← Entertainment
Wrestler
Joe Anoa'i
WrestlerProfession
About
Leati Joseph Anoaʻi (Samoan pronunciation: [anoˈaʔi]; born May 25, 1985), better known by his ring name Roman Reigns, is an American professional wrestler, actor, and former football player. As a wrestler, he has been signed to WWE since 2010, where…
Leati Joseph Anoaʻi (Samoan pronunciation: [anoˈaʔi]; born May 25, 1985), better known by his ring name Roman Reigns, is an American professional wrestler, actor, and former football player. As a wrestler, he has been signed to WWE since 2010, where he performs on the Raw brand and is the current World Heavyweight Champion in his first reign. He is also the leader of The Bloodline stable. Reigns' 1,316-day reign as WWE Universal Champion is the longest reign of the title's history, the fourth longest world title reign in WWE history, and the longest championship reign recognised by the company since 1988.
After playing American college football for Georgia Tech, Anoaʻi started a professional football career with brief off-season stints with the Minnesota Vikings and Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL) in 2007. He played a full season for the Canadian Football League's (CFL) Edmonton Eskimos in 2008 before his release and retirement from football. A member of the Anoaʻi wrestling family, Anoaʻi was signed by WWE in 2010 and made his main roster debut under the ring name Roman Reigns in 2012 as a member of The Shield alongside Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins; with Rollins, Reigns held the WWE Tag Team Championship once. The trio teamed together until disbanding in 2014, after which, Reigns entered singles competition.
From 2014 to 2020, WWE positioned Reigns as a heroic character and attempted to establish him as their next "face of the company", which was met with intense disapproval by audiences and critics. During this period, Reigns won numerous championships and accomplishments, including winning the WWE Championship three times, the WWE Universal Championship once, and winning the Royal Rumble in 2015. After a hiatus, Reigns was repackaged as a villainous character between 2020 and 2024, which was generally met with acclaim by audiences and critics. Reigns then won his second Universal Championship and fourth WWE Championship, holding both simultaneously as the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship; upon losing the Undisputed title, the Universal Championship was retired with Reigns recognized as its final champion. In 2026, Reigns won the Royal Rumble match for a second time, and, at WrestleMania 42 won the World Heavyweight Championship.
Reigns has headlined numerous WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming events, including WWE's flagship event, WrestleMania, a record 11 times. Reigns holds the joint-record for most eliminations in a Survivor Series match (4) and is also WWE's 28th Triple Crown Champion and 17th Grand Slam Champion. He was also ranked at No. 1 in Pro Wrestling Illustrated's annual PWI 500 list of the top 500 singles wrestlers in 2016 and 2022, and was named Wrestler of the Year by Sports Illustrated in 2021.
Connections
Team
Minnesota VikingsTeam
Career
- WWEEmployer
