All language subtitles for Evil - EP-08 - Roman Reigns

- What a display
of dominance and power.

Roman continues to reign.

- At this point there's
no smoke and mirrors with me.

I don't costume myself.

I'm not running around
with a snake.

- Look at this.

- The Mouth is fighting
for his life in there.

- Great respect to him,

but Hulk Hogan
doesn't work in 2022.

Even The Undertaker,

it's not the same as it was
back in the early '90s.

- Roman Reigns is so good
at being a bad guy

'cause he seems to enjoy it.
He seems to revel in it.

He seems to get energy from it.

- I'll whoop
all y'all's asses.

Come on, suckers.
Come on.

- He indulges in it.

You can just see it
in his posture

and the tone of voice
that he uses...

- In all that I do
for our family.

- It's so authentic.

He's not purely evil,

he's purely who he is.

- Oh, God, are you kidding me?
- [groans]

- Roman, no.
- No.

[groans]

- His performance as a villain
is above all others.

* *

- He's being the worst
he's ever been.

The most disrespectful.

The most absurd.
The most cocky.

- I told you.

Everything that I've ever done,
up until this point

has been a part of making this
performance 100% authentic.

- [screams]

- He's the most ruthless,
the most violent,

a desire to be the best
that has ever done this.

- Who, if anyone, can stop
the Head of the Table?

- I'm not playing a character.
I am the character.

[eerie music]

* *

[crowd cheering]

- Roman Reigns is one
of the most accomplished

WWE Superstars of all time.

But unlike
most great champions,

the WWE Universe has not
always embraced the Big Dog.

[crowd chanting "Roman sucks!"]

[crowd chanting "Go away!"]

[crowd chanting "You suck!"]

After nearly a decade,

has his love/hate relationship
with the WWE Universe...

[crowd chanting
"Roman Reigns!"]

Finally released
the demon within?

- Bryan is through the table.

* *

And just like that,

Roman Reigns
will retain the championship.

- I've always known
I'm supposed to be somebody.

I knew that,
like, I had something

big that was destined for me.

It's not one of those
just shot out of the cannon,

right to the moon stories.

This has been a very
in the trenches,

day in, day out,
year after year

critical journey
that I had to take

in order to take on
this responsibility

of the family business.

- They've got to be
the toughest tag team.

- The Bloodline
refers to the fact

that Roman Reigns
is a part of this

incredibly successful
wrestling family

with tons of big names

who have been massive stars
over the years.

- The branches on
the family tree are crazy.

So you got Sika, his father.

- Sika is bigger
than Hogan is now.

- You got Afa
who is Sika's brother.

Probably one of the greatest
tag teams of all time.

And then you got Rikishi
who is Roman's cousin.

And Rikishi is the dad
of Jimmy and Jey.

And they're a part
of the Bloodline.

You got Yokozuna who's
the cousin through marriage.

You got Tamina who's a cousin.

You got
Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson

who's a cousin
through marriage.

How deep does the bloodline go?

- Our legacy
is such a thick web.

It wasn't just my dad.
It wasn't just my uncle.

I mean,
I had a dozen cousins do it.

Some of my very first memories
is watching my dad...

- Here comes Sika again
with another headbutt.

- Smash his opponents.

I mean, you know, I was born
and raised in this business.

It's a very physical
lifestyle.

What I grew up around,
watching my dad set that tone

for being a savage out there.

It's hard not
to picture yourself

in this form of entertainment.

Like, I can do that too.
This is how we've always

provided for our family
is in that ring.

It's just all we've ever known.

It's who we are.

* *

- As a kid,
Joe was very confident

and it's exactly what
Roman is today.

Growing up, man,
he always tried

to one up me and my brother.

- We was competing in drawing,
board games,

football games,
in the classroom,

even with girls, man.

I think that's where
the Big Dog was created.

* *

- He's always been playing

the mind games
when we was kids.

"Yo, man, you want
that last slice?

"You don't want that
last slice of pizza, man.

"'Cause you ate--you already
ate all the pizza, right?

"'Cause let me get--I'm sure.
Yeah, all right.

Go ahead, dog.
You can have it."

You know, he do them things.

Say we running
a basketball game or something.

If he got there too late and
we already started the game,

he'd be like,
"Yo, let me jump in."

"Sorry, bro,
we already started."

He'd grab the ball.

He'd chuck it over in
the next door neighbor's yard.

Ain't nobody playing.

- While many in the family
were wrestling superstars,

Roman's first passion
was football.

- Joe was like 6'1",
225 in high school.

You know, he was a beast.

Definitely thought football
would be his calling.

- I signed with
Georgia Tech.

Playing Division I
college football,

it really pushed me to want to
be able carve out my own path

and really define myself
in my own light.

I was really good.

