History of Roman Reigns in Timeline
Roman Reigns, born Leati Joseph Anoaʻi, is a highly acclaimed American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE's SmackDown brand. Considered among the best in the world, Reigns holds the distinction of having the fourth-longest world title reign in WWE history, with his Undisputed WWE Universal Heavyweight Championship lasting 1,316 days. This is also the longest championship reign the company has seen since 1988. Prior to his wrestling career, he was also a football player.
May 25, 1985: Birth of Leati Joseph "Joe" Anoaʻi
On May 25, 1985, Leati Joseph "Joe" Anoaʻi, who is better known as Roman Reigns, was born.
1988: Comparison to Previous Championship Reign
In 1988, a previous WWE championship reign reached the longest record at the time before being surpassed by Roman Reigns in 2023.
1988: Longest Championship Reign Since 1988
Roman Reigns's 1,316-day reign as Undisputed WWE Universal Heavyweight Champion is the longest championship reign since 1988.
2005: Meets Galina Becker
In early 2005, while studying at Georgia Institute of Technology, Roman Reigns met and began dating Galina Becker.
2006: First-Team All-ACC Honors
In 2006, Anoaʻi earned first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) honors.
May 2007: Signed by Minnesota Vikings and Leukemia Diagnosis
In May 2007, Anoaʻi was signed by the Minnesota Vikings but was released after being diagnosed with leukemia.
May 2007: Initial Leukemia Diagnosis
In May 2007, Roman Reigns was first diagnosed with leukemia while signed to the Minnesota Vikings.
August 2007: Signed and Released by Jacksonville Jaguars
In August 2007, Anoaʻi was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars but was released shortly after.
December 2007: Birth of First Child
In December 2007, Roman Reigns and Galina Becker had their first child, a daughter.
2007: Brief NFL Stints
In 2007, Anoaʻi had brief off-season stints with the Minnesota Vikings and Jacksonville Jaguars in the NFL after playing college football.
2007: Initial Leukemia Diagnosis
In 2007, Roman Reigns was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia during his American Football career.
2008: CFL Season with Edmonton Eskimos
In 2008, Anoaʻi played a full season for the Canadian Football League's Edmonton Eskimos before retiring from football.
August 19, 2010: Televised Debut in FCW
On August 19, 2010, Roman Reigns made his televised debut in Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) under the ring name Roman Leakee.
2010: Signed with WWE
In 2010, Anoaʻi, a member of the Anoaʻi wrestling family, was signed by WWE.
January 16, 2011: FCW Grand Royal
On January 16, 2011, Leakee participated in a 30-man Grand Royal in FCW, but was eliminated.
January 2012: Pinned FCW Champion in Non-Title Match
In January 2012, Leakee pinned FCW Florida Heavyweight Champion Leo Kruger in a non-title match.
August 2012: NXT Debut as Roman Reigns
In August 2012, after WWE rebranded FCW to NXT, Anoaʻi debuted as Roman Reigns with a villainous character.
November 18, 2012: Main Roster Debut at Survivor Series
On November 18, 2012, Roman Reigns made his main roster debut at the Survivor Series pay-per-view event as part of The Shield.
2012: Main Roster Debut as Roman Reigns
In 2012, Anoaʻi made his main roster debut under the ring name Roman Reigns as a member of The Shield.
January 2013: The Shield Aiding CM Punk
In January 2013, The Shield continued to aid CM Punk, attacking Ryback and The Rock, eventually revealed to be paid by Punk and his manager.
January 26, 2014: Royal Rumble Match
On January 26, 2014, at the Royal Rumble, Reigns eliminated 12 competitors, a record at the time, and was the runner-up, last eliminated by Batista.
June 2014: Appearance in PSA with Daughter
In June 2014, Roman Reigns' daughter appeared with him in a PSA.
December 2014: Marriage to Galina Becker
In December 2014, Roman Reigns married Galina Becker.
2014: WWE Positions Reigns as Heroic Character
From 2014, WWE positioned Reigns as a heroic character to establish him as their next face of the company, which was met with disapproval.
2014: Turning Heel
In 2014, Roman Reigns turned heel for the first time since 2014, aligning himself with Paul Heyman.
2014: The Shield Disbands
In 2014, The Shield disbanded, and Reigns entered singles competition.
2015: Royal Rumble Win
In 2015, Reigns won the Royal Rumble match, earning a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania 31.
