Roman Reigns: WWE Heel Turn Was A 'Collective Idea' But Ultimately My Decision

Roman Reigns says the idea to turn him heel last year was collectively considered by different people in WWE but, ultimately, the decision to go through with the plan was down to him.

Reigns returned to WWE last August, following a number of months off during the first wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic, and unveiled his new Tribal Chief persona. With his new heel character, and Paul Heyman by his side, Reigns won the Universal Title and has been the focal point of SmackDown for the last 12 months.

The 36-year-old has opened up on the process of turning to the dark side, saying it was a collective conversation but the decision had to be made by those actually involved - namely him and Heyman - who had a lot to put on the line by aligning and going in this new direction.

Speaking with BT Sports’ Ariel Helwani, Reigns said: "If I didn’t want to do it, I wouldn’t have done it. As far as whose idea it was, it was a collective idea and something that had to be pitched and chewed on and thought about thoroughly, but ultimately it was my decision to do it.

"Paul was a huge part of that chewing process, that brainstorming process. That was also his decision too. We’re two guys that already did a lot in their careers, already had a lot on the line so it was a decision for both of us.

"He was coming off a hell of a run with Brock so he was putting quite a bit of equity on the line to flow into this run as well. That decision had to have been made before we started getting into it and trying to flesh this thing out."

H/T Wrestling Inc.