Paul Heyman Believes Roman Reigns Couldn’t Have Pulled Off Tribal Chief Gimmick Earlier In His Career

The drastic change in character for Roman Reigns over the years has been well documented. He went from being an utterly dull babyface to one of the most compelling heels in WWE. He also isn’t stranger when it comes to accolades in the company.

Roman Reigns was an eyesore for many when he was a babyface and fans and pro wrestlers alike agreed with this notion. This is in spite of the fact that Reigns competed in high profile matches against the very best.

Roman Reigns is currently the longest reigning Universal Champion in WWE history after surpassing Brock Lesnar’s record of 503 days as champion. Many fans agree that Paul Heyman has a huge role in Reigns’ growth as well.

While speaking on The Masked Man Show, Paul Heyman stated that he believes Roman Reigns couldn’t have pulled off the Tribal Chief gimmick earlier in his career

I’m indescribably proud of both of them,” Heyman said of Reigns and the Tribal Chief character. Roman Reigns is a very strategic performer. And the ‘Tribal Chief’ has lived inside of Roman Reigns for a long time. It wasn’t the right time to present this persona because he had to go through all the trials and tribulations in front of the public firstly.

He needed his face roughed up a little more. He needed to show a little bit of age. The Tribal Chief couldn’t be just the best-looking man in the industry in his late 20s. He had to be more seasoned, he had to be a little more grizzled. To speak as the Tribal Chief before he’s the Tribal Chief would not have made sense. But he’s very comfortable in this presentation. This is authentically who he is, this is how he sees himself.”

WWE has huge plans for Roman Reigns’ and Brock Lesnar’s feud that will culminate in WrestleMania 38 this year. We will have to wait and see how their feud will be booked in the coming months.

h/t to Wrestling Inc for the quotes