WWE Evil Exclusive Clip: Roman Reigns Explains Why the ‘Tribal Chief’ is The Perfect Villain for 2022

Roman Reigns will be one of the eight WWE Superstars profiled in the upcoming WWE Evil series, set to premiere on the Peacock streaming service on Thursday, March 24. Produced and narrated by John Cena, each episode will conduct a psychological deep dive into some of the biggest villains of WWE’s past and present, with the eighth and final episode centered around the reigning WWE Universal Champion. In an exclusive clip provided to ComicBook, Reigns explains how his persona stands in stark contrast to the villains of the past, specifically naming more theatrical characters like Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Hulk Hogan and The Undertaker

“At this point, there’s no smoke and mirrors with me,” Reigns said as footage from his WrestleMania 37 entrance plays. “I don’t costume myself, I’m not running around with a snake. Great respect to him, but Hulk Hogan doesn’t work in 2022. Even The Undertaker, it’s not the same as it was back in the early 90s.”

“He indulges it. You can just see in his posture, in the tone of voice that he uses, it’s so authentic. He’s not purely evil, he’s purely who he is,” The Ringer‘s David Shoemaker adds. 

Though Reigns initially arrived on WWE’s roster as one-third of the merciless trio The Shield, he spent the overwhelming majority of 2014-2020 portraying a valiant hero. But following his return from hiatus at SummerSlam 2020 he unveiled his “Tribal Chief” persona, quickly winning the Universal Championship (now in a reign that has reached 571 days) and gathering a faction known as The Bloodline comprised of himself, The Usos and Paul Heyman as his “Special Counsel.” He’ll face Brock Lesnar in a Winner Take All match for both the Universal and WWE Championships at WrestleMania 38 on April 3.

The official synopsis for WWE Evil reads, “The battle between good and evil is as old as time itself. But the line between the two is often blurred…and sometimes, what side you stand for is simply a matter of perspective. This fascinating subject matter is the focus of WWE EVIL, an entertaining psychological exposé into the minds of the most diabolical villains in WWE history. Journey into the deepest and darkest recesses of these WWE Superstars’ psyches, uncovering dastardly secrets and exploring the real-life motivations for their turn to the dark side. Examine the ultimate rogues in WWE; from the ‘Nature Boy’ Ric Flair, The Miz, and ‘Legit Boss’ Sasha Banks, to the ‘Billionaire Princess’ Stephanie McMahon, ‘The Viper’ Randy Orton and ‘Hollywood’ Hulk Hogan, to the ‘Brothers of Destruction’ and the ‘Head of the Table’ himself, Roman Reigns! Discover why there is no light without darkness, and why there can be no hero…without a true villain.” All eight episodes will be available to stream exclusively on Peacock on Thursday.