Being WWE’s current powerhouse, Roman Reigns has been entertaining viewers through his sheer force and charm. Given that he is now WWE’s ‘Head of the Table’, Roman Reigns’ path to fame might appear straightforward today. However, the path to success has never been easy for anyone, and in the same respect, the success story of Reigns cannot be an exemption as he rose from the baron stage to win the hearts of his millions of fans.
During his most successful years, Roman Reigns was the face of WWE, helping the company secure multibillion-dollar contracts and expand globally. He still reigns supremely today, taking on a persona that more closely fits his nature and attracts his fans. You’ll surely be amazed by these surprising facts about Roman Reigns!
Fact 1: Real Name and Wrestling Legacy
Roman Reigns’s real name is Leati Joseph Anoa’i and he was born on May 25, 1985. He is currently the face of WWE even at 39. Reigns hails from a family with a great wrestling background with his father Sika Anoa’i and his brother Rose who also set foot in wrestling. His family includes icons like Yokozuna, Rikishi, Umaga, The Rock, and The Usos. They continue to significantly impact wrestling with talents like Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu, guaranteeing that one of their stars appears in every WWE era.
Fact 2: His WWE Debut Was Almost a Failure
Roman Reigns initially struggled as a singles competitor in FCW, facing challenges in establishing his character. His push as a babyface was met with diminishing crowd reactions, particularly highlighted during the 2015 Royal Rumble, where fans booed his victory, signaling WWE’s difficulty in making him a top fan favorite.
Fact 3: Football Career Before Wrestling
Football was also important in his life before competing in WWE. In college, he displayed his skills at Georgia Tech University where he shared a team with the future NFL player, Calvin Johnson. Johnson was full of praises for Reigns’ stunts by saying, “It’s great seeing him with that, just commandeering that thing.”He joined the Minnesota Vikings in 2007 but got diagnosed with leukemia during a check-up. He was immediately released from the club. Then, he played a season for the Edmonton Eskimos in the Canadian Football League.
Fact 4: Battle with Leukemia
Roman Reigns is a multiple-time world champion and a cancer survivor who battled leukemia twice. He officially announced his condition on an episode of “Raw” in October 2018, saying that he will leave WWE to pursue treatment. In February 2019, Reigns was cancer-free following oral chemotherapy.Reigns first battled leukemia in 2007 when he was still with the Minnesota Vikings. His mother was one of the most influential people in his life and supported him during his treatment process.
Fact 5: He’s a Father of Five
He has been married to Galina Becker since 2014 and the couple has five children. Occasionally, Roman Reigns posts photos with his family and sometimes tells his fans heartfelt stories regarding his family life.
Fact 6: Rejected Initial WWE Gimmick
When WWE first started pushing Roman Reigns, they envisioned him as a gladiator. But he believed in something else. He wanted the “Shield” character and was later aligned with Rollins and Ambrose. This decision turned out to be a game-changer, making them all megastars as the “Hounds of Justice” during their time in WWE.
Fact 7: Finishing Moves
Every action from Roman Reigns is engaging in the arena, yet his most impressive and destructive moves are the Spears, Superman Punch, Moment of Silence, Samoan Drop, and Multiple Corner Clotheslines.
Fact 8: He’s the Longest-Reigning Universal Champion
He is a member of the Anoaʻi family and the previous leader of The Bloodline stable. At 1,316 days, Reigns held the title of Undisputed WWE Universal Heavyweight Champion. This was the longest championship reign since 1988 and the fourth longest global title reign in WWE history.
Fact 9: Has Multiple Tattoos with Deep Meanings
Roman Reigns proudly displays multiple Polynesian tattoos with Hawaiian tribal patterns that symbolize his heritage and strength. His first tattoo, a shoulder piece set up by his late cousin Umaga, holds deep emotional significance. He recently completed a back tattoo that extends his shoulder piece further emphasizing the tribal theme.
Fact 10: Reigns Initially Excluded from Shield
Roman Reigns was not originally part of The Shield, as said earlier. CM Punk proposed the group with Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, and Kassius Ohno (Chris Hero) based on their independent circuit skills. WWE officials chose Reigns, then known as Leakee. Punk accepted this decision, which made Reigns a key player in WWE’s iconic group and boosted his rise to stardom.
Fact 11: Rivalry with Brock Lesnar
Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar shared the stage as rivals since WrestleMania 31, and they faced each other multiple times at this main event. They last time faced each other in WrestleMania 38 in 2022 in a title unification match, and Roman won both the World and Universal Championships.
Fact 12: He’s a Film and TV Star Too
He stepped into acting for the first time along with The Rock in the 2019 released Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw. He also appeared in different shows. He is no less than a superstar and is willing to be part of some big movie projects in the future.
Fact 13: Strong Advocacy for Charity Work
Helping his community is another impactful aspect where Roman Reigns plays a big role other than wrestling including community fitness, leukemia awareness, children’s hospitals, Make-A-Wish foundation.
Fact 14: Roman Reigns Is WWE’s Top Merchandise Seller
Despite early rejection from the fans, he has become WWE’s top-selling brand. His recent slogans such as “Head of the Table” and “We the Ones” are engaging the fans effectively as well as his new merchandise, “OTC”. When it comes to the most merchandise sold, Roman Reigns overtakes John Cena as the top WWE star.
