On this week's edition of The former Wiseman of the Bloodline came to the ring just as Jey was about to discuss his match this weekend with Logan Paul at Backlash on May 10. However, Heyman set a slightly different tone with his words. He tried to justify his big betrayal of Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 41 by painting himself as the victim, and, in all honesty, he did a fantastic job at that.
The manager mentioned that he was offended at being depicted as the scumbag for turning on both CM Punk and Roman Reigns to align with Seth Rollins. Heyman said that he was in an impossible situation, so he chose the smartest option. He also stated that it wasn't his fault that Reigns fumbled the ball at WrestleMania 40, losing to Cody Rhodes. Then, as he closed things down, he warned Jey Uso that Rollins was coming for the title, which was enough to goad the Yeet Man into challenging The Architect in the main event later that night.
Overall, this was yet another masterful showing on the microphone by Heyman, who is one of the best talkers in the history of pro wrestling. One of Paul's overarching themes was that he was not the bad guy in the Bloodline faction; Roman was.
Paul Heyman’s Promo: A Hidden Truth Finally Spoken
The Hall of Famer Did Not Hold Back
With Jey Uso in the ring and fully Yeet-ed put, Heyman stepped through the ropes to interrupt the champion's interaction with the fans. The manager addressed Jey, but his vitriol was aimed more in the direction of his cousin. Roman Reigns was put on blast by his former Wiseman, who held nothing back when describing his former Tribal Chief.
Heyman made himself out to be the scapegoat for Reign's rise to dominance. He chastised the former WWE Champion for forcing him to choose between Roman and CM Punk. Heyman said the same thing about Punk, pointing out that the Second City Saint also put him in a tough spot. That's why he says he decided to align himself with Seth Rollins.
WWE Officially Killed The Bloodline With Paul Heyman's Betrayal at WrestleMania 41
Paul Heyman's shocking actions at WrestleMania are proof that the Bloodline storyline has likely come to an end.
However, it was Reigns who received the most of Heyman's vocal venom. He stated that Roman threw five years of Heyman's work to make him relevant again down the garbage. Then what did Roman do? He left, leaving Heyman to the wolves of the new Bloodline, who put him through a table. And when Roman finally returned, it wasn't to avenge his Wiseman, it was to get his Ula Fala and Tribal Chief title back.
It was an especially poignant promo, and one where the heel can convince the audience that he may be in the right. For all of Heyman's devious plots and outright lies, this one bears some of the truth. Heyman mentioned "the big dog" repeatedly, alluding to Reigns' previous character that fans hated. It's undeniable that, before aligning with Heyman, Roman's career was light years away from the heights he achieved as the Tribal Chief. Considering Reigns' attitude and actions, Heyman's promo posed a legitimate question: has Roman Reigns been the villain all along?
The Long Game: How WWE Quietly Built Roman’s Heel Arc
Reigns' Character Has Been Multi-Layered Since The Bloodline Was Formed
When Reigns originally broke away from the Shield ten years ago, it was pretty evident that WWE had plans to build him as a megastar. However, the fans, who had gone through 10 years of watching 'Super Cena' get pushed down their throats, rejected the notion. Not so much because they disliked Roman, but more because they didn't want to be force-fed another unstoppable hero. And for good reason. John Cena's stranglehold on the promotion had grown incredibly stale, and the WWE Universe didn't want to see a repeat of that.
So, Reigns was booed - even after winning multiple world titles. While he was given a bit of a reprieve by the audience after his leukemia scare in 2018, he was never fully embraced. It was his heel turn a few years later, and the subsequent forming of the Bloodline, that had fans interested. They liked the edgier, villainous Reigns over the pure-as-snow good guy they had been watching for so long.
Roman definitely fed into it, as well, adopting a cold and arrogant persona so intriguing that the WWE Universe ate it up. And for five years, the angle would dominate WWE TV, typically being the highest-rated segment on the show. Of course, with absolute power comes absolute corruption, and Reigns basked in his stranglehold over the promotion. And the more evil Reigns became, the more people wanted to see him and The Bloodline.
Why Fans Refuse to See Roman Reigns as a Villain
Reigns' Character Is Just Too Cool To Hate
Ironically, when Roman Reigns was being portrayed as a white meat babyface, the fans couldn't wait to boo him. He was a failed experiment - another pet project of Vince McMahon that the fans saw right through. The mid-2010s were an era of live WWE crowds often taking over shows by booing the good guys and cheering the heels. Or, simply showing indifference by bouncing beach balls around the arena.
But once Roman morphed into a cool heel, they all raised one finger to the sky and acknowledged him. Perhaps it's similar to the nWo in WCW during the late '90s. Sure, the things they were doing were diabolical, but they were also pretty awesome. At any given time in 1997, more nWo shirts were being worn in the crowd than anything else. That same thing happened with Reigns and the Bloodline in the 2020s. It seemed as if the badder they were, the more people followed them.
This was, on a level, problematic, because Roman Reigns has consistently acted more as an abusive father than a generous patriarch towards his family. Besides the basic heel cheating strategies, his on-screen behavior was unmistakably that of an evil man, and yet audiences loved him and his "aura." That's the category that Reigns fell into. In so many ways, he has been more successful as a heel. He established himself as the flagship of WWE during the Bloodline angle, and he did it mostly by being the same arrogant figure he always was. Despite who he was facing, Reigns never changed his 'I'm better than you' attitude.
So, Paul Heyman was right in calling Reigns the true villain. But that only happened because it's what people clamor for. They didn't want to see another squeaky-clean superhero; they wanted the Head of the Table, and Roman gave them exactly that. It's a beautiful, layered story and character progression that only some great storytellers could create. In many ways, Paul Heyman is right. Roman Reigns has been the 'bad guy' all along. But only because that's the version of him the fans have wanted.
