry.
- [roars]
- I knew they was gonna 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.
- Shield bomb at the table!
- [screams]
- Unbelievable that they continue
to just decimate people.
- Those guys are incredible.
* *
- They were just mopping the floor with people
every single week.
Every trio, every star,
every champion, every legend.
- They attacked the Rock.
- [groans]
- Not just anyone gets to take out the Rock.
- [roars]
- If you're someone who's able to powerbomb the Rock--
we know, as fans, he's evil.
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 loved watching every second of it.
[crowd cheering]
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.
- [screams]
- All three of those were good workers.
But there was one out of that three
was gonna be the guy,
and that was Joe.
[crowd cheering]
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,
that's what we call asses in seats.
- With Roman Reigns,
I think we all kind of saw from a looks standpoint,
a body standpoint, a pedigree standpoint,
he had all the makings of a guy who could be
the next top WWE Superstar.
- In WWE, the top superstar is the face of the company.
It's not just about championships,
it means you represent the company wherever you are,
whenever you are needed.
To love America is to love all Americans.
- We all felt Roman could be believable
as kind of "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 gonna headline "WrestleMania."
Believe that.
- We all felt that we know where we want to go
with this person and so, the time came
that we were gonna break The Shield up
to push Roman in that direction.
- Sierra, Hotel, India, Echo, Lima, Delta.
- Randy Orton, bring your ass out here
and let me break your jaw with the symbol of excellence.
[crowd cheering]
[crowd booing]
- Triple H comes out with that sledgehammer of his
and Seth Rollins picks up a chair.
And if you watch the clip, you can hear
there's one person in the crowd who screams "No!"
- 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 of the company
wasn't the same Roman Reigns from The Shield.
Something was different and they didn't like it.
[upbeat pop music and laughter]
- I'm here about the pig.
- He was just being presented as this white meat baby face
when you just literally came from
the Big Dog from The Shield, right?
- Take time to be a dad. Cheers.
- 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 is a good guy.
- I think you're gonna win the "Royal Rumble" match.
- [gasps] Thank you.
- 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 at my face
as somebody who's a good guy? He's never gonna 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.
[crowd cheering]
- [groans]
- Roman Reigns counters.
Reigns with a spear to Cena. Oh, spear to Cena!
* *
- He got a push early because Vince McMahon
saw the physical potential and the talent
that would make Roman Reigns the face role of the WWE.
- And now I'm about to ride their jet.
We're gonna go to the Big Apple.
We're doing "The Today Show." Have a little fun.
Show off our hardware. - Cheers, brother.
- Let's go. - Bye, guys!
- It became clear that this is who
Vince McMahon wants to be the champion.
- At "WrestleMania,"
there's gonna 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 put
in the main event at "WrestleMania,"
it felt like entitlement.
[crowd cheering]
- Real fans, our age,
just don't like that dude. I'm sorry.
They 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
because they're not in this position.
- Joining us now, the man. Give it up for Roman Reigns.
- Every generation has an American hero
to kind of carry the show,
but that ascent 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 gonna
voice their feelings one way or the other.
[crowd booing]
The point of critical mass with Roman
came at the 2015 "Royal Rumble."
[match bell dings] - 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.
[crowd booing] - [roars]
- [screams]
[crowd booing]
[match bell dings]
[crowd booing]
- This guy who was always getting cheered
started to get booed.
[crowd booing]
- 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.
[crowd booing]
That's how much the WWE Universe
turned on Roman Reigns.
- He was in a position that was impossible.
[crowd booing]
- The 2015 "Royal Rumble,"
I think the audience felt "the push" was happening
and rejected Roman in that moment.
[crowd booing]
- Every bit of who I am has gone into this character.
[crowd booing]
They booed me louder than I've ever heard before.
I've never been booed like that.
[crowd booing]
It hurt my feelings. It did.
[crowd booing]
Because at the end of the day we're all humans.
[crowd booing]
- 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.
[crowd chanting "You suck!"]
- 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.
[crowd booing]
- For years, Roman would win match after match.
[crowd booing]
And championship after championship
after championship.
