Okay, let’s talk about something I spent some time on recently. It started pretty casually, just watching WWE like usual. But Roman Reigns, especially this whole ‘Tribal Chief’ run, kinda got stuck in my head. It wasn’t just about the matches anymore.
Getting Started
So, I decided I wanted to dig into it a bit more. Not just be a passive viewer, you know? I thought, let me try and really track how this character, Roman Reigns, changed over the years. It felt like a little project, something to actually do rather than just consume.
My first step was just thinking back. I remembered the Shield days, then the “Big Dog” phase where the crowd reaction was… well, mixed. And then this shift. How did we get from that Roman to this Roman? That was the question I wanted to explore for myself.
The Process – Watching and Noting
I started pulling up old stuff. Youtube, WWE Network, whatever I could find. I wasn’t systematic like a real analyst, just grabbing key moments that stuck out in my memory.
- I rewatched some of his big Wrestlemania matches from the earlier solo run.
- Then I looked for the return, the alignment with Paul Heyman. That felt like the real turning point.
- I paid attention to how he talked. The promos. Big difference there. Less yelling, more quiet menace.
- His body language changed too. The way he walks, the way he looks at opponents, even his own family, The Usos.
I actually started jotting down notes. Just simple things on a notepad. Like, “Before: More smiles, trying to be the hero. After: Almost no smiling, serious, slow walk.” It sounds basic, but writing it down helped me see the pattern.
Finding specific old promos was sometimes a pain, digging through hours of old shows. But when I found a good comparison, like an old interview versus a new one, it was pretty interesting.
I spent quite a few evenings doing this, maybe an hour or two here and there. Just watching clips, thinking about the context, and comparing the old Roman with the new ‘Head of the Table’. I particularly focused on his interactions with Heyman and The Usos – that dynamic seemed central to the whole thing.
What I Found (For Myself)
Doing this, putting in the time, I realized how much deliberate work went into this character shift. It wasn’t overnight. It was a slow burn, building layer by layer. The entrance music change, the catchphrases (“Acknowledge Me!”), the gaslighting of his cousins – it all added up.
It made me appreciate the long-term storytelling aspect of wrestling a bit more. When you just watch week to week, you sometimes miss the bigger picture. But going back and tracing it like this really highlighted the journey.
It wasn’t some super deep academic study, just me, my couch, and a bunch of wrestling clips. But it felt good to actively engage with something I enjoy, to look a bit closer. It made watching the current product more rewarding too, because I felt like I had a better handle on why this character is so compelling right now.
So yeah, that was my little dive into Roman Reigns and his whole evolution. Time-consuming? A bit. Worth it for my own understanding and enjoyment? Definitely.
