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Roman Reigns

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Roman Reigns
Reigns as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion at SummerSlam 2023
Born
Leati Joseph Anoaʻi

(1985-05-25) May 25, 1985 (age 39)
Pensacola, Florida, U.S.
Occupations
  • Professional wrestler
  • actor
  • football player
Spouse
Galina Becker
​
​
(m. 2014)​
Children5
Parent
FamilyAnoaʻi
Ring name(s)Leakee[1]
Roman Leakee[2]
Roman Reigns[3]
Billed height6 ft 3 in (191 cm)[3]
Billed weight265 lb (120 kg)[3]
Billed fromPensacola, Florida[3]
Trained byAfa Anoaʻi[4]
Sika Anoaʻi[4]
Dusty Rhodes[5]
Steve Keirn[2]
DebutAugust 19, 2010[2]

Leati Joseph "Joe" Anoa'i (born May 25, 1985 in Pensacola, Florida), better known by his ring name Roman Reigns, is an American professional wrestler and former American football player. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand and is managed by Paul Heyman. He is a two-time and the longest reigning WWE Universal Champion and a four-time WWE Champion (both championships are combined as the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship since WrestleMania 38 in April 2022), making him a six-time world champion overall. He is a member of the Anoaʻi family which is a renowned Samoan-American wrestling dynasty.[4] Reigns was a member of The Shield along with Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins from 2012 to June 2, 2014 before reuniting again in 2017 and 2019. From 2020 to 2024, he was leader of the stable The Bloodline, which included other members of the Anoa'i family.[6]

His reign of 1,316 days as Universal Champion is the fourth-longest world title reign in WWE history and the longest championship reign of any title in WWE since 1988.[a] He is also a former United States, Intercontinental, and WWE Tag Team Champion (all held one time), the 2015 Royal Rumble winner, the 28th Triple Crown Champion and the 17th Grand Slam Champion. Reigns has been in the last match of many premium live events, including WWE's biggest yearly event, WrestleMania. He was praised for playing his heel character as the Bloodline's leader.[7][8] However, he was criticized when he played a face from 2014 to 2020.[9]

Football career

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Before he started his professional wrestling career, Anoa'i played football at the Georgia Institute of Technology and was named first-team All-ACC his senior year. He went drafted in the 2007 NFL Draft but ended up being signed by the Minnesota Vikings.[10] He was picked up by the Jacksonville Jaguars to provide depth at defensive end to their roster and in 2008 he was signed by the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and accepted a spot on the team's practice roster.[11]

Professional wrestling career

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WWE (2010-present)

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Florida Championship Wrestling and NXT (2010–2012)

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In July 2010, Anoa'i was signed to a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and was put on their developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW). He debuted under the ring name Roman Leakee on September 9, 2010 and competed in a singles match that resulted in a loss to Richie Steamboat. He then lost to Idol Stevens and Wes Brisco and finally earned his first win on September 21 in a match against Fahd Rakman.

In late 2011, he formed a team with Donny Marlow and they challenged the Florida Tag Team Champions Calvin Raines and Big E Langston on July 8 but were unsuccessful in winning their match. On the February 5 episode of FCW television, he defeated his later Shield teammates Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins in a triple threat match to become the number one contender for the FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship but he was unable to win the championship when he was defeated by champion Kruger.[12] He was able to win the Florida Tag Team Championship with Mike Dalton before they lost the belts to CJ Parker and Jason Jordan.

The Shield (2012–2014)

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Roman Reigns along with Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins, made their main roster television debut on November 18, 2012 at the Survivor Series pay-per-view alongside, triple-powerbombing Ryback through the announce table during the triple threat main event for the WWE Championship, which allowed CM Punk to pin John Cena after an earlier Shell Shock from Ryback to retain the title.[13]

Personal life

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In early 2005, while studying at Georgia Institute of Technology, Anoaʻi met and began dating Galina Becker.[14] They were married in December 2014,[15] and live in Tampa, Florida.[16] Their first child, a daughter, was born in December 2007 .[17][18][19][20] They had twin sons in November 2016, followed by another set of twin sons in March 2020.[21][22]

On the October 22, 2018 episode of Raw, Anoaʻi announced that he had been living with chronic myeloid leukemia, a form of blood cancer. He was diagnosed in 2007 during his American Football career and continues to take medication.[23][24][25] Because of his leukemia, he took a break from professional wrestling until February 25, 2019,[26] and again for some months in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.[27]

