Roman Reigns Bio

A star defensive tackle at Georgia Tech, Roman Reigns wrecked offensive guards for both the Minnesota Vikings and the Jacksonville Jaguars before becoming a WWE Superstar. The hulking powerhouse brought his smash-mouth gridiron style to WWE’s developmental system, NXT, where he left a long line of tough opponents in crumpled heaps. But it was at the 2012 Survivor Series that Reigns made his greatest impact.

In the heat of a Triple Threat Match between WWE Champion CM Punk, John Cena and Ryback, Reigns hit the ring alongside fellow WWE NXT competitors Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins and unleashed a merciless attack on the mighty Ryback. Tearing at the beast like a pack of hungry jackals, the young competitors ruined Ryback’s opportunity to win the WWE Title and drove him through a ringside table.

Rumors that the group was working in collusion with The Straight Edge Superstar quickly spread, but those ties were strongly denied when Reigns, Rollins and Ambrose sat down with Michael Cole for an interview. Branding themselves “The Shield,” the band of upstarts in black tactical gear claimed that they weren’t in WWE to aid Punk, but to halt injustice. From then on, the group targeted anyone and everyone they saw as an example of said injustice, with Reigns slowly emerging as the trio’s juggernaut. At Extreme Rules 2013, Rollins & Reigns bested Team Hell No to win the WWE Tag Team Titles, later targeting Daniel Bryan on multiple occasions on the orders of WWE COO Triple H and his corporate Authority.

Reigns didn’t even suffer his first pinfall until nearly a year after The Shield debuted when he was eliminated by The Usos in the first-ever 11-on-3 Handicap Elimination Tag Team Match that pitted The Hounds against Bryan and his locker-room supporters. As tensions began to rise between The Shield and The Authority in 2014, The Authority was revealed to view The Shield as “expendable” and The Hounds turned on their handlers, causing Triple H to re-form Evolution in retaliation. When that plan failed, he recruited Rollins to his own ranks, causing The Shield to implode.
Following the breakup of The Shield, Reigns began an explosive pursuit of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and, eventually, he seemed to have the prize within his grasp when he overcome 29 other Superstars in the 2015 Royal Rumble Match. With The Rock stepping through the ropes to raise his hand in victory, the powerful Superstar was headed to WrestleMania.

However, some among the WWE Universe felt Daniel Bryan was more deserving of the match. So, at WWE Fastlane, Reigns and Bryan battled to decide who would face Lesnar on The Grandest Stage of Them All. Bryan pushed Reigns to the limit and pulled out all the stops. However, a last-second Spear allowed Reigns to secure the victory and retain his place in the main event at WrestleMania.
At WrestleMania 31, Reigns challenged Brock Lesnar for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in a brutal match. Toward the end of the match, Mr. Money in the Bank Seth Rollins made an appearance, cashing in his contract and making the main event a Triple Threat Match. After getting hit with a vicious Curb Stomp, Reigns was pinned by Rollins, making Rollins the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion. A Triple Threat Match against Randy Orton and Ryback gave Reigns an opportunity at becoming No. 1 contender, but Big Show knocked him out in the heat of the match.

The Big Dog would get payback, however, overcoming The World's Largest Athlete in a Last Man Standing Match at Extreme Rules. Then, Reigns competed in a brutal Fatal 4-Way Match for the WWE World Heavyweight Title at WWE Payback, taking on Rollins, Ambrose and The Viper. Though he was unsuccessful in that effort, Reigns had another opportunity to earn a chance for the championship at WWE Money in the Bank 2015. He looked to have the match won before Bray Wyatt made an unexpected appearance, knocking him off the ladder and hitting Sister Abigail to dash The Big Dog's chances. Over the next week, Wyatt would make thinly veiled threats against Reigns' daughter in an attempt to get inside The Big Dog's head. At WWE Battleground, Reigns suffered another questionable defeat when a hooded Luke Harper aided Wyatt in victory.
Most recently at SummerSlam, the formitable combination of Dean Amborse & Roman Reigns overcame Bray Wyatt & Luke Harper. When The Wyatts revealed their newest family member, Braun Strowman, a six-man bout was set for Night of Champions, with Reigns & Ambrose selecting a mystery partner to even the odds. That partner was later revealed to be Chris Jericho, whose own impetuousness cost his team the match.

At WWE Hell in a Cell, Reigns battled Wyatt inside the demonic Hell in a Cell. The Wyatt Family and Dean Ambrose were barred from interfering and the bitter rivalry between Reigns and Wyatt was finally settled when Reigns emerged victorious.