[birds chirruping]

Well, I signed
with the Vikings,

and I went up there
for rookie camp.

Went through all my physicals.

And by the time I was done
with my practice

that first practice...

All the test results
for my bloodwork came back,

and that's when I was
introduced to leukemia.

* *

My mind was blown.

My heart was broken.

I was scared for my life.

When you have something
that you can't control,

it affects you
all the way around.

Mentally, emotionally.
It effects everything.

It wasn't easy.

- I remember feeling
just as shocked as everyone.

Like, not my family.
Like, no, not Joe.

He can't go out like that.

- The last place I want to
like, just let my dream

fall through or everything
that I've worked for

is in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Like, so the first thing
was to get home,

get back down
to Pensacola, Florida.

Get around my loved ones,
my mom.

Once we got to about a year
and a half or so,

when we really started
to see significant movement

in my bloodwork,
that's when, you know,

I started to feel like,

"Okay, I might be able
to live a normal life."

As far as chasing dreams
and being an athlete,

that was completely
up in the air.

* *

- With his cancer in remission
and his football dreams over,

Roman contemplated his future.

- I talked to my cousins.

They had already
started working

on the independent scene.

- Making their debut
as a tandem here at FCW,

Jimmy and Jules Uso.

- When me and my brother,
we was down in Tampa, Florida

with the FCW doing our thing.

- Jimmy and Jules Uso.

- I remember we had
the conversation.

"How is it wrestling?"
"Yo, you gotta come.

"You gotta come down here, bro.
You gotta be here.

This is where
we supposed to be at."

* *

- When I got to FCW,
I was just so focused on

trying to learn
how to wrestle.

I was addicted
to going out there.

I was addicted to going
through the curtain

and getting better, growing,
and working on my craft.

I like to figure things out
for myself.

I like to experience it.
I like to be in the moment.

I like to take it on,
digest it.

It was always just about reps.

- Stumbling to his feet.
A big flying forearm.

Ricardo turned inside out.

- This is what it's all about
here in developmental.

This is what it's all about...
- [screams]

- To make sure you stand out.

To be the next person
to leave here

and to go to the WWE.

- I'm just a hardheaded
alpha male.

I don't try to be influenced
too heavily by anyone

because I need to be me.

* *

- In the beginning,
the pressure on him is immense

because he's a part of one of

the greatest lineages
of all time.

He's from a family where
they won't give you that.

They'll give you
an opportunity,

but you have
to earn everything.

- Roman Reigns!

* *

- Roman Reigns
with tremendous power.

There's the first strike.
- [screams]

- What an arm
to the neck area.

- When Roman was coming up
in NXT,

we often joked that if Vince
could go into a laboratory

and just dial up exactly what
a WWE Superstar looks like,

that's Roman Reigns.
- WWE officials

know what they have
when they see Roman Reigns.

They know they have
a potential

mega-superstar
in their midst.

- Big, kind of looked like
he was like

a "Game of Thrones" character.
You know what I mean?

Like, the tattoos
and the muscles.

- One thing that I notice
more than anything--

his incredible footwork
and agility.

- He looked the part,
he acted the part.

You can see the power.

You see magic there.

- Winds him up
for a powerful throwdown.

* *

For the win.
[match bell dings]

Roman Reigns!
- Here is your winner,

Roman Reigns!

[crowd booing]

- A natural in the ring
from day one,

the cocky, self-absorbed
Roman Reigns

knew he was always destined
for greatness.

- Up and coming,
high rising superstar,

Roman Reigns.

Finally we have a chance
to talk with--

- Finally?

What you talking about
"finally"?

You got a problem?

You're jealous of me,
ain't you?

What time is it?
Tell me what time it is.

[stutters]
What, you can't read clocks?

- Coming across as a bad guy,

it's always something
that came natural for Joe.

He knows what to say out there.

- It's Roman Reigns' time,

and you should feel
very fortunate right now.

Get out of here.

- You're very important
and we have questions...

[phone rings]
that we want to ask you...

- That's what makes
a good heel

is to be able
to get out there...

- His animosity
still not spent.

- Get out.

- And have all those fans
want to jump through the TV

to pretty much
strangle your ass

from being so pissed off.
[chuckles]

- While at NXT,

Roman combined
his natural athleticism

with his real life swagger.

The seeds were planted
for what was to come.

When Roman finally made
his way to the main roster,

it was a debut that changed
the course of WWE history.

- Ryback is unstoppable.
- Oh, my God.

- Ryback's unbelievable.
- Oh, my God.

- What in the world?
What is this?

These three guys just came
rushing through the crowd.

This is an absolute mauling
of Ryback.

What is this?

That--that's Roman Reigns.

Roman Reigns from NXT.
What is he doing here?

- Look out!
Wait!

