10 Real Inspirations Behind Current Wrestling Gimmicks
2. Roman Reigns - Bill The Butcher
Since returning at SummerSlam 2020, few characters in the entirety of the wrestling landscape have held a candle to the exceptional week-to-week displays showcased by The Tribal Chief.
But with such compelling promo and in-ring offerings, imbued with more dramatic beats than a three hour Shakespeare epic on occasion, it was only natural to assume that Roman Reigns had been doing a little bit of drama/acting homework when deciding how to present his indomitable Head of the Table mystique. As it goes, the Universal Champion actually built his SmackDown overlord character with Daniel Day-Lewis's big screen work as Bill "The Butcher" Cutting in mind.
Revealing the mesmerising Gangs of New York performance and the terrifying Bill's justifications for his actions to be his key inspiration throughout this current run, Reigns told Comic Book:
"I’m sure you guys have seen Gangs of New York, The Butcher. In his mind, there is a bad element to him. But he’s the native, he’s the one that’s from America. I like those type of characters to where there’s a justification, in their own mind at least, to what they’re doing.”
Roman "The Butcher" has a bit of a ring to it, come to think...