During a recent appearance on What’s Your Story? With Stephanie McMahon, Roman Reigns revealed that he rejected creative ideas presented by Triple H. He explained that protecting his on-screen persona was the primary motivation for his decisions.
Reigns stated he prefers his communication to be “a little more intellectual,” which led him to push back on certain concepts. “I don’t like low-hanging fruit,” Reigns said, adding that he would reject or modify ideas to avoid “cheaper digs” in his promos.
This creative philosophy was central to his dominant “Tribal Chief” character. Reigns recently admitted that during his 1,316-day run as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, he genuinely embraced the feeling that other competitors were “beneath” him, calling it a “good character feeling” that defined the persona.
That historic reign famously concluded at WrestleMania 40 against Cody Rhodes, leading to a four-month hiatus for Reigns. In his absence, Solo Sikoa seized control of The Bloodline, prompting Reigns to return at SummerSlam 2024. His return marked a face turn for the first time since 2020 and the beginning of his new “O.T.C.”—or “Original Tribal Chief”—era.
A pivotal development in his post-championship journey was the betrayal by his long-time advocate, Paul Heyman. Following WrestleMania 41, Heyman aligned himself with Seth Rollins and helped orchestrate an attack on Reigns. Heyman is now part of a new faction called The Vision, alongside Rollins, Bron Breakker, and Bronson Reed.
The fallout from Heyman’s betrayal has directly led to Reigns’ next major confrontation. He is now scheduled to face The Vision’s Bronson Reed at the upcoming Clash in Paris. The feud has seen Reed dub himself “The Tribal Thief” after repeatedly stealing Reigns’ signature sneakers. The match will be Reigns’ first non-championship singles match at a premium live event in 786 days.