Ryback's down.
- Oh, my God.

- What in the world?
What is this?

- Ryback's down.
- Oh, my God.

- That's Roman Reigns
from NXT.

What is he doing here?

- In 2012,

Roman was the muscle
behind a new renegade faction

known as The Shield.

Roman made
an immediate impact.

- [groans]

- When The Shield
first debuted,

it was one of
the coolest mysteries

you could ask for
in pro wrestling.

Who are these guys?
What's their goal?

- They were the people that
you could hire for a price

to do your dirty work.
They were enforcers.

- [groans]

- They was looking hungry.

- [roars]

- I knew they was
gonna make noise, man.

- The show was just a vehicle
to the main roster.

That was the vehicle
out of the warehouse.

It was simple.

Come in and smash people.

- Shield bomb at the table!

- [screams]

- Unbelievable
that they continue

to just decimate people.

- Those guys are incredible.

* *

- They were just mopping
the floor with people

every single week.

Every trio, every star,

every champion, every legend.

- They attacked the Rock.

- [groans]

- Not just anyone
gets to take out the Rock.

- [roars]

- If you're someone who's able
to powerbomb the Rock--

we know, as fans, he's evil.

We know, as fans,
he's a bad guy.

* *

- They're getting cheered
by the crowd,

but they're still doing
villainous acts.

They're putting people
through tables

that might not
really deserve it.

These are the things you do
to build a heel persona,

and the fans loved watching
every second of it.

[crowd cheering]

All three look different

and they all represented
different things.

Dean Ambrose,
the ruthless guy.

Seth Rollins, the brains
behind the whole equation.

Roman Reigns, the power guy.

- [screams]

- All three of those
were good workers.

But there was one
out of that three

was gonna be the guy,

and that was Joe.

[crowd cheering]

He has, what we call,
the "it" factor.

He's handsome,

he looks like a superhero.

And when you see this kid
here's face on the marquee,

that's what we call
asses in seats.

- With Roman Reigns,

I think we all kind of saw
from a looks standpoint,

a body standpoint,
a pedigree standpoint,

he had all the makings
of a guy who could be

the next top WWE Superstar.

- In WWE, the top superstar
is the face of the company.

It's not just
about championships,

it means you represent
the company wherever you are,

whenever you are needed.

To love America
is to love all Americans.

- We all felt Roman
could be believable

as kind of
"face of the company."

- We're not asking
for your approval.

- He very quickly got pegged
as the next John Cena,

the next Hulk Hogan,
the next top guy.

- The Big Dog here is gonna
headline "WrestleMania."

Believe that.

- We all felt that
we know where we want to go

with this person
and so, the time came

that we were gonna
break The Shield up

to push Roman
in that direction.

- Sierra, Hotel, India,
Echo, Lima, Delta.

- Randy Orton,
bring your ass out here

and let me break your jaw
with the symbol of excellence.

[crowd cheering]

[crowd booing]

- Triple H comes out
with that sledgehammer of his

and Seth Rollins
picks up a chair.

And if you watch the clip,
you can hear

there's one person in the crowd
who screams "No!"

- No!

* *

- When Seth Rollins
did what he did,

Roman Reigns,
kind of by default,

became a sympathetic figure.

- The Shield was no more.

Roman was on his own,

and his star
was clearly on the rise.

But to some
in the WWE Universe,

the Roman Reigns
who was becoming

the face of the company

wasn't the same Roman Reigns
from The Shield.

Something was different
and they didn't like it.

[upbeat pop music
and laughter]

- I'm here about the pig.

- He was just being presented
as this white meat baby face

when you just literally
came from

the Big Dog
from The Shield, right?

- Take time to be a dad.
Cheers.

- Now we're over here
kissing babies and stuff,

which is cool but
when you're transitioning

from a villain to, like,
the good guy,

that stuff has
to come naturally, right?

You just can't--here.
Here is a good guy.

- I think you're gonna
win the "Royal Rumble" match.

- [gasps]
Thank you.

- Joe's a heel too
in real life.

Can't let those pearly whites
fool you, right?

- That persona
of good guy Roman,

nice guy Roman,

very sweet and jovial Joe

didn't really feel like
Roman Reigns.

- This guy's
such a natural heel.

Why are they shoving
this handsome, athletic,

well-groomed,
pedigreed wrestler at my face

as somebody who's a good guy?
He's never gonna lose.

What's the point of cheering
for this guy?

- That's what it's all about,

becoming the next
world heavyweight champion.

- He was suddenly finding
himself in main event

pay-per-view matches against
some of the biggest stars.

- Roman Reigns
is taking out everybody.

Look out, guys.
Look out.

- It was very clear
he was going to have

a significant run as a singles
competitor in the WWE.

