WWE's Paul Heyman Thought Roman Reigns "Looked Too Young"

Baby 'Tribal Chief'...

Roman Reigns
WWE.com

Paul Heyman told Sports Illustrated's Media Podcast that he wanted Roman Reigns to play his current 'Tribal Chief' character last year. So did Roman and so did Vince McMahon.

The problem was that he "looked too young".

You read that correctly. Paul told SI's stunned hosts that Reigns wasn't "weathered", "seasoned" or "experienced" enough to make the character work in 2019. In fact, Heyman claims, the current Universal Champion barely even looked like he was 34 years old when he was readying himself for major events like WrestleMania 35.

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Now, it's a different story.

Heyman believes that Roman "looks like a badass 35" in late-2020. His youthful grins of before have been replaced by menace, and the "special council" thinks that has made him more convincing as SmackDown's top man.

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Check this out for a speech...

"Now, you see the wars on his face. Now, you see the pressure and the obligation and the responsibility and the accountability and the sheer burden - I think that’s the core word when it comes to the characterisation of the top star in WWE. The burden, and the weight of that burden, and what it has done to Roman Reigns.”

What a talker Heyman is.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.