Roman Reigns doesn’t want to limit himself to being just a heel or babyface.
The Tribal Chief has been getting great reactions from the crowd recently, despite his character not changing over the past few years. He held the Universal Championship for three years as a hated heel, and it seemed the crowd would never get behind him as a babyface.
However, since returning after losing the title to Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40 the reactions have been a lot more positive. He hasn’t changed the way he acts but instead the crowd have decided to get behind Roman Reigns in a big way instead.
Roman Reigns recently sat down with Jimmy Traina for Sports Illustrated and was asked about whether he prefers to take the WWE title back from Cody Rhodes as a babyface or a heel.
The former Champion admitted that he doesn’t care and doesn’t want to limit himself to the standard wrestling tropes. Instead, he wants to focus on the continuity of his character to tell the story.
“I don’t look at it like that. I respect the template that we come from for the art form’s sake. You know, when you start drawing, you need colors, right? You’ve got to define a few things. We started with black and white—good versus evil—and that gives you your starting point.”
“But once you’ve seen a few generations of different types of storytelling and a very similar story told over and over, the audience changes. They’re exposed to different things, and all of that evolves.”
Roman Reigns: It’s Important To Stick To My Guns
“To me, I think it’s important to keep the continuity and be the character. It took me 39 years to GPS this skin that I wear when I go out there as a performer—as the Tribal Chief. That’s why it’s important to stick to those guns and not try to be something I’m not. That’s the most authentic thing to do from my standpoint.” Roman Reigns said.
“Yes, you hear the crowd and take into account what they’re doing. That’s why I refer to it as a babyface reaction. But if I want to turn them on a dime, I can. I don’t even need to do something dastardly—it can just be the way I carry myself.”
“But ultimately, I would much rather stick to my guns, stick to the character, and do what I’ve been doing.” Roman Reigns assed.