[crowd cheering]

- [groans]

- Roman Reigns counters.

Reigns with a spear to Cena.
Oh, spear to Cena!

* *

- He got a push early
because Vince McMahon

saw the physical potential
and the talent

that would make Roman Reigns
the face role of the WWE.

- And now I'm about
to ride their jet.

We're gonna go
to the Big Apple.

We're doing "The Today Show."
Have a little fun.

Show off our hardware.
- Cheers, brother.

- Let's go.
- Bye, guys!

- It became clear
that this is who

Vince McMahon wants
to be the champion.

- At "WrestleMania,"

there's gonna be
a new champion crowned.

- I feel like you have
some psychic ability.

- As fans, we see this,

and he feels more and more
like a corporate champion.

Like Vince's champion.

- So when Roman Reigns
would win,

when Roman Reigns would be put

in the main event
at "WrestleMania,"

it felt like entitlement.

[crowd cheering]

- Real fans, our age,

just don't like that dude.
I'm sorry.

They keep pushing him
to the damn roof.

- If nobody wants him there,
why keep him there?

* *

- A lot of people had like
a preconceived notion of

I'm like a favored performer
or something

because of Vince McMahon.

But I've simply made
different choices

that not everybody
can understand

because they're not
in this position.

- Joining us now, the man.
Give it up for Roman Reigns.

- Every generation
has an American hero

to kind of carry the show,

but that ascent to the top
is not easy.

- Within the WWE Universe,

there was an undercurrent
of resentment building

towards Roman Reigns

- You can make all the plans
in the world,

but the WWE Universe is gonna

voice their feelings
one way or the other.

[crowd booing]

The point of critical mass
with Roman

came at the 2015
"Royal Rumble."

[match bell dings]
- The last man in the ring

will advance to the main event
at "WrestleMania."

* *

- Say what you want
about Roman Reigns,

he's a warrior.

Roman Reigns with a spear.

[crowd booing]
- [roars]

- [screams]

[crowd booing]

[match bell dings]

[crowd booing]

- This guy who was
always getting cheered

started to get booed.

[crowd booing]

- Roman Reigns
got booed so bad

that when the Rock came down
to lift up his arm in victory

to say "respect this man,"

everyone cheered for the Rock,

and when he touched Roman,
they booed.

[crowd booing]

That's how much
the WWE Universe

turned on Roman Reigns.

- He was in a position
that was impossible.

[crowd booing]

- The 2015 "Royal Rumble,"

I think the audience felt
"the push" was happening

and rejected Roman
in that moment.

[crowd booing]

- Every bit of who I am
has gone into this character.

[crowd booing]

They booed me louder
than I've ever heard before.

I've never
been booed like that.

[crowd booing]

It hurt my feelings.
It did.

[crowd booing]

Because at the end of the day
we're all humans.

[crowd booing]

- In a business where
fan perception is reality,

how fans perceive you
within the WWE

has a lot of power.

- Nothing in the world

is more dictated
by the fans than WWE.

[crowd chanting "You suck!"]

- When it comes
to Roman Reigns,

wrestling fans totally
bought into our own narrative

that he was being
shoved down our throat.

It doesn't matter
if that was true or not,

but we all believe that.

[crowd booing]

- For years, Roman would win
match after match.

[crowd booing]

And championship
after championship

after championship
after championship.

Once fans get a sense of,

oh, you're
a propped up champion,

it's hard to recover.

- Roman Reigns.

- For decades,
"WrestleMania" was considered

The Undertaker's yard.

In 2017, Roman Reigns
was still the face of WWE,

but taking on one of the most
highly revered superstars

of all time at "WrestleMania"

was a no-win scenario
for Roman Reigns.

- One of the controversial
figures perhaps

in WWE history, Roman Reigns.

- Look out here.

The momentum, the momentum!

Oh, man.
- Wow.

- Got a huge spear into
the heart of The Undertaker.

And Roman Reigns
has defeated The Undertaker

at "WrestleMania"
with a thunderous spear.

- Here's your winner,
Roman Reigns!

- My God,
what a physical match up.

- With great respect to
who The Undertaker is,

[bleep] is changing.
Like, it's happening.

[crowd booing]

This guy in front of us,
Roman Reigns, is doing it.

[crowd booing]

But people don't like change.

They were angry.

It's so transcending that
people are still chewing on it.

They haven't even swallowed it
and digested it at this point.

* *

- We knew there were
gonna be boos.

We knew there were
gonna be very loud boos,

but we had seen this before
with John Cena.

There was a time when he was
getting booed by the audience.

- John Cena!

[crowd booing]

- The feeling was
was that John had played out.

Vince was particularly
steadfast in that

as far as keeping John
in that position.

And it paid off ultimately.

