Roman Reigns has made The Tribal Chief the most dominant WWE gimmick since taking on the role. But that was not always the case, especially when he was “The Big Dog.”
Reigns has always been a top superstar in the company, but he hasn’t always enjoyed support from fans. Fans didn’t enjoy how he was pushed as a babyface previously, and his segments used to go differently a few years ago.
In 2017, Roman Reigns feuded with John Cena to set up their match at No Mercy. The two superstars engaged in a war of words, resulting in one of the most embarrassing moments on WWE television.
Reigns was in the middle of dishing out insults to John Cena when he, unfortunately, forgot his lines. The latter saw his opportunity and destroyed his opponent by saying he needed to learn to cut a promo if he wished to be a top superstar.
“It’s called a promo kid, if you want to be a “Big Dog” you are going to have to learn how to do it. So, go ahead,” said John Cena.
Although the feud ended with Roman Reigns’ win over John Cena, fans will never forget the moment when the 16-time world champion casually destroyed the biggest superstar on the mic.
Years later, the video went viral on Twitter recently when the Public Enemy Podcast’s account shared the clip. They described the moment as Roman Reigns’ villain origin story, and the WWE Universe agreed. Many noted how uncomfortable it was to watch John Cena bury Roman Reigns on TV.
Others praised Reigns for recovering from the moment and reinventing himself as one of the best heels in pro wrestling history. Here’s how fans reacted to the six-year-old video of the unforgettable promo war between the two iconic superstars:
