Roman Reigns is not the type of WWE Superstar to win quietly. He wins big, he wins loud and, most importantly, he wins often. The three-time WWE Champion has turned heads ever since he debuted as the muscle of The Shield, and the unstoppable success of that faction snowballed almost instantly into one of the most impressive singles careers since John Cena. Ranking his biggest victories is no easy task — he's achieved a lot of them — but here's our thoughts on the Roman Empire's greatest conquests.
The biggest victory of Reigns’ singles career up to that point, and the launching pad that set the tone for everything that was to come. The Big Dog’s three WWE Championships and three WrestleMania main events can all be traced back to this one night in Philadelphia where, a year after coming in runner-up to Batista, Reigns eliminated six competitors to punch his ticket to WrestleMania. Speaking of what was to come, this story had a heartwarming direct sequel that people tend to forget …
Almost a year after his Royal Rumble Match win, Reigns returned to the very same arena to defeat Sheamus for the WWE World Heavyweight Title — his second reign after a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it stint spoiled by The Celtic Warrior’s Money in the Bank cash-in — and emerge as a conquering hero to the Philadelphia faithful. After the win, Reigns got on the mic and thanked the audience for motivating him to improve over the previous 11 months.
The Big Dog’s official coronation as king of the mountain was on the biggest possible stage. Reigns’ Philadelphia comeback was spoiled just weeks later after he was forced to, and failed, to defend his title in the Royal Rumble Match, which was won by a returning Triple H. That led to a grudge match at The Showcase of the Immortals itself, where Reigns won his third (and, to date, last) World Title at the biggest WrestleMania in history.
Easily the most personal of Reigns’ contests, this WrestleMania-worthy dream match came about because, quite simply, John Cena jumped ship to Raw for the sole purpose of seeking Reigns out. And he did so with an increasingly savage series of mic battles that somehow got more personal with each passing week. The Big Dog, for his part, kept saying he’d do all the talking necessary come bell time and he did just that, kicking out of four Attitude Adjustments to send Cena into what appears, for all intents and purposes, to be a soft semi-retirement. For years, the WWE Universe had wondered whether the top echelons of sports-entertainment had room enough for both Superstars. For now, at least, they have their answer.
This is the most divisive and important accomplishment on Reigns’ resumé; his WrestleMania 33 triumph didn’t just hand The Undertaker his second loss at The Showcase of the Immortals, The Big Dog seems to have sent The Phenom back into the void from whence he came. The next night was among the most infamous evenings in Reigns’ young career, wherein the entire #RawAfterMania crowd showered him with insults meant to shatter both The Big Dog’s confidence and self-image. He stood there, took it for 10 minutes, hit ’em with an all-time one-liner — “This is my yard now” — and dropped the mic. Perhaps the most defining trait about Roman Reigns’ biggest win is that, unlike other Superstars, he didn’t feel the need to expand upon it. He had done all the talking where it matters.