Acting Career

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2016 Countdown Himself Uncredited cameo
2017 The Jetsons & WWE: Robo-WrestleMania! Himself (voice)
2019 Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw Mateo Hobbs
2020 The Wrong Missy Tatted Meathead (Gary)
2021 Rumble Ramarilla (voice)

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2013 Total Divas Himself 1 episode
2015 WWE 24 Himself Documentary about WrestleMania 31
2016 Unfiltered Himself Interview show with Renee Young
2016 WWE 24 Himself Documentary about WrestleMania 32
2019 WWE Chronicle Himself 2 episode
2019 Cousins for Life Rodney Episode: "Farewell to Arthur?"
2019 Fox's New Year's Eve with Steve Harvey Himself
2020 Elena of Avalor Kizin (voice) Episode: "Giant Steps"

Championships and accomplishments

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College Football

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Professional wrestling

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Reigns has won the WWE (World Heavyweight) Championship four times...
... and the WWE Universal Championship twice, making him a six-time world champion in WWE
Reigns is also a one-time WWE Tag Team Champion, winning the title with Shield partner Seth Rollins...
... and a one-time WWE United States Champion

Footnotes

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  1. ↑ WWE also acknowledges the NWA (before 1993) and WCW titles as world championships, listing Reigns as the sixth-longest reigning world champion in professional wrestling history
  2. ↑ The title was named "WWE World Heavyweight Championship" during his first three reigns and simply "WWE Championship" during his fourth reign..

