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Despite being a serious powerhouse in WWE, Roman Reigns has broken character multiple times in his career. The hard exterior of his various personas couldn't always hold his emotions at bay. His real personality has been shown to the fans through unexpected means.
Most of these moments were before 2020. From smiles and laughs to cutting non-kayfabe promos, Reigns’ journey to being the face of the company has made fans witness an otherwise suppressed side of him.
In this list, we will look at five times Roman Reigns broke character on live WWE television.
#5. His battle with Leukaemia
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Few superstars get the green light from WWE to cut a non-kayfabe promo, since such moments could have a negative effect on a superstar’s character. However, Roman Reigns was willing to take the risk and so was the company.
On the October 22 episode of RAW in 2018, The Big Dog walked out inside the ring and declared how his leukemia had flared back up. He broke character to have a heart-to-heart with the audience in Rhode Island and even revealed his real name, a taboo in WWE. Failing to be a “fighting champion”, Joe Anoa’i relinquished his WWE Universal Championship.
The Big Dog returned in February the following year amidst a standing ovation from the crowd. The Shield reunited momentarily for Fastlane to defeat Drew McIntyre, Baron Corbin and Bobby Lashley.
#4. R-Truth makes Roman Reigns break character
Before making Brock Lesnar break character on Live TV in 2020, R-Truth achieved the feat of making another future face of the company laugh wholeheartedly with his antics.
On the June 8th, 2015 episode of RAW, R-Truth interrupted a segment featuring Roman Reigns, Corporate Kane, and Dolph Ziggler. The Suntan Superman declared how he “conquered” his fear of ladders and what he was going to do at the upcoming WWE Money in the Bank. However, Kane interrupted Truth to break the bad news that he wasn't even in the match.
His confusion left Ziggler and Reigns doubled over with laughter. Meanwhile, Kane looked dumbfounded, which made the whole moment hilarious.
#3. A moment of silence for Daniel Bryan’s WWE career
Roman Reigns had a brief feud with Daniel Bryan in April 2021, having defeated him and Edge at WrestleMania 37. Subsequently, Reigns defeated Bryan in a Title vs. Career match which resulted in the latter being forced to leave SmackDown.
Paul Heyman, the Special Counsel, decided to enhance his employer’s role following the victory. Heyman stated that Reigns wanted to eulogize the career of his victim with a 10-bell salute. However, it wasn’t the timekeeper who rang the bell, but it was Heyman who verbalized the “Ding” ten times.
The unscripted segment made Roman Reigns break character. He was clearly seen laughing, although not in front of a live crowd. It was an impactful moment which uplifted The Tribal Chief but rubbed salt into the wounds of a legend like Daniel Bryan.
#2. A brotherly moment with Dean Ambrose
The implosion of The Shield was one of the most shocking moments in WWE history. Seth Rollins allied himself with The Authority and basked in his newfound power, leaving his brothers out in the cold.
Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose were having none of it. Following the betrayal, the remaining Hounds of Justice called out The Architect's actions on a June edition of RAW in 2014. Ambrose minced no words in calling Seth a backstabber, a suck-up to the Authority, and even the cancer that destroyed The Shield.
Having delivered those fiery lines, The Lunatic Fringe dropped the mic, only to pick it up for Roman Reigns. It was an adorable moment among the storyline brothers and real-life friends. Reigns smiled and patted Dean on the shoulder, breaking character before regaining his serious persona.
You can watch the moment unfold from 2:19 to 2:33 in the above video.
#1. The Big Dog forgets his lines on Live TV
Before their showdown at No Mercy 2017, Roman Reigns and John Cena cut a promo on an August edition of RAW. Both had a heated exchange of words and the proceedings went smoothly until Reigns forgot his lines.
Cena waited for his rival to regain his composure before capitalizing on the moment to cool off some steam. The Doctor of Thuganomics was at his best, making Reigns momentarily break character and flicker a smile with his unscripted words.
“It’s called a promo kid. If you want to be The Big Dog, you’ll have to learn how to do it… See ya fourth wall! ” (7:05 - 7:50)
It was surreal as Roman Reigns was known to be a serious superstar bent on maintaining his persona. Lately, The Tribal Chief has cut babyface promos on various WWE live shows and off-camera sequences.
