Roman Reigns Was ‘Fed Up’ With WWE Creative Before The Bloodline Took Over

Roman Reigns wasn’t just looking for a fresh direction in 2020—he was done with WWE creative. According to Paul Heyman, Reigns’ frustration played a major role in the creation of The Bloodline, one of the most dominant factions in WWE history.

Speaking to Screen Rant, Heyman revealed that the idea for The Bloodline had been in the works for years before it finally became reality.

“The concept of The Bloodline is something that Roman Reigns and I discussed seven or eight years ago,” Heyman said. “Several years before the actual inception of The Bloodline, this was already a discussion between us. At the time, he was still fleshing out his persona in front of the WWE fan base, and doing so well in the main event multiple times of WrestleMania, which is extraordinary to think about.”

Back then, Heyman was focused on managing Brock Lesnar, and the timing just wasn’t right. But once the pandemic hit in 2020, everything changed.

“Then, in 2020, COVID shut down the world. Brock Lesnar went home to Saskatchewan to farm. Roman Reigns was not appearing anymore because there needed to be certain COVID protocols in order to keep him safe. Also, his wife had just given birth to a second set of twin boys, so there were now five kids running around that household, and finally, he was pretty fed up, and he’s been very articulate about this.”

Heyman didn’t hold back when it came to Reigns’ frustration with WWE creative.

“He was pretty fed up with the creative here, and he felt that his character had plateaued, and he wanted to elevate not only his character but the entire presentation of what we as performers do at WWE and how WWE presents its performers, and nothing that he was being pitched was to his liking.”

At the same time, Heyman had been removed as executive director of Monday Night Raw and was sitting at home getting paid, waiting for the next move. When the idea of pairing Heyman with Reigns came up, it clicked immediately.

“We started comparing notes as to what disruptions of the industry we had both envisioned during this COVID period, and I think we both saw the opportunity for a different presentation within the restrictions of what we had because we had no live audience.”

Heyman also emphasized that the top stars in WWE always take control of their creative direction, much like major Hollywood actors do with their roles.

“You don’t get to be at that level without input. Top actors take ‘ownership’ of their characters, and top WWE stars have always been very hands-on with their creative.”

Reigns’ decision to reinvent himself paid off in a huge way, turning The Bloodline into a dominant force that continues to define WWE programming. Do you think Reigns’ frustration was justified, or was WWE already handling him the right way? Drop your thoughts in the comments!