Did Roman Reigns Really Spend Time Behind Bars? Here's What Happened

Former Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns has been through a lot in his almost 40 years, both in and out of the ring. Fans know that Leati Joseph Anoaʻi, or Joe, has battled leukemia not once, but twice. He was once suspended by WWE while he was champion for violating the company's wellness policy in 2016, and he wouldn't win another World Championship for another two years. Something that many fans don't know about Reigns, however, was that he was once arrested, shortly before signing with WWE and turning his life around.

Reigns didn't start as a professional wrestler, but rather, a professional football player. He played in college at Georgia Tech University and went undrafted in 2007 before signing as a free agent with the Minnesota Vikings. Following his first bout with leukemia, Reigns signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars before he was released a week prior to the season starting. He then played in the Canadian Football League for five games before he was released from the Edmonton Eskimos and officially retired from football. Following the emotional roller coaster of being ill and losing his dream of becoming a professional football player, Reigns went through another tough spot when he had a run-in with the law in his hometown of Pensacola, Florida in 2010.

He was arrested for disorderly intoxication and affray, unlawful assembly, and riot. In layman's terms, Reigns, who was 25 at the time, was arrested for being drunk and seemingly getting into a fight. Many details of the arrest were never made public and WWE fans didn't really know about it until his mugshot was posted online and began circulating in 2013. Reigns was released on $1,000 bond after the arrest on the same night he was put in handcuffs. He didn't spend time in jail, however, though he was forced to pay $500 for each of his charges.

When Reigns debuted in FCW in August 2010, WWE presented him as a future star with a squeaky-clean image, despite his arrest just weeks before he put pen to paper on his developmental deal. Reigns wouldn't get in actual trouble again until his wellness policy violation in 2016. Two years later, however, WWE would put Reigns in a storyline where he would be "arrested."

Reigns was suspended in storyline after a confrontation with Vince McMahon where he criticized the then-chairman for choosing not to punish Reigns' WrestleMania 34 opponent, Brock Lesnar, for failing to show up to "WWE Raw" for a face-to-face with him ahead of the big event. On a March 2018 episode of "Raw," Reigns came back despite the suspension and got in the ring to criticize McMahon once again.

"U.S. Marshals" (one played by future "WWE NXT" North American Champion Ricky Saints) entered the ring to arrest Reigns. "The Big Dog" attacked them, which led to Lesnar beating down a handcuffed Reigns. Despite his previous arrest record, WWE didn't mention his previous charges during the storyline suspension and arrest, as they were attempting to present him as a babyface. Lesnar would defeat Reigns on "The Grandest Stage of Them All" to retain the Universal Championship.