Vince was looking at that same
long-term process with Roman

in that we could ride this out
and Roman's talent

would ultimately win out
as we move forward.

- Monday night "RAW."

- The following night
on "RAW,"

Reigns was greeted with
a universal chorus of hate.

Roman stood tall

and delivered
a message of his own.

- One of the reasons
that WWE Universe

is booing Roman Reigns
is because last night's match

was indeed the last ride
for The Undertaker.

[crowd chanting "Undertaker!"]

[crowd booing]

* *

[crowd chanting "Delete!"]

* *

[crowd booing]

- People booed him

for almost
ten minutes straight.

[crowd chanting "You suck!"]

- To be able to get out there
and boo,

for us in our family,

that pisses us off.

[crowd booing]

When we all come out there
to perform,

and you're trying
to do the best you can,

because that's all we got when
we come through those curtains.

I come out here and you boo me,

that tells me
that I gotta come back--

I'm gonna come back
with some [bleep],

some stuff that's gonna
make you respect me.

[crowd booing]

- You can see that evil side.

You can see the wheels turning.

You can see his mannerisms and
he's doing it with a smirk.

[crowd chanting "You suck!"]

- This is my yard now.

[crowd booing]

- The hostility toward Reigns

from the WWE Universe
continued...

- Here comes the Big Dog!

- Especially after winning his
first Universal Championship.

- Here's the cover--
hook of the leg.

Reigns did it!
Roman Reigns did it!

Reigns is the champion.

[crowd booing]

- The new Universal Champion,

Roman Reigns!

- Bad blood between Roman
and the WWE Universe ran deep.

There was seemingly nothing

that could be done
to ever bridge the divide.

- Now for the wrestling
superstar who stunned his fans

with an emotional announcement
on live television.

Roman Reigns, one of
the biggest stars in the WWE,

going public
with a private battle

and stepping away
from the ring.

- My real name is Joe.

And I've been living
with leukemia for 11 years.

* *

And unfortunately it's back.

- At the peak of his career,

the reigning
WWE Universal Champion

was once again
in a fight for his very life.

- My real name is Joe.

* *

And I've been living
with leukemia for 11 years.

* *

And unfortunately it's back.

* *

And because the leukemia
is back,

I cannot fulfill my role,

and I'm gonna
have to relinquish

the Universal Championship.

* *

- Everybody was shocked.

- By no means is this
a retirement speech.

[crowd cheering]

Because after I'm done whooping
leukemia's ass once again,

I'm coming back home.

[crowd cheering]

- It was a sad moment,
but he was confident about it.

He was honest about it.
He was upfront about it.

He did it on his terms.

At that moment in time,
we all were with Roman Reigns.

We were all with Joe.
We all sat back and said

this is bigger than wrestling.

And the only thing
we wanted for him to do

was get healthy and get better
and come back.

[crowd chanting
"Thank you, Roman!"]

- Reality intervenes, right?

At that point,
you have to kind of like

set aside
your petty grievances.

- We come out here every
Monday night to entertain.

We live in this alternate
reality sometimes.

And I think we all forget

the superstars in the
locker room are real people.

And reality came up
and bit us here tonight.

- My whole life,
all the way back

to when I was
just a little boy,

everything that
I've worked for,

as long as I hyperfocus on it,

I should be able to do it.

That's why I am where I am.

But when you have something
that you can't control

completely disrupt
that whole narrative...

[sighs]

That's the toughest part
to deal with.

- With the love and support
of his friends and family,

Joe was battling
for his very life.

Six months later,

he stood before
the WWE Universe

to share some incredible news.

[crowd chanting "Roman!"]

- The good news is

I'm in remission, y'all.

[crowd cheering]

- That night,

everyone joyously celebrated
with Joe

in his victory over cancer.

But were they finally
ready to embrace Roman?

* *

- 80,000 plus here tonight,

and it marks the return
of the Big Dog

after the battle of his life.

- It's gonna be big.

* *

- I haven't been in there
for a singles match

and I haven't been in there,
you know,

for the full duration
of a match.

So it's--

we won't know
until we go do it.

So let's go do it.

* *

- And here comes the Big Dog.

* *

- I remember thinking that
this is that big moment

that everybody will accept him.

But once he came back
from his leukemia battle,

I thought it'd be
impossible to boo him.

It's gonna be impossible
to boo a guy who beat cancer.

[match bell dings]
- [groans]

- I can tell you one thing.
Tonight, it's not just about

Roman fighting for himself
or even just his family.

It's about anybody
who's ever been ill,

who's ever struggled,
who's ever suffered

and had to overcome.
Roman Reigns...

is fighting
for the world tonight.

[crowd booing]

- Roman came back,
and he was getting boos.

I looked at my man.
I said, bro--

I said,
"Roman Reigns beat leukemia

and he still getting booed?"

