When Roman Reigns returned to WWE programming in 2020, he did so next to Paul Heyman as a means to cement a change in his character. But Heyman has said that the initial plan involved him continuing in his role as an advocate for Reigns’ pre-existing “Big Dog” persona.
Heyman wound up being the “Wise Man” for Reigns as he became the “Tribal Chief” and eventually formed the Bloodline with the Usos. And that’s something Heyman explained during “Six Feet Under” that he fought for.
“The opportunity arose at that time that Roman had taken so much time off, and the decision was made for us to finally work together,” he said. “When I asked Vince his vision for it, he just said, ‘The Big Dog and you’re his advocate.'”
Heyman said he insisted that Reigns couldn’t be the “Big Dog” anymore and said he couldn’t be an advocate. “I was Brock Lesnar’s advocate. I must be something different to this character,” he explained.
He told Undertaker that it was himself that he had drawn on, with his transition from the “Dead Man” to “American Bada**”, as the example that eventually sold Vince McMahon on the character change.
“It has to be that shocking of a metamorphosis, and it has to make sense. The Deadman grew into the American Bada** because times had changed around him.”
“It’s a progression,” he continued, explaining that with that comes a change in suits and color schemes because everyone has their individual style that informs who he should be. He described it as a “professional marriage” where-in he is the supporting player to the main character.
“I take great pride in that,” he said. “A great supporting player makes the main character, and makes the main character in such a degree that the main character could not pull that off on their own, male or female.”
He drew on the work of Robert Duvall as Tom Hagen, consigliere for the Corleone Family in “The Godfather,” calling him the greatest supporting actor he had ever seen.
“Look at the cast, [Marlon] Brando, [Robert] De Niro, [Al] Pacino, and yet Robert Duvall was the glue and made everyone else around him look better. That’s the role,” he said.
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