Public image of Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns in March 2018

Professional wrestler Roman Reigns (Joe Anoaʻi) is a focal point of extensive press coverage, with public attitudes towards him fluctuating at various points throughout his career.

Reigns debuted on the WWE main roster in November 2012 (having performed in its developmental system since 2010) as part of a faction called "The Shield" and was well-received by critics. Support began to dwindle upon Reigns's transition to a heroic main event singles act in 2014, largely due to his perceived forced push. This would manifest itself in Reigns main eventing four consecutive editions of WWE's premier annual pay-per-view event, WrestleMania, while being booed in all four appearances.[1]

During the early stage of his career as a top star, WWE fans took issue with Reigns over various reasons: his perceived special treatment, real-life demeanor, wrestling moveset, speaking skills and character presentation.[2] The crowd's rejection of Reigns elicited a range of reactions from the wrestling media, particularly from 2016–2017: Pro Wrestling Torch editor Wade Keller stated that WWE promoter Vince McMahon was engaging in a "war on fans,"[3] while David Shoemaker of Grantland wrote that Reigns was the company's "most despised wrestler" in over 25 years,[4] and Yahoo! Sports pondered whether he was "the biggest failure in professional wrestling history."[5] Meanwhile, Anoaʻi's childhood idol, Hall of Fame wrestler Bret Hart stated that he believed WWE "ruined" Reigns' on-screen character by utilizing bad storytelling and poor writing, and he blamed the company's leaders primarily for Anoaʻi failing to reach his potential.[6][7] In 2016, Reigns was voted the Most Overrated by Wrestling Observer Newsletter readers[8] as well as the Most Hated Wrestler of the Year by Pro Wrestling Illustrated readers, a first for a heroic character since the award was devised in 1972.[9][10] Anoaʻi stated that the negative reception stemmed from jealousy over his "major success",[11] and he mocked those who questioned if he deserved his fictional role,[12] discounted critiques from non-wrestlers,[13] and declared that he would not change to appease his critics.[14]

Anoa'i saw an improved reception from critics and fans from summer 2020 when he turned heel and took on the "Tribal Chief" persona, leading the Bloodline faction. By 2023, wrestling media sentiment turned positive toward Reigns again, with his work with The Bloodline and Sami Zayn receiving general acclaim.[15][16][17] His 1,316 day reign as Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, which was the longest WWE world title reign since the 1980s, received widespread acclaim and he received numerous awards from publications such as Wrestling Observer Newsletter and Pro Wrestling Illustrated during this time. After returning to fan-favorite status in summer 2024 under the "Original Tribal Chief" moniker, Reigns received generally positive crowd reactions, leading Sports Illustrated to remark that "WWE has finally made Roman Reigns the monster babyface they always believed he could be."[18]

  1. ^ Newby, Jake. "WWE needs to finally do something different with Pensacola's Roman Reigns". Pensacola News Journal. Archived from the original on April 23, 2018. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  2. ^ Keller, Wade (March 2018). "Coach telling fans they're sheep if they boo Reigns is not doing Reigns any favors". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on March 25, 2018. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  3. ^ "WWE Raw post-game show hosted by Wade Keller". Pro Wrestling Torch Livecast. January 30, 2017. c. 54 (commercials vary between locations) minutes in. BlogTalkRadio. As Todd Martin, [Pro Wrestling] Torch VIP audio analyst says, it's a 'war on fans'. And Vince McMahon has a war on fans right now: he's not going with the flow – he's fighting it.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference shoemaker was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Zheng, Sihan (July 15, 2016). "WWE: Roman Reigns - the biggest failure in professional wrestling history?". Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on February 11, 2017. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
  6. ^ "WWE's Roman Reigns' real story is better than his fake one". Yahoo! Sports. March 25, 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  7. ^ "Bret Hart Says Roman Reigns is a Victim of Bad Booking". 411MANIA. April 26, 2016. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  8. ^ Meltzer, Dave. "March 6, 2017 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: 2016 Awards issue, talent departing TNA, more". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Campbell, California: 11. ISSN 1083-9593. Archived from the original on March 15, 2017. Retrieved March 19, 2017.
  9. ^ Bhutia, Jigmey (January 15, 2017). "PWI's 2016 WWE wrestler of the year and most hated wrestler announced". International Business Times. Archived from the original on January 19, 2017. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
  10. ^ "PWI Achievement Award Winners". Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Archived from the original on January 21, 2016. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference jealousy was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference deserves was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference CraveHaters was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference change was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Roling, Chris. "Sami Zayn Betraying Roman Reigns, Bloodline Is WWE's Greatest Storyline Ever". Bleacher Report. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  16. ^ Bond, Nick (December 6, 2022). "The Bloodline Blueprint: The Building Blocks of WWE's Most Dominant Faction".
  17. ^ "The Bloodline story is the best told in recent wrestling history". Daily DDT. February 2, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  18. ^ Reed, Tyler (August 9, 2024). "Roman Reigns Reclaims His Place on SmackDown". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 16, 2024.