WWE Superstar Roman Reigns spoke with ESPN this week for an in-depth discussion on his television character and why he doesn’t define himself as a babyface or a heel. Instead, Reigns described himself as “the first true gray-area guy” in WWE history.
“To me, I’m neither.” said Reigns “If I’m totally off here, then I’m totally off, but I’m the first of my type. I’m the first true gray area guy … just being what he was born to be.”
The man who retired The Undertaker at WrestleMania 33 explained that why he can’t define himself as a heel or babyface.
“I don’t go out there and act crazy and flail around and be a heel,” said Reigns. “I don’t come out there smiling and kissing babies, telling each town it’s my favorite town at the end of the night. I keep it real. Sometimes I’m in a good mood. Sometimes I’m in a bad one. I want my character to be as human as possible, but not just a regular human that you see every single day.”
Reigns continued, “It’s just one of those things that helps me work with everybody. It’s not about, ‘Well, we can’t tell this story because it’s two bad guys going against each other, or it’s two good guys.’ I can adjust to any way [we want to do it]. I can wrestle any way I want. Sometimes you fight pissed off. Sometimes you fight smart with technique. It just depends.”
He also commented on a possible reunion of The Shield. With Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose holding RAW’s tag team championships, he’s the missing piece needed to reform one of the most dominant factions in WWE history. According to Reigns, “we’ll be able to see it play out” over the next few weeks. For now, he’s got other priorities.
“Over the next few weeks, we’ll be able to see it play out,” said Reigns. “The main thing right now is I’ve been in the title picture for the Raw brand, so I can firmly say neither of those guys would leave [that opportunity] to rejoin The Shield [and] rekindle that flame.”
Reigns will face John Cena next month at No Mercy.
Check out the complete Roman Reigns interview at ESPN.com.