Once fans get a sense of,
oh, you're a propped up 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 of 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 controversial figures perhaps
in WWE history, Roman Reigns.
- Look out here.
The momentum, the momentum!
Oh, man. - Wow.
- Got a huge spear into the heart of The Undertaker.
And Roman Reigns has defeated The Undertaker
at "WrestleMania" with a thunderous spear.
- Here's your winner, Roman Reigns!
- My God, what a physical match up.
- With great respect to who The Undertaker is,
[bleep] is changing. Like, it's happening.
[crowd booing]
This guy in front of us, Roman Reigns, is doing it.
[crowd booing]
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 gonna be boos.
We knew there were gonna be very loud boos,
but we had seen this before with John Cena.
There was a time when he was getting booed by the audience.
- John Cena!
[crowd booing]
- The feeling was 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 as we 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 that WWE Universe
is booing Roman Reigns is because last night's match
was indeed the last ride for The Undertaker.
[crowd chanting "Undertaker!"]
[crowd booing]
* *
[crowd chanting "Delete!"]
* *
[crowd booing]
- People booed him
for almost ten minutes straight.
[crowd chanting "You suck!"]
- To be able to get out there and boo,
for us in our family,
that pisses us off.
[crowd booing]
When 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 gotta come back--
I'm gonna come back with some [bleep],
some stuff that's gonna make you respect me.
[crowd booing]
- 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.
[crowd chanting "You suck!"]
- This is my yard now.
[crowd booing]
- The hostility toward Reigns
from the WWE Universe continued...
- Here comes the Big Dog!
- Especially after winning his first Universal Championship.
- Here's the cover-- hook of the leg.
Reigns did it! Roman Reigns did it!
Reigns is the champion.
[crowd booing]
- The new Universal Champion,
Roman Reigns!
- Bad blood between Roman and the WWE Universe ran deep.
There was seemingly nothing
that could be done to ever bridge the divide.
- Now for 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 gonna have to relinquish
the Universal Championship.
* *
- Everybody was shocked.
- By no means is this a retirement speech.
[crowd cheering]
Because after I'm done whooping leukemia's ass once again,
I'm coming back home.
[crowd cheering]
- It was a sad moment, but he was confident about it.
He was honest about it. He 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.
[crowd chanting "Thank you, Roman!"]
- Reality intervenes, right?
At that point, you have to kind of like
set aside 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 hyperfocus 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 whole narrative...
[sighs]
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.
[crowd chanting "Roman!"]
- The good news is
I'm in remission, y'all.
[crowd cheering]
- That night,
everyone joyously celebrated with Joe
in 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 gonna be big.
* *
- I haven't been in there for a singles match
and I haven't been in there, you know,
for the full duration of a match.
So it's--
we won't know until we go do it.
So let's go do it.
* *
- And here comes the Big Dog.
* *
- I remember thinking that this is that big moment
that everybody will accept him.
But once he came back from his leukemia battle,
I thought it'd be impossible to boo him.
It's gonna be impossible to boo a guy who beat cancer.
[match bell dings] - [groans]
- I can tell you one thing. Tonight, it's not just about
Roman fighting for himself 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.
[crowd booing]
- Roman came back, and he was getting boos.
I looked at my man. I said, bro--
I said, "Roman Reigns beat leukemia
and he still getting booed?"
[crowd booing]
- That was complete disrespect.
A slap across the face of Reigns.
- Might've been what Reigns needed.
- [screams] - Oh, and a clothesline.
- [groans]
- And Roman Reigns starting to fire back now.
[crowd booing]
- We were so used to Roman eliciting this feeling from us
that it's so easy to slide right back into it.
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? He's in remission?
We booing this dude again."
I was like, "Are you serious?"
[crowd booing]
- It's been a while since we heard the Big Dog roar.
Spear by Reigns.
Reigns with the win.
[crowd booing]
And tonight at "WrestleMania" the Big Dog is back.
[crowd booing]
- That was, uh...
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.
[crowd booing]
- 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 reaction 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 it in your gut
it's time for you to change, go.
But be careful, 'cause 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 a 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 doing work,
you know, trying to find himself.