November 2016: Birth of Twin Sons
In November 2016, Roman Reigns and Galina Becker had twin sons.
2016: WWE Draft
In 2016, Roman Reigns was drafted to the Raw brand, with WWE acknowledging his suspension on television, although still advertising him as part of Battleground.
2016: Ranked No. 1 in PWI 500
In 2016, Roman Reigns was ranked No. 1 in Pro Wrestling Illustrated's annual PWI 500 list of the top 500 singles wrestlers.
January 9, 2017: Lost United States Championship
On January 9, 2017, Reigns lost the United States Championship to Jericho in a handicap match also involving Owens, ending his reign at 106 days.
January 22, 2018: Lost Intercontinental Championship
On January 22, 2018, Reigns lost the Intercontinental Championship to The Miz on the 25th Anniversary of Raw, ending his reign at 63 days.
2018: Royal Rumble Elimination Record Broken
In 2018, Braun Strowman broke Roman Reigns's record for most eliminations in a Royal Rumble match.
2018: Universal Championship Matches
In 2018, Roman Reigns competed for the Universal Championship, first losing to Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 34, and then narrowly losing a Steel Cage rematch at the Greatest Royal Rumble.
2018: Sharing Leukemia Battle with the Public
In 2018, Roman Reigns shared that he had been living with chronic myeloid leukemia, an incurable but treatable form of blood cancer.
February 25, 2019: Return to Raw and Leukemia Remission Announcement
On February 25, 2019, Roman Reigns made his return to Raw, revealing that his leukemia was in remission again. He also aided Dean Ambrose, marking a significant comeback and reunion with his Shield brothers.
December 2019: Last Pinfall Loss Before July 1, 2023
In December 2019, it marks the last time Roman Reigns was pinned before his match on July 1, 2023.
2019: Drafted to SmackDown
In 2019, during the Superstar Shake-up, Roman Reigns was drafted to SmackDown on April 16, with WWE calling Reigns "SmackDown's greatest ever acquisition".
December 31, 2019: Appearance on Fox's New Year's Eve
On December 31, 2019, Roman Reigns appeared on Fox's New Year's Eve with Steve Harvey, where he defeated Dolph Ziggler in a pre-taped match.
January 26, 2020: Defeats King Corbin in Falls Count Anywhere Match
On January 26, 2020, at the Royal Rumble, Roman Reigns defeated King Corbin in a falls count anywhere match with assistance from The Usos, continuing their feud.
March 2020: Birth of Another Set of Twin Sons
In March 2020, Roman Reigns and Galina Becker had another set of twin sons.
2020: Reigns Repackaged as Villainous Character
Between 2020 and 2024, Reigns was repackaged as a villainous character, which was generally met with acclaim.
2020: Entering First Royal Rumble Match
In 2020, Roman Reigns entered his first Royal Rumble match since 2020 as entrant #16.
January 31, 2021: Retains Universal Championship Against Kevin Owens
On January 31, 2021, at the Royal Rumble, Roman Reigns successfully defended his Universal Championship against Kevin Owens in a Last Man Standing match, continuing their intense feud.
January 1, 2022: Day 1 match cancelled due to COVID-19
On January 1, 2022, Roman Reigns was scheduled to defend his title against Brock Lesnar at the Day 1 event, but the match was canceled as a result of Reigns testing positive for COVID-19.
2022: Ranked No. 1 in PWI 500
In 2022, Roman Reigns was ranked No. 1 in Pro Wrestling Illustrated's annual PWI 500 list of the top 500 singles wrestlers.
January 18, 2023: Longest WWE Championship Reign Since 1988
On January 18, 2023, Roman Reigns' Universal Championship reign reached 871 days, marking the longest reign of any WWE championship since 1988, surpassing Gunther's NXT UK Championship reign.
January 27, 2024: Retains Titles in Fatal Four-Way Match
On January 27, 2024, at the Royal Rumble, Roman Reigns retained the titles against LA Knight, Randy Orton, and AJ Styles in a fatal four-way match, pinning Styles.
2024: Solo Sikoa takes over The Bloodline
In 2024, Solo Sikoa removes Roman Reigns from The Bloodline and declares himself the new "Tribal Chief".
2024: End of Villainous Character Arc
Reigns' villainous character arc, which began in 2020, concluded in 2024.
