5 lesser-known WWE backstage stories about Roman Reigns: Why Triple H forced him to apologize to the locker room, real-life heat with Randy Orton

#1 Roman Reigns is genuinely a locker room leader in WWE

Former WWE Superstar Aleister Black hailed Roman Reigns as a great locker room leader

Roman Reigns has faced his fair share of criticism in WWE. A few of those stem from how he is booked. The promotion worked hard to get him over as the locker room leader as well. While part of it was always related to his gimmick, Reigns has truly earned that title backstage.

Former WWE Superstar Aleister Black (now Malakai Black) hailed Roman Reigns as a great locker room leader. He credited The Tribal Chief for genuinely carrying out the business and asserted that the latter is highly respected backstage. Here’s what Black had to say:

“For the most part, I just enjoyed shutting myself out because with a lot of us, being around so many people can overload your sensories. It’s nice to go from this massive adrenaline rush to settling back into the room, unwinding, relaxing, and getting ready for the next day. The culture, when it comes to that, is much healthier. (There was a tour) I sat down with Samoa Joe, who I have known for a long time, and he’s always been good to me, and I sat down with Roman as well."

"It was one of the first times I really felt how great Roman is as a locker room leader. That’s a good memory where we kind of forged a bond, and I could pick his brain on a few things. He’s only the guy who carries our business. Same with the Usos. It was good and comfortable. As bad as some of the experiences were, the locker rooms were always great. Our locker rooms were lovely, and we had a lot of fun. The men’s locker room was always super cool with each other,” Black said.

It is impossible to force respect out of anyone. Roman Reigns deserves a lot of credit for his work both on and off the screen. He went from apologizing to the entire locker room to genuinely earning respect amidst his peers, and that is commendable.

Regardless of his booking, one can’t deny that he has turned himself into the company's face and is as professional as one can get in that position. He is currently enjoying a great run as a heel on WWE SmackDown. Hopefully, Roman Reigns' backstage popularity will translate well onto the screen over the coming years.