Paul Heyman Recalls Inspiration For Roman Reigns 'Tribal Chief' Character In WWE

Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman leaned on a classic to create "The Tribal Chief" in WWE.

Reigns made headlines on Monday night for his impactful return on WWE Raw, where he took aim at Seth Rollins and CM Punk during the Steel Cage Match in the main event.

The former WWE Undisputed Champion was joined by his "Wiseman," just as he was back when he first turned to Heyman for guidance in August 2020.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Heyman recalled the inspiration behind the creation of "The Tribal Chief," with Marlon Brando's character Colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse Now playing a significant role.

“All things on the island of relevancy flow through the tribal chief Roman Reigns, we all rely on him. We all look to him for the answer, and at the end of the movie, when Martin Sheen has fulfilled the directive of the United States military’s covert operation, to terminate Kurtz’s command with extreme prejudice, he opens up the book written by Kurtz. He sees what Kurtz has written, ‘drop the bomb.’"
Paul Heyman

Heyman also noted the storytelling aspect with Reigns' WWE trajectory, mentioning how the burden of power is a central theme.

“The burden of leadership, the burden of the worship, the burden of the expectations, the burden of, let’s call it the acknowledgement, is so heavy on Kurtz that he resents everyone around him for relying on him to this extent, though his power and his entire character is designed for that very purpose."
Paul Heyman

Reigns reunited with former members The Bloodline last November for Survivor Series: WarGames.

He does not yet have an announced match for WrestleMania 41 next month, though WWE has clearly hinted at a match involving Reigns, Punk, and Rollins.

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