Paul Heyman finally reveals how the Roman Reigns ‘Tribal Chief’ character was created and which movie it is inspired from

Roman Reigns watched Apocalypse Now multiple times to become the Tribal Chief.

Paul Heyman finally reveals how the Roman Reigns ‘Tribal Chief’ character was created and which movie it is inspired from

Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman [via- WWE]

Roman Reigns has been the face of the WWE for almost four years now. He has been dominating the division. However, it all started with the introduction of the Tribal Chief gimmick. In a recent interview, Paul Heyman, who is the man behind the iconic character, revealed some unheard stories about working on the gimmick.

In an interview at the 2024 Barrett Sports Media Summit, Heyman divulged that he advised Roman Reigns to watch Apocalypse Now, featuring Marlon Brando. He revealed that the character of the Tribal Chief is heavily inspired by the character of Brando in the film. Moreover, the Wiseman expressed the gist of the gimmick by saying that it is about the man who conquered his own island, making it the island of relevancy.

The character of Roman Reigns as the Tribal Chief, by way of example, is inspired by Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now. When we first started talking about the presentation of the Tribal Chief, I had Roman Reigns watch Apocalypse Now multiple times, because to me, that was the heart and soul of the character of the Tribal Chief - a warrior so great that he conquered his own island. We call it the Island of Relevancy.
Paul Heyman via Barrett Sports Media Summit
YouTube video

Besides, Paul Heyman also added that the character of Tribal Chief is based on the ideology that everyone who has acknowledged him is somehow in line with him. He believes that he is responsible for those aligned with him. Therefore, it is a character with layers and different dynamics with different individuals.

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However, the Head of the Table, has achieved great feats with this character. He has been a WWE champion for over 1000 days and counting. The Needle Mover has main evented three consecutive WrestleMania and is all set to go for the fourth one against Cody Rhodes in April. It is going to be interesting to see if the Head of the Table will be able to save his title reign by defeating the American Nightmare in Philadelphia.

Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes set to have a confrontation on SmackDown

This week on Raw, Cody Rhodes delivered an unhinged promo. He went on to make some bold statements about the Bloodline. However, the Wiseman of Roman Reigns, Paul Heyman, showed up and proposed a faceoff between Rhodes and Reigns.

Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes
Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes (Via WWE)

Heyman proposed that if the American Nightmare comes alone on SmackDown, Roman Reigns’ would give his word that he will also show up all by himself without the Bloodline. The Royal Rumble winner, without any hesitation, agreed to this stipulation.

Now, it is going to be interesting to see how things will go this week on SmackDown. Fans are all hyped for this confrontation, which is going to take place in a few days. The Tribal Cheif is known to outsmart his opponents. Therefore, will the American Nightmare be outsmarted ahead of WrestleMania?

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