- When you're working out by yourself in your own gym
through a quarantine, and you spend about
two to three hours in the gym every day,
you start to think of these 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 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 giving off
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.
* *
- Believe...that.
- You see him sitting next to Paul Heyman on the couch.
You're like, Roman Reigns is a bad guy.
This is--this-- there's no turning back
'cause they know no matter what,
Paul Heyman ain't no 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 has his clients 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.
- Here comes the Big Dog. He just signed the contract.
- 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 in to this industry when I was a teenager.
I bull[bleep] my way into Madison Square Garden
when the Garden was still being run
by 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.
- The Samoan SWAT team.
- 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 kind of put out this whole new dynamic.
- There will be consequences.
* *
- The fans ate up--
ate up Roman Reigns as a heel.
- Get your ass down here. Let's go.
- And a new official heading down to the ring.
- They felt like they won when he went heel.
- Oh, low blow. Legal though. No holds barred.
- And Reigns with a spear to Strowman.
- And the cover by Reigns.
Roman Reigns has won the Universal Championship.
- 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, you know.
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 'em in and watch 'em all get slaughtered
because this is my island.
I left and I literally gave the whole company
an opportunity to step up and take 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 gotta 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 with Jey Uso.
- Big Usman, throwing his weight around
since we was little.
But we not little no more, okay?
- 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.
I'm proud of you. But the truth is,
like when we were kids, I'm gonna whoop your ass.
- They had 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 interests 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 tight they are.
If they really like one another, if they don't.
- This has to stay on 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 Jey Uso,
he wanted to show that Jey Uso is below him.
His own cousin, his own flesh and blood,
below him.
And he beat him down until he acknowledged
Roman Reigns as the Head of the Table,
the head of the family
and now, Jey Uso,
and his brother, Jimmy Uso,
they are the guys
that do the enforcing for him when he can't be there.
- Oh, wait a minute-- from behind.
Jimmy and Jey Uso, Reign's cousins,
the tag team champions, ambushing Balor.
- 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 were stronger together.
Bloodline.
- He's the Head of the Table of his family.
He feeds his father and his uncles
and his cousins,
and every member of his family survives and indeed thrives
off of 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 family.
They all respect him as our leader,
as our high talking chief,
that anything that this chief says
that we are to follow.
It'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 in a way--
he gaslights all of us.
He makes you feel like you're--wait--
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 can 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.
- [groans]
* *
- When it comes to an arena full
of sold out to capacity crowd...
I don't think there's really gonna be anybody
that can get 100% of them at all times.
- [groans]
- Roman with a right hand dropping John.
[crowd booing]
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.
I'll whoop all y'all's asses too.
Come on, sucker. Come on.
- Roman Reigns is so good at being a bad guy
'cause from whatever negativity's coming at him
and the boos and--
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.
- [groans]
- And again, a right drops John.
- It feels like a lot of Allegiant Stadium
is on Team Cena. - Acknowledge me.
- "Acknowledge me"
is the perfect catchphrase for Roman Reigns.
When he says "acknowledge me," that's a contradiction
because a 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 gonna hurt this man.
I'm gonna hurt-- I'm gonna whoop his ass
and we're gonna send him to-- he ain't gonna be able to work.
He ain't gonna be able to-- don't bring him back here.
I'm WWE.
- When we think about Roman Reigns
becoming a villain, embodying that evil persona,
leaning in to that hate,
I think that gave him power and gave him strength.
[crowd booing]
- He is 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.
- All me! I am WWE!
- The Head of the Table.
Roman Reigns with a spear.
- One, two, three.
[match bell dings] - 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 face of the company,
and the champion of 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, you target the kids. Hustle, loyalty, respect.
Doing the same old schtick. You know what I mean?
It's the same format 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's there.
And I'm sure that's something that drives him.
- Would you ever fight the Rock?
- I would, yes. I don't know if--
I don't know if he wants it.
- Roman Reigns beating your hero?
He beats Dwayne Johnson as a villain?
No one will be able to deny
Roman Reigns is 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 time
and doing it my way.
So everything I've ever done is to get into the position
to where I have the power.
And now I have the power.
- Roman Reigns!