Wrestlers Who Can't Stand Roman Reigns
As the "Tribal Chief" of WWE, Roman Reigns has taken his place as the undisputed face of the company. He has amassed over 1,000 days as the Universal Champion since 2020, further cementing his status by capturing the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 38 to stand as the lineal world champion in the company. But it's not been a straightforward journey to the top of the mountain.
Reigns has undergone a complete transformation from the man who was handed the proverbial keys to the kingdom in the main event of WrestleMania 32. That night, he captured his third WWE World Heavyweight Championship, defeating Triple H in a main event lasting nearly 30 minutes, where he was showered with boos and jeers from a crowd who rejected the anointed face. Now it's almost certainly a given that he will be in the main event of next year's WrestleMania 40 and the fans are truly behind him.
But even without the fan backing, Roman Reigns has been widely regarded as the locker room leader over the past few years. However, not all have gotten with the program. As with any leader, there have been detractors and naysayers, resentment and frustration, and some have made their stance clear on the so-called "Head of the Table." Roman Reigns will undoubtedly go down as the generational face of WWE, but here's a rundown of his peers who may not share the same positive sentiment.
CM Punk
Roman Reigns made his main roster debut as part of The Shield faction, interfering on Punk's behalf during his WWE Championship defense against Ryback at Survivor Series 2012. But the pair have rarely been on the same page since, with deep-rooted conflict arising from their time working together.
Punk described how he was a major creative force behind the faction during an appearance on Colt Cabana's "The Art of Wrestling" podcast following his 2014 departure. According to Punk, he pitched Rollins and Dean Ambrose (Jon Moxley) along with Chris Hero as members to Vince McMahon. But McMahon wanted Reigns instead of Hero, and, although not overly amused, Punk wasn't willing to fight it. Punk then described his ire at the company's desire to put Reigns over and above all else when preparing for their three-on-one handicap match at TLC 2013. They allegedly continued to hammer the point home, and Punk said that he got to the point where he offered to throw the match if getting Reigns over mattered so much.
Reigns himself disputed Punk's creative claim over The Shield. He mocked the story, saying that the only thing Punk created was the Pepsi tattoo on his shoulder. He did, however, later give credence to Punk's story and also made it clear that he was "picked by Triple H and Vince [McMahon]" to be part of The Shield. The animosity hasn't died down over the years either, with Reigns throwing jibes toward Punk at every opportunity. Reigns later affirmed his side of their issues during a 2020 interview with "The Complex Sports Podcast" saying, "He made my job a lot harder ... I don't like the guy ... I don't know many people who do, ... but I'm willing to put business first ... He'd probably have to be slapped around a few times in order to get his mind right."
Enzo Amore
Enzo Amore was an infamously outspoken member of the roster during his WWE tenure, and by many accounts he and Roman Reigns were not on friendly terms owing to his backstage antics. There were reports in 2017 that Amore had backstage heat, as was later confirmed by former WWE referee Mike Chioda. Chioda said that Reigns kicked Amore out of the locker room, citing the "Tribal Chief's" old-school roots and the fact that many saw Amore as disrespecting the business. Amore disputes the reasoning, saying during a concert that he punched a bully in the locker room and that's why he was kicked out. In 2018, Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp indicated that numerous wrestlers confirmed part of the story.
Their issues didn't end there, as it was also reported that Reigns kicked Enzo Amore off of a bus during a European tour. The incident was confirmed by Corey Graves and JBL in a podcast, but once more Amore disputed the matter during an episode of "The Monte & The Pharaoh LI#1 Pro Wrestling Broadcast." He said that he got into an altercation with another locker room member so he changed buses and he was put in the main event the following night as a result. However, in a conversation with Graves on "Straight to the Source," he reasoned that there was no way he could have been kicked off of a bus if he didn't want to be.
Since leaving WWE, Enzo Amore has expressed that he still feels he is on the level of Roman Reigns. He said during an appearance on "Busted Open Radio" that he was never put in a promo against a top guy because he would have decimated them and he ran rings around everyone in FCW and "NXT." Amore said that against either Reigns or Lesnar, he would cut a scathing promo and be the draw in the segment.
Randy Orton
Randy Orton and Roman Reigns' issues stretch back to the latter's days in The Shield. It was reported that Reigns and Seth Rollins had drawn backstage heat following a confrontation between the former and Orton over a botched spot. Their argument allegedly became a shouting match between the pair, and considering their positions on the roster at the time, Reigns caught the heat for it. Their argument may well have derailed The Shield before they really got going, as Triple H reportedly pushed back on Vince McMahon's plan to dish out punishments.
Later, as Roman Reigns was being groomed as the heir to John Cena's spot as WWE's top babyface, issues between the pair arose once more. It was reported by Wrestle Zone that there were concerns within the roster that Orton was intentionally working a "crowd-killing" style which was hampering Reigns' ascent. One WWE Superstar reportedly said, "If Roman's the guy, then Roman's the guy ... Whoever is the guy, we need to get this guy over bigger than ever, not hold him down in rest holds and hope no one gets hurt."
