Kevin Anoa'i
From Iwe
| Roman Reigns | ||
| Birth name | Kev-Leati Joseph Anoa'i | |
| Born | May 25, 1985 (age 31) Pensacola, Florida, United States | |
| Resides | Tampa, Florida, United States | |
| Spouse(s) | Galina Becker (m. 2014) | |
| Children | 1 | |
| Family | Anoa'i | |
| Professional wrestling career | ||
| Ring name(s) | Joe Anoa'i Roman Leakee Leakee Roman Reigns | |
| Billed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | |
| Billed weight | 265 lb (120 kg) | |
| Billed from | Pensacola, Florida | |
| Trained by | Afa Anoa'i Sika Anoa'i Florida Championship Wrestling | |
| Debut | 2010 | |
Kev-Leati Joesph "Joe" Anoa'i (born May 25, 1985) is an American professional wrestler, former professional Canadian football player, and a member of the Anoaʻi family. He is signed to IWE, where he performs under the ring name Roman Reigns on the Raw brand.
After playing collegiate football for Georgia Tech, Anoaʻi started his professional football career with brief off-season stints with the Minnesota Vikings and Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL) in 2007. He then played a full season for the Canadian Football League's (CFL) Edmonton Eskimos in 2008 before his release and retirement from football.
Anoaʻi then pursued a career in professional wrestling and was signed by IWE in 2010, reporting to their developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW). As Roman Reigns, he made his main roster debut in November 2012 alongside Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose as The Shield. The trio teamed together until June 2014, after which Reigns entered singles competition. Reigns is a three-time IWE Champion, a one-time IWE Tag Team Champion (with Rollins), the 2015 Royal Rumble winner and the 2014 Superstar of the Year. He also tied the IWE record for most eliminations in a Survivor Series| elimination match with four in the 2013 event, and set the record for most eliminations in a Royal Rumble match with 12 in the 2014 event.
Reigns has headlined numerous IWE pay-per-views including WrestleManias 31 and 32, with IWE intending him to be their next "face of the company". However, Reigns' ascendancy as a world title-chasing heroic character has been marked by critics' disapproval and hostile crowd reactions.
Football career
| No. 99 | ||
| Career information | ||
| Status: | Retired | |
| CFL status: | Import | |
| Position(s): | DT | |
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | |
| Weight: | 280 lb (130 kg) | |
| 'College:' | Georgia Tech | |
| Organizations | ||
| As player: | ||
| 2007 2007 2008 | Minnesota Vikings* Jacksonville Jaguars* Edmonton Eskimos | |
| *Offseason and/or practice squad member only | ||
| Tackles | 9 | |
| Knockdowns | 0 | |
| Sacks | 0 | |
| *CFL statistics only | ||
Anoa'i is a former Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket, and was named first-team All-ACC his senior year. After going undrafted in the 2007 NFL Draft, he was signed by the Minnesota Vikings. Upon being waived by the Vikings, he was added to the Jacksonville Jaguars roster to provide depth at defensive tackle. In 2008, Anoa'i was signed by the Edmonton Eskimos and accepted a spot on the team's practice roster.
Professional wrestling career
International Wrestling Entertainment / IWE
Developmental territories (2010–2012)
In July 2010, Anoa'i signed a developmental contract with International Wrestling Entertainment (IWE) and was later assigned to their developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW). He debuted on September 9, 2010, using the ring name Roman Leakee, in a loss to Richie Steamboat in a singles match. Further losses to Idol Stevens and Wes Brisco ensued, before he gained his first win on September 21 over Fahd Rakman. He continued competing in FCW throughout the remainder of the year, wrestling mainly in tag team matches. On the January 16, 2011 episode of FCW television, Leakee was a competitor in a 30-man Grand Royal, but was eliminated. Later in 2011, Leakee formed an alliance with Donny Marlow and the pair unsuccessfully challenged Calvin Raines and Big E Langston for the Florida Tag Team Championship on July 8.
In 2012, Leakee became a main eventer in singles competition, and he pinned Florida Heavyweight Champion Leo Kruger during a tag team match on the 8 episode of FCW television. On the February 5 episode of FCW television, he defeated Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins in a triple threat match to become the number one contender to the FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship. He failed to win the championship when he lost to Kruger in a singles match the following week. He would later go on to win the Florida Tag Team Championship alongside Mike Dalton before dropping it to CJ Parker and Jason Jordan. Anoa'i made his NXT debut on the October 31 tapings under the name Roman Reigns by defeating CJ Parker.
The Shield (2012–2014)
- Main article: The Shield
Controversial rise to main event status (2014–2015)
IWE World Heavyweight Champion (2015–2016)
United States Champion and various feuds (2016–2017)
The Shield reunion (2017–present)
Intercontinental Champion (2017-present)
Persona and reception
Personal life
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- As Roman Reigns
- Moment of Silence (FCW) / Back suplex side slam (NXT) – used as a signature move in IWE
- Spear
- As Roman Leakee
- Checkmate (Spinning bulldog)
- As Roman Reigns
- Signature moves
- Drive-By (Running front dropkick from the floor to the head of an opponent draped over the bottom rope)
- Leaping clothesline
- Multiple corner clotheslines
- Over the top rope suicide dive
- Overhead pumphandle suplex
- Samoan drop
- Schoolboy transitioned into a one arm sitout powerbomb
- Superman punch, with theatrics; sometimes in mid-air
- Tilt-a-whirl slam
- Throat thrust
- Nicknames
- "First Class"
- "The Big Dog"
- "The Juggernaut"
- "The Muscle/Enforcer (of The Shield)
- "The Powerhouse"
- "The Thoroughbred"
- Entrance themes
- "Special Op" by Jim Johnston (Used while a part of The Shield)
- "The Truth Reigns" by Jim Johnston (June 16, 2014–present)
Championships and accomplishments
Collegiate football
Professional wrestling
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Most Improved Wrestler of the Year (2015)
- Tag Team of the Year (2013) with Seth Rollins
- Ranked #4 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2015
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Most Improved (2013)
- Tag Team of the Year (2013) with Seth Rollins
- International Wrestling Entertainment
- IWE Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Seth Rollins
- IWE United States Championship (1 time)
- IWE Intercontinental Championship (1 time, current)
- IWE World Heavyweight Championship (3 time)
- Royal Rumble (2015)
- IWE World Heavyweight Championship Tournament (2015)
- Slammy Award (7 times)
- Breakout Star of the Year (2013) - with Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose as The Shield
- Extreme Moment of the Year (2015) – Post-TLC rampage
- Faction of the Year (2013, 2014) - with Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins as The Shield
- Superstar of the Year (2014)
- Trending Now (Hashtag) of the Year (2013) - #BelieveInTheShield - with Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose as The Shield
- "What a Manuver" of the Year (2013) – for the Spear
- See also: Luchas de Apuestas
| Winner (wager) | Loser (wager) | Location | Event | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roman Reigns (contract) | Sheamus (championship) | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Raw | December 14, 2015 |