[crowd booing]

- That was
complete disrespect.

A slap across the face
of Reigns.

- Might've been
what Reigns needed.

- [screams]
- Oh, and a clothesline.

- [groans]

- And Roman Reigns
starting to fire back now.

[crowd booing]

- We were so used to Roman
eliciting this feeling from us

that it's so easy to
slide right back into it.

And you would imagine
the human side,

we would have more empathy,

but it's almost our ability
to go, okay, cool.

We're back into what
I'm used to and what I know.

Those old emotions came right
back up again for the fans.

- They were like,
"Man, please."

"Oh, he's healthy? He's good?
He's in remission?

We booing this dude again."

I was like,
"Are you serious?"

[crowd booing]

- It's been a while since
we heard the Big Dog roar.

Spear by Reigns.

Reigns with the win.

[crowd booing]

And tonight at "WrestleMania"
the Big Dog is back.

[crowd booing]

- That was, uh...

That was a tough pill
to swallow.

With the toxicity
and all the negativity

that can come
with this type of lifestyle,

all of that has been
just balled up and used.

[crowd booing]

- It's heartbreaking.

The competitive mind
and competitive spirit of Joe,

he never forgot that.

- I would sit in the back
and I would think, too, like,

damn, that was a reaction
out there.

Like they legit don't like Joe.
Like they legit don't like him.

- I remember him saying that
he wanted to do something.

I was like, man,
if you feel it in your gut

it's time for you to change,
go.

But be careful, 'cause the
timing is everything, right?

* *

- Just as Roman
was beginning to question

his role in the WWE,

the Covid-19 pandemic hit.

As a cancer survivor,
he was forced to take a leave.

He began to reflect
on his life and his career.

- He was kind of quiet
for a little minute.

I think he was
back in the lab doing work,

you know,
trying to find himself.

- When you're working out
by yourself in your own gym

through a quarantine,
and you spend about

two to three hours
in the gym every day,

you start to think
of these things.

What I want to do,
who I want to be,

how I want to present it.

Then I started to realize
if they want me

to do my job
to the best of its ability

with the weight and burden
of being the face of WWE,

I have to do it my way.

- Ladies and gentlemen,
"SummerSlam."

The Fiend is champion.
- You know the hell that is?

- Oh, my God,
it's Roman Reigns!

Roman Reigns,
the Big Dog is here.

Roman Reigns is back.

- When Roman showed up
at "SummerSlam,"

it was a shock.

It was a great jolt
to the audience.

- The Big Dog, Roman Reigns,
with an emphatic statement.

- I automatically knew
when I saw him on screen,

this is a different Roman.

This Roman Reigns right here
is the one we know,

but they about to know
who he is.

- We never saw this coming.

- Oh, my God,
it's Roman Reigns!

- The Big Dog
with an emphatic statement.

- A sneak attack
on the champion

sent a clear message
to the WWE Universe.

Roman Reigns was back
and doing things his way.

* *

* *

- I automatically knew
when I saw him on screen,

this is a different Roman.

The way he was acting,
the way he looked.

You know,
the vibes he was giving off

was radiating
through the TV screen.

- Okay, hold on.
This is different.

He's being a jerk.
He's being rude.

And I will win back
my Universal Championship

that I never lost
in the first place.

That's a spoiler.

* *

- Believe...that.

- You see him sitting next to
Paul Heyman on the couch.

You're like,
Roman Reigns is a bad guy.

This is--this--
there's no turning back

'cause they know
no matter what,

Paul Heyman ain't no good guy.

- I exploit historical facts

to shove my points
down your throats.

* *

- Paul Heyman
is a slimy, backstabbing,

weaselly, annoying...

- He's a combination of every
scummy lawyer, businessman,

shady car salesman
you've ever known in your life.

- He always has his clients
in the focal point of the WWE.

He's someone that will use
every single

trick in the book
to get his way.

- When you saw Roman Reigns
and Paul Heyman together,

it solidified that he's really
gone to the dark side.

- Here comes the Big Dog.
He just signed the contract.

- I think everyone always knew
that Roman Reigns

and Paul Heyman would end up

being side by side
at some point.

I think it was inevitable.

I broke in to this industry
when I was a teenager.

I bull[bleep] my way into
Madison Square Garden

when the Garden
was still being run

by Vincent Kennedy,
McMahon's father,

Vincent James McMahon.

Two of the people that looked
after me from the beginning

were Roman's uncle, Afa,
and Roman's father, Sika.

- The Samoan SWAT team.

- I've been with
Roman's family...

before Roman
was with Roman's family.

- When Roman revealed that

he was associated now
with Paul Heyman,

it just kind of put out
this whole new dynamic.

- There will be consequences.

