Whose Idea Was Roman Reigns' WWE Heel Turn?

Here's where the Universal Champion's villainous turn came from.

by Andy H Murray
roman Reigns
WWE

Roman Reigns' WWE heel turn reportedly came from the Universal Champion himself.

This is according to Dave Meltzer, who writes in this week's Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Reigns specifically requested turning to the darkside after electing to sit close to six months out at the onset of the global health crisis. The promotion clearly agreed: fans are now getting the heel run many have been waiting years for, with Roman scooping the Universal Title from Bray Wyatt's clutches at Payback 2020 last week.

As far as the alliance with Paul Heyman goes, there's currently no word on who decided to put the two together - though it made sense from both a creative and economic standpoint. As Meltzer writes, WWE were already paying Heyman a handsome figure to effectively sit at home and do nothing after his removal as Raw Executive Director, so they elected to use him as an onscreen talent, with the pieces falling into place perfectly.

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Per the official WWE.com copy, Reigns will properly "address the WWE Universe" for the first time since returning on tonight's episode of SmackDown. "The Big Dog took back the Universal Title, and now he's ready to rule over his yard," they say.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.