Ranking every version of Roman Reigns in WWE 

Roman Reigns has been one of the biggest names in WWE since he returned at SummerSlam 2020, and secured the Universal Championship at Payback 2020. He later re-formed The Bloodline, and that saga is still developing and has split into a heel and a babyface faction.

Reigns began his latest heel run in 2020 and quickly became the face of the company. Currently, he is a babyface and continues to be a focal point of the company. Tickets for an event sell like hot cakes if he is advertised!

Here's a recap of the versions of Roman Reigns over the years!

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#5. Roman Leakee

The former WWE Undisputed Champion made his televised debut on August 19th, 2010 in a 15-man battle under the name of 'Roman Leakee.' Following that, he worked a 30-man Grand Royal under the same name but failed to become the winner.

He portrayed the character only during his time with FCW and had won the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship with Mike Dalton, more famously known as Tyler Breeze.

When WWE rebranded FCW to NXT, the Anoa'i family member made his debut on October 31st, 2012 under the name 'Roman Reigns,' a villainous character.

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#4. The Big Dog (Roman Reigns' first run as babyface)

Seth Rollins betrayed The Shield in 2014, breaking up the faction. With that betrayal, Reigns was positioned as a babyface and the moniker 'The Big Dog.' He embarked on a singles journey and was a part of championship angles as well.

While he worked in high-stakes angles and matches, including winning championships, the audience could not connect with his babyface character. Fans booed him even though he played the hero. The mixed reactions posed an issue for the portrayal of the character, but eventually, he did become a popular figure.

However, it doesn't seem that he will return to 'The Big Dog' character for the remainder of his WWE career.

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#3. The Shield's Roman Reigns

The Shield made its debut in November 2012 at Survivor Series, which was also Reigns' main roster debut. Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns attacked Ryback during the championship match, allowing CM Punk to pin John Cena for the victory. The faction's motto was to rally against "injustice" and would often emerge from the crowd to attack.

The Shield went onto become one of the top factions in WWE, and the three superstars propelled their career to the top. Triple H refers to a specific section of the ring as 'The Shield Corner' since that is where the faction would often set up their base. Reigns was established as the "powerhouse" of the faction, who was known for his strength and athleticism, and an emerging leader.

While the stable was supposed to be heel, the actions weren't quite straight-forward heel-ish. The complex nature of what 'The Shield' was working towards in WWE gained them more applause from the fans than boos.

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#2. The YTC (2nd babyface run with WWE)

Roman Reigns' was dethroned at WrestleMania 40 by Cody Rhodes. He took a hiatus following the premium live event and returned to WWE at SummerSlam 2024. He helped The American Nightmare against Solo Sikoa, establishing himself as a babyface.

Initially, he returned sporting a T-shirt that read 'OTC,' standing for 'Original Tribal Chief'. However, lately, he has been sporting one that reads 'YTC,' standing for 'Your Tribal Chief.'

Even though he is babyface he isn't holding back from taking down anyone standing in his path. This babyface portrayal is one that the audience can connect with since Reigns has a strong screen presence and cannot be just the 'good guy.'

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#1. The Tribal Chief

Roman Reigns formed The Bloodline with Jey Uso and Paul Heyman in 2020. Following that, he added Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa to the faction. Furthermore, he let Sami Zayn into the stable as the 'Honorary Uce' until Zayn betrayed him at the Royal Rumble in 2023.

The Tribal Chief secured the Universal Championship at Payback 2020 and the WWE Championship by defeating Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 38, unifying the world championships. He defended the Undisputed WWE Championship until WrestleMania 40 when Cody Rhodes dethroned him.

Throughout his time as The Tribal Chief, he was the best of heels the company had produced. He worked with names such as Drew McIntyre, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, Brock Lesnar, among others. Despite being a heel and working a part-time schedule, the shows that he was advertised for became the best-selling events.