* *

- The fans ate up--

ate up Roman Reigns as a heel.

- Get your ass down here.
Let's go.

- And a new official
heading down to the ring.

- They felt like they won
when he went heel.

- Oh, low blow. Legal though.
No holds barred.

- And Reigns with a spear
to Strowman.

- And the cover by Reigns.

Roman Reigns has won
the Universal Championship.

- Immediately, it clicked
with the audience

because this was the Roman that
they had been waiting to see,

just that confidence
and arrogance,

that feeling of
"I am the top guy.

"I've always been the top guy.

"And for all of you
who didn't recognize that

and acknowledge me as that are
now going to pay and suffer."

- This is a different
human being fundamentally.

Everything about his aura
is completely different.

- Then I'm just doing
the same thing.

So now, when I came back,

I set a whole new tone
and put on a whole different

paint job of the character,
you know.

From a creative standpoint,

there was no conversation.

I said what I wanted to do
and I did it.

That's the beauty of

being the one with
your finger on the trigger.

I don't care who I face.

Feed 'em in and watch 'em all
get slaughtered

because this is my island.

I left and I literally
gave the whole company

an opportunity to step up
and take it from me,

and they couldn't.

And it just showcased
why I'm needed.

And that's the power.

And when you have
this kind of power,

all you gotta do
is show up and win.

Believe that.

- Roman tapped into the power
of his Samoan roots.

The sacred role of high chief

is reserved
for the tribal leader.

Roman declared himself
as the tribal chief,

and by default,

the Head of the Family Table.

Roman ordered his cousins
to fall in line,

starting with Jey Uso.

- Big Usman, throwing his
weight around

since we was little.

But we not little
no more, okay?

- Not only is it
his first defense

of the Universal Championship,
it's against family.

It's against Roman's
very own blood, Jey Uso.

- We're blood.

Family, man.

I'm proud of you.
But the truth is,

like when we were kids,
I'm gonna whoop your ass.

- They had this storyline,
and it's so close to home.

It's like brothers
that are actually fighting.

- Just like
when they were kids,

Roman assured his cousin
that he was doing everything

in the best interests
of the family.

- All I wanted to do
was raise you up.

- Every time I see Roman Reigns
and the Usos

I think, man,
that's not far from real life.

They're always kind of
at each other's throats.

You wonder how tight they are.

If they really like
one another, if they don't.

- This has to stay
on my shoulder

for our family to stay
where it is.

You understand?

- This new version
of Roman Reigns

is very much like a mob boss.

- You will respect me
for who I am in the WWE

and all that I do
for our family.

- The idea that you would want
to challenge me

is offensive to who I am.

And so he didn't want
to just beat Jey Uso,

he wanted to show that
Jey Uso is below him.

His own cousin,
his own flesh and blood,

below him.

And he beat him down
until he acknowledged

Roman Reigns as
the Head of the Table,

the head of the family

and now, Jey Uso,

and his brother, Jimmy Uso,

they are the guys

that do the enforcing for him
when he can't be there.

- Oh, wait a minute--
from behind.

Jimmy and Jey Uso,
Reign's cousins,

the tag team champions,
ambushing Balor.

- All of us working together,
can't nobody touch us.

Can't nobody touch us...

If we do it my way.

- At first I was against it.

but Roman being Roman...

Had a bigger plan.

Told me we were
stronger together.

Bloodline.

- He's the Head of the Table
of his family.

He feeds his father
and his uncles

and his cousins,

and every member of his family
survives and indeed thrives

off of the living
that is made by Roman Reigns.

- You can call this place
whatever you like,

but this is my yard.

This is my island.
This is my ring.

This is my WWE.

- He is there not only
to protect

but to move into the future
the legacy of a dynasty.

- The tribal chief,

he's the boss of everything

that takes care of the family.

They all respect him
as our leader,

as our high talking chief,

that anything
that this chief says

that we are to follow.

It's out of respect
of the culture.

- I love that every time
he talks

it feels like
he's trying to help you.

Come on, you can do better.

- You're here for one hour.
One hour.

I do you a favor.

I put the spotlight on you.

I bring you back,
I put you with us,

and what happens?

You screw it up.

- He really has a way
of talking to the audience

and to his friends and family
in a way--

he gaslights all of us.

He makes you feel like
you're--wait--

no, I hate you for a reason.
Don't I?

"No, no, no.
Why would you hate me?

I'm here for you."

- When it comes to
lifting our legacy up,

our history,
what we're known for,

to continually be
the very best in this business,

I think that my family
heavily depends on me.

- The undisputed tribal chief

was creating a version of WWE
in his own image.

There would be no ceremonial
passing of the torch.

Roman was at "SummerSlam"
to seize it.

- Tonight marks day number 356

in the Universal
Championship reign

of the Head of the Table.

