Despite fans pushing for a heel Roman Reigns for many years, WWE didn't fully pull the trigger until this year. Now, Roman is doing arguably the best work of his career and fans have wondered why WWE didn't do this sooner.
According to Roman's special counsel Paul Heyman, he may not have been ready for this specific role in past years.
"I wanted it to happen for a long time, Roman Reigns wanted it to happen for a long time, Vince McMahon wanted it to happen for a long time, but the timing was never right," Heyman said on the Sports Illustrated Media podcast when asked about why this version of Roman took so long. "Roman Reigns could not pull off this portrayal of the top star in the industry, even a year ago. He wasn't weather or seasoned or experienced enough. He still worked too young. Now, you look at his face and see some seasoning and weathering. He was beating the crap out of his cousin inside Hell in a Cell and he says, 'I did this to you when we were kids and here we are 35 years old doing this.' He looks 35. He looks like a badass 35, but he looks 35. Before, he looked late 20s, early 30s and he was still too young. He wasn't grizzled and didn't have any scars. Now, you see the wars on his face. You see the pressure and obligation and responsibility and accountability and the sheer burden. That's the core word when it comes to being the top star in WWE. The burden and the weight and what it's done to Roman Reigns. Four WrestleMania main events, it would have been five if he appeared this year. It will be five when he appears at next year's WrestleMania."
Roman has been the face of WWE since WrestleMania 31 when he headlined against Brock Lesnar, headlining four straight events before skipping WrestleMania 35.
While nothing is official, Roman Reigns vs. The Rock has been teased for WrestleMania 36. Heyman recently commented on the potential match, saying has been the one publicly pushing for it. You can view Heyman's full comments on the potential match by clicking here.
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