When Paul Heyman teased The Bloodline almost a decade before Roman Reigns alliance (Throwback)

Paul Heyman and Roman Reigns will arguably go down in history as one of the greatest wrestler-manager duos of all-time. They would go on to form The Bloodline, then fuel WWE's most captivating storyline of this modern era. With the 38th annual Royal Rumble just days away, the WWE Universe is reminded of a very telling backstage interaction that foreshadowed The Bloodline.

The Wiseman has worked closely with members of The Anoa'i Family since the 1980s, in various promotions. Heyman later had a role in introducing The Shield to the main roster storylines. Roman returned from a hiatus at SummerSlam 2020, as a heel for the first time since 2014, then days later, he aligned himself with the former Paul E. Dangerously. This began Reigns' legendary run, but the seeds were planted on WWE TV years before.

Vince McMahon made the rare decision to cancel the live RAW for the first time on January 26, 2015, one night after the Royal Rumble, where Brock Lesnar retained the WWE Championship over Seth Rollins and John Cena, right before Reigns won the 30-Man main event to challenge Lesnar at WrestleMania 31. A snow storm prevented RAW from being held at the XL Center in Hartford, so a limited show was filmed an hour away at WWE HQ in Stamford.

The Head of The Table and The Beast Incarnate met face-to-face for the first time after The Advocate hijacked Michael Cole's show-closing interview with Reigns. In a segment that was lauded even then, Paul Heyman offered immense respect to the son of Sika, then commented on knowing The Anoa'i Family longer than Roman Reigns. Heyman recapped his ties to the legendary tribe, praising them, and declaring it's in a Samoan's blood to step into the ring.

Paul Heyman asked Roman Reigns how will he handle embarrassing his family because there's no way he could beat Brock Lesnar. Reigns directed his answer to Lesnar, and their first face-off led to WrestleMania 31, where Seth Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank contract to make the main event a Triple Threat, dethroning Lesnar to become champion. Roman and Paul E. linked up after SummerSlam 2020, and they brought on The Usos to form The Bloodline less than one year later in July 2021.

Reigns will return to action in Saturday's 30-Man Royal Rumble. Lesnar has been away from WWE since SummerSlam 2023, but Heyman fueled rumors on his return with a line on Monday's RAW, right after Drew McIntyre mentioned The Beast.

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Paul Heyman reveals Roman Reigns WWE 2K25 cover

Paul Heyman appeared on Monday's WWE RAW for his second Netflix episode. The legendary manager had a very newsworthy appearance, and in-ring exchange with Drew McIntyre.

The Wise Man and Roman Reigns teased WWE 2K25 on January 6 during the Netflix premiere, but last night Paul Heyman officially announced the cover with Roman, and himself in the background. 2K has since announced that there will be two special versions of the game: The Bloodline Edition and The Deadman Edition.

WWE 2K25 will be released worldwide on March 14, but early access will be granted one week prior. The game is to be available on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X/S, and Windows.