* *

- Roman Reigns had been
building a resume

that was undeniably making him
the face of the company.

But there was always
that voice in the back

of everyone's head that said
John Cena's the guy.

- You know, we talk about Cena
being the greatest of all time

but an argument can be made
that the past year

has been one of the most
dominant years

in history of WWE.

- Every bit of who I am
has gone into this character.

Every little speed bump,
the adversities,

the growing pains,
the transitions,

all of that has been
just balled up and used

into what you see today.

- There are 51,326

WWE fans on hand

to witness one of
the greatest main events

in "SummerSlam" history.

- "SummerSlam" 2021,

we saw Roman Reigns in the ring
with John Cena...

This generation's champion
taking on

the previous
generation's champion.

- The opportunity for Reigns
to cement his legacy.

- [groans]

* *

- When it comes to
an arena full

of sold out to capacity
crowd...

I don't think there's really
gonna be anybody

that can get 100% of them
at all times.

- [groans]

- Roman with a right hand
dropping John.

[crowd booing]

Now Roman mocking
the WWE Universe.

* *

- But to keep 100% of them
invested

one way or the other...

To make them do
what I want them to do...

* *

That's the key.

I'll whoop all
y'all's asses too.

I'll whoop
all y'all's asses too.

Come on, sucker.
Come on.

- Roman Reigns is so good
at being a bad guy

'cause from whatever
negativity's coming at him

and the boos and--

he seems to really enjoy
what it gives to him.

* *

The combination that makes
Roman Reigns work is

you don't like him but
you kind of want to be him.

He's good-looking
and there's envy.

You want to be in his shoes

and yet you can't stand
that he's in that position.

- Roman Reigns is the character
everyone loves to hate.

He's the quarterback
that steals your girlfriend,

and there's not a damn thing
you can do about it.

- [groans]

- And again,
a right drops John.

- It feels like a lot
of Allegiant Stadium

is on Team Cena.
- Acknowledge me.

- "Acknowledge me"

is the perfect catchphrase
for Roman Reigns.

When he says "acknowledge me,"
that's a contradiction

because a champ doesn't need to
ask people to acknowledge him.

But he does
because he doesn't get

the fan love that
other champions get.

- I view Roman Reigns
as a righteous man

driven to villainous
circumstances to survive.

- Hollywood, I apologize,

but I'm gonna hurt this man.

I'm gonna hurt--
I'm gonna whoop his ass

and we're gonna send him to--
he ain't gonna be able to work.

He ain't gonna be able to--
don't bring him back here.

I'm WWE.

- When we think about
Roman Reigns

becoming a villain,
embodying that evil persona,

leaning in to that hate,

I think that gave him power
and gave him strength.

[crowd booing]

- He is guy who was sick
of everyone coming after him

for no good reason.

Showed no respect
for his skill, his talent,

and frankly, his lineage.

And he stood up for it.

It totally changed
the landscape of the business.

- All me!
I am WWE!

- The Head of the Table.

Roman Reigns with a spear.

- One, two, three.

[match bell dings]
- And just like that,

Roman Reigns
will retain the championship.

* *

- When Roman Reigns
beat John Cena,

he did not just
retain his title,

he became officially
the man of the company,

the face of the company,

and the champion
of this generation.

- Nobody in this generation
that came up like me.

I'm the only one
that really came in

and removed these legends

that made way
for the new generation.

In 20 years,
there might be more people

molded after me
opposed to, like,

the parallels of John Cena
to Hulk Hogan.

Like, you target the kids.
Hustle, loyalty, respect.

Doing the same old schtick.
You know what I mean?

It's the same format
just on a different dude.

And nobody's done it like me,

but maybe
in like, 20 or 30 years,

if there's someone out there
with the ability,

we might be able
to see this mold again.

- Roman is entering
the peak of his career

and is already
one of the greatest superstars

of this era.

So is the undisputed
tribal chief

and Head of the Samoan
Family Table

destined to be one
of the greatest superstars

of all time?

- Obviously, when you think
about all-time great

Samoan superstars,

no one's bigger than the Rock.

* *

And Roman knows
that shadow's there.

And I'm sure that's something
that drives him.

- Would you ever
fight the Rock?

- I would, yes.
I don't know if--

I don't know if he wants it.

- Roman Reigns
beating your hero?

He beats Dwayne Johnson
as a villain?

No one will be able to deny

Roman Reigns is the greatest
villain of all time.

No one.

- We haven't even begun yet.

* *

There's so much
greatness to chase.

The moments can get bigger.

We're not even
scratching the surface.

I think the legacy that
Roman Reigns will leave

is being the best of all time

and doing it my way.

So everything I've ever done
is to get into the position

to where I have the power.

And now I have the power.

- Roman Reigns!