Their issues may have cooled but that hasn't stopped the pair from exchanging jibes on social media. When Roman Reigns returned to WWE in 2020, he was notably sporting a new set of veneers. Randy Orton was quick to jibe at Reigns, posting to Instagram a picture of "Family Guy's" Brian Griffin sporting his own set of shiny gnashers. It was captioned, "Was really nice seeing #thebigdogromanreigns is back." Reigns himself clapped back with a selfie, showing off his pearly whites, saying: "If I was you ... I'd be talking bout me too, cause nobody's talking bout you. #GetYourNumbersUp." Ensuring he got the last word, Orton commented, "You heard it folks ... straight from the horse's mouth."
Matt Riddle
Recently released WWE star Matt Riddle appeared to take more than wrestling advice from RK-Bro partner Randy Orton, as he also found himself at loggerheads with Roman Reigns in a very public way. In an interview, Riddle took aim at the "Tribal Chief" and his claims of being the top guy. He compared Reigns' claims to being a bad parent who claims to be good, saying that the results don't need to be touted if they are true, and remarking on his relation to The Rock benefiting his position. The former UFC fighter told Reigns to shut his mouth as he could beat him up in a real fight. And he further claimed it was RK-Bro moving the merchandise and the needle while Reigns is in his spot thanks to his family. "You're in that spot for a reason. You're not a bro. You're second generation. I'm first generation," he said.
Reigns didn't take kindly to the comments and Riddle later described the backstage heat he got for them. But Riddle still threw subliminal shots at the "chief of tribes" as he said he was a peacock who doesn't like having his feathers ruffled. Though, he remarked that he was not talking about anybody in particular for fear of getting in trouble. He later described recruiting Orton to apologize, sending the veteran an apology letter he intended to send to Reigns, which Orton amended as Riddle felt he knew Reigns better — perhaps referencing their own issues. However, he revealed that Reigns did not accept the apology.
"I sent this apology and let's just say he did not accept it," Riddle explained before adding, "I was like, 'Dammit Randy, I can never ask you to apologize for anything.'"
Sheamus
Sheamus is a certified WWE veteran and has carved an illustrious career littered with championships and marquee matches. But that hasn't staved his resentment toward Reigns for his position at the top — and the luxuries that come with such a spot. In an appearance on WWE-turned-AEW star Miro's YouTube channel, he recalled the League of Nations faction comprised of themselves, Alberto Del Rio, and Wade Barrett. During the appearance, he explained how the group had been put together in a moment's notice for the sole purpose of getting Reigns over. Sheamus said considering they were four top heels in WWE at the time, the quartet could have made a formidable faction if the company invested in the group. But, they were fed to Reigns and were left creatively bankrupt when he moved on to his next program. By the end of it, he said that the members were glad of the faction's demise.
His resentment for Reigns' investment at the expense of others has by no means dissipated either. In an interview with Alex McCarthy for the Daily Mail, Sheamus noted Reigns' "luxury of wrestling five times a year" as he talked about the League of Nations' role in getting him over.
He said that no one gave "a s*** about him" before he took a sabbatical in 2020 and that Reigns was the big babyface "wrestling Goldberg and nobody really cared." He remarked on the luxury of getting screentime and that Reigns had made the most of it, but he couldn't help but feel the love could be shared to the rest of the roster, citing that Reigns had gone 20 minutes over his allotted segment time at a show and it had a direct detriment to his own time with Austin Theory.
Nia Jax
Nia Jax and Roman Reigns both share rich heritage as part of the legendary Anoa'i wrestling dynasty. While her and Reigns are not directly related, Jax is the cousin to Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's mother Ata Maivia-Johnson, daughter of "High Chief" Peter Maivia. But, even with her recent WWE return, fans shouldn't expect her to join The Bloodline anytime soon.
At Survivor Series 2020, Jax and Reigns allegedly got into a major argument over a planned table spot. During the 10-woman Survivor Series Elimination Match, it's been said that she was supposed to put Lana through the announcer's table. However, Reigns was also going to be involved in a table spot later against Drew McIntyre and had the women change their spot. Lana herself described being in the middle of the "drama" between the Samoans saying: "We were supposed to do this whole table spot on the show, and then Roman did not want that because he had a table spot with [Drew McIntyre]." She added, "there was some major pushback between The Samoans, Nia and Roman."
Nia Jax has also taken shots at Roman Reigns on social media since. Taking to her Instagram stories to answer a handful of fan questions, Jax was asked whether she recognized Reigns, presumably as her "Tribal Chief," but she was quick to shut that down as she bluntly declared that she doesn't. She had a similarly blunt reply to the idea that she would join The Bloodline on X, formerly Twitter, proclaiming it would be "hard f**ken no" if she was offered the chance.