Roman Reigns' reaction to WWE legend telling him he's not a babyface

Bubba Ray Dudley aka Bully Ray told Roman Reigns that he is not a babyface, following a promo The Universal Champion cut during their time together in WWE.

Reigns was pushed to be the top babyface in the company the Shield split up in 2014. But the project failed as fans didn't really buy into it and he had to change things around. The change came in August 2020 when Reigns debuted his new gimmick, finally turning heel and also aligning himself with Paul Heyman.

Bully Ray, on the Busted Open podcast, recalled a conversation he had with Roman Reigns when The Tribal Chief was a babyface. The WWE Hall of Famer told Reigns after a promo that he didn't sound like a babyface and that he's a heel. Reigns laughed and told Bully Ray that he knew that too:

"I'll never forget, we were in Des Moines, and Roman opens up the show with a promo. I was standing at the bottom of the Gorilla Position, and he goes, 'Bubba, what did you think?' And he was a babyface at that time, and I said, 'Honestly, you're not a babyface.' And he laughed and he goes, 'I know.' I go, 'Everything about you reeks of heel. It really does.' The tone, the inflection, the way he carries himself. He just looks like that BMF heel."

Bully Ray also believes that Reigns has gotten much more comfortable with his character:

"And then when he started to be a heel - in my opinion - it was that, 'I'm trying really hard to be a bad guy' promo, as opposed to stuff I see last night (on SmackDown). A different comfort level, where he goes, 'Hey man, I'm the baddest mothertrucker in this company and if you get in this ring, I'm going to knock your you-know-what in the dirt'. So, I like the work Roman's doing." (From 25:25 to 26:31)

Bully Ray credited Paul Heyman for the influence he's had on both Reigns and Brock Lesnar, and for playing a key part in the storyline between the two world champions.

---

Roman Reigns doesn't think he's a heel or babyface in WWE

Fans and critics have lauded Roman Reigns' current heel gimmick, but he feels he's neither a heel or babyface, and that he's playing a character whose choices could be perceived as good or bad.

"A lot of people want to say, 'Oh, he's a heel.' And, 'Oh, he was a babyface,' and this and that. I try not to look at it as that. I try to look at it as this being a character in a storyline and he has choices like anyone else," said The Tribal Chief.

Reigns' current gimmick in WWE has worked wonders for him as he has showcased captivating storylines and truly become "The Guy" of the company.

Please H/T Busted Open and Sportskeeda if you use any of the above quotes.