References

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  1. ↑ "Leakee". Florida Championship Wrestling. Archived from the original on May 2, 2012. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Roman Reigns". Cagematch. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Roman Reigns". WWE. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Van Der Griend, Blaine (December 28, 2011). "Islanders put family first in wrestling business". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved January 5, 2012.
  5. ↑ Reedy, Joe (March 30, 2023). "Hail to the Chief: Inside Roman Reigns' 3 years as WWE champ". Associated Press. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 ESPN.com (December 26, 2023). "Pro Wrestling 2023 awards: The best male and female wrestler, feud, faction, promo and more". ESPN. Archived from the original on December 28, 2023. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  7. ↑ "'He's redefined himself with no audience' - John Cena shares big praise for Roman Reigns". GiveMeSport. April 26, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  8. ↑ Zucker, Joseph (June 9, 2021). "WWE's Roman Reigns Praised by The Undertaker: 'I Think He's a Great Heel'". Bleacher Report. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  9. ↑ Van Doom, Daniel (March 11, 2016). "This weekend WWE will face its toughest opponent: The wrestling audience". CNET. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Vikings Release Two Linemen". Scout.com. Archived from the original on 2013-06-24. Retrieved 2013-11-08.
  11. ↑ "Ex-Eskimo finds new pro career". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 2013-11-08.[permanent dead link]
  12. ↑ "Florida Championship Wrestling Results - February 6, 2011". WrestleView. Archived from the original on 2012-02-10. Retrieved 2013-11-08.
  13. ↑ "Survivor Series News: NXT stars debut in PPV main event angle, plus other news from annual PPV". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2013-11-08.
  14. ↑ Mrosko, Geno (2016-02-13). "Reigns sends adorable early Valentine's Day message". Cageside Seats. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
  15. ↑ Roman Reigns Happy Valentine's Day to Message his Lovely Wife, retrieved 2022-10-27
  16. ↑ Lisciandrello, Carl (February 26, 2019). "With leukemia in remission, WWE's Roman Reigns announces return to ring". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  17. ↑ "WWE® Superstars Alberto Del Rio, Titus O'Neil and Roman Reigns Take on the Importance of Being a Dad in National Public Service Campaign". Ad Council. June 6, 2014. Archived from the original on June 29, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  18. ↑ Sonny, Julian (June 7, 2014). "WWE Badass Roman Reigns Has A Heart-Warming Tea Party With His Daughter (Video)". Elite Daily. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  19. ↑ "'That Was My Introduction to Manhood': Roman Reigns Opens Up About His Battle With Cancer". USA Insider Official Site. 2022-09-14. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
  20. ↑ "Video: Roman Reigns celebrates with Dean Ambrose and The Usos and dedicates his victory to his daughter - Superfights". superluchas.com. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
  21. ↑ "WWE News: Roman Reigns on why WWE pulled him from tour last year". Sportskeeda. December 12, 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  22. ↑ "WWE's Roman Reigns Wants to Go Back to Work But Gotta 'Protect' My Kids". TMZ. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
  23. ↑ "Roman Reigns: WWE, CML and me". Leukaemia Care. Retrieved 2024-01-07.
  24. ↑ Gagnon, Joshua (2020-03-28). "Roman Reigns Gets Involved With Blood Health Campaign". Wrestling Inc. Retrieved 2024-01-07.
  25. ↑ "Roman Reigns joins Becky Lynch as WWE 2K20 cover superstars". ESPN.com. 2019-08-05. Retrieved 2024-01-07.
  26. ↑ "Roman Reigns relinquished the Universal Championship after revealing his battle with leukemia". WWE. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  27. ↑ Sunder, Gautam (June 27, 2020). "WWE's Roman Reigns talks fatherhood, family and making a comeback into the ring". Hindustan Times. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  28. ↑ Brookhouse, Brent (January 2, 2021). "2020 CBS Sports Wrestling Awards: Drew McIntyre stands out as Wrestler of the Year". CBSSports.com. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 "Pro Wrestling 2022 awards: The best male and female wrestler, feud, faction, promo and more". ESPN. December 28, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  30. ↑ "ESPY Awards: Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. July 10, 2019. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  31. ↑ Staszewski, Joseph (December 27, 2022). "The Post's 2022 pro wrestling awards". New York Post. Archived from the original on December 29, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 @OfficialPWI (January 14, 2020). "PWI on Twitter" (Tweet). Retrieved October 4, 2020 – via Twitter.
  33. ↑ "AJ Styles y Becky Lynch lideran los premios PWI 2018". Super Luchas. January 2, 2019. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
  34. ↑ Bhutia, Jigmey (January 15, 2017). "PWI's 2016 WWE wrestler of the year and most hated wrestler announced". International Business Times. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
  35. ↑ "PWI Awards". pwi-online.com. Archived from the original on January 4, 2017. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  36. ↑ "The PWI Awards". Pro Wrestling Illustrated. 34 (2): 42–43. 2014.
  37. ↑ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2016". The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
  38. ↑ Lambert, Jeremy (September 14, 2022). "Roman Reigns Tops 2022 PWI 500, Second Time At Number One". Fightful. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  39. ↑ Barrasso, Justin (January 6, 2022). "The Top 10 Wrestlers of 2021". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  40. ↑ Jaymond P (24 February 2023). "2022 Wrestling Observer Awards Results". WrestlePurists. Archived from the original on 28 February 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  41. ↑ Meltzer, Dave (February 2023). "February 2023 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Results of the 2022 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards". Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
  42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 Meltzer, Dave. "February 26, 2024 Observer Newsletter: 2023 Observer Awards issue". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  43. ↑ Meltzer, Dave (February 18, 2022). "February 21, 2022 Observer Newsletter: 2021 Awards issue, Cody and Brandi Rhodes leave AEW". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
  44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 44.2 Meltzer, Dave (January 27, 2014). "Jan 27 2014 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: 2013 Annual awards issue, best in the world in numerous categories, plus all the news in pro-wrestling and MMA over the past week and more". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Campbell, California: 1–37. ISSN 1083-9593.
  45. ↑ Meltzer, Dave. "March 6, 2017 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: 2016 Awards issue, talent departing TNA, more". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Campbell, California: 11. ISSN 1083-9593.
  46. ↑ "WWE (World Heavyweight) Championship". WWE.
  47. ↑ "WWE Universal Championship". WWE.
  48. ↑ "WWE Intercontinental Championship". WWE.
  49. ↑ "WWE United States Championship". WWE.
  50. ↑ "The Shield's first WWE Tag Team Championship reign". Archived from the original on June 7, 2013.
  51. ↑ "WWE Tag Team Championship". WWE.
  52. ↑ 52.0 52.1 "The new Grand Slam winners: The 10 Superstars who have won every active championship". WWE. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  53. ↑ "WWE.com Roman Reigns won 2015 Royal Rumble Match".
  54. ↑ "What is a Slammy?". WWE. February 23, 2008. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  55. ↑ 55.0 55.1 55.2 "2013 Slammy Award winners". WWE. December 8, 2013. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  56. ↑ "2015 Slammy Award winners". WWE. December 21, 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  57. ↑ Martin, Adam (December 8, 2014). "Early 2014 WWE Slammy Award winners announced". WrestleView. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  58. ↑ 58.0 58.1 Thomas, Jeremy (December 23, 2018). "WWE Announces Year-End Awards on Instagram". 411Mania.com. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
  59. ↑ "WWE presenta the Bumpy Awards 2021". August 4, 2021.

Other websites

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