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Well, who doesn’t know Marlon Brando? He was widely considered one of the most influential actors of all time. Surprisingly, his influence extended to the unexpected world: American wrestling, notably for Roman Reigns. The 38-year-old is the WWE’s best superstar.
The former footballer marked a remarkable turning point after his heel turned, capturing every fan’s fantasy in terms of booking expectations. However, it’s interesting to explore how Reigns’ heel turn changed everything.
Roman Reigns Heel Turn Solidified His Status As WWE’s Premier Talent
The world of wrestling is mostly all about the heroes and villains, it plays an important role in sparking the excitement of fans. The opponents are very crucial to helping elevate the narratives, matches, and characters.
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In past years, WWE has seen a bunch of wrestlers flip to the dark side, making their characters more interesting and creating new stars in the process.Roman Reignspulled off a major makeover in 2020 when he turned heel, solidifying his status as WWE’s premier talent.
This move changed how fans saw him, from a guy who divided opinions to an absolute superstar.Overall, Reigns’ heel turn has changed his career. The character switch has done more good than the year before when the good-guy persona was feeling a little flat.
He had really nailed the character, making him feel like a force to be reckoned with. However, it’s worth noting that the fans’ frustration was not with Reigns the man, but Roman Reigns, the character.
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Fans were also supportive when he took time off for health reasons. And even though the WWE had kind of overdone his old character, fans were ready to cheer him on when he came back, no matter what.
Amid all of this, the pandemic also had an impact on WWE’s events. During COVID-19, WWE’s events took a hit, but Reigns’ heel turn added some excitement during that time. These events greatly impacted the wrestler, directing him to important decisions and ultimately changing his career for the better. But in any case, who inspired him? That is the big question.
Roman Reign Found Inspiration In Marlon Brando’sApocalypse Now
Reigns has been holding down the WWE Universal Hero title for over three years now. He sets up a good foundation for himself as the head honcho in the company, the responsibility of the Tribal Chief.
But it turns out that his inspiration came from an unexpected source, none other thanMarlon Brando’siconic role.The professional wrestler wasn’t aiming to imitate Don Corleone fromThe Godfather,though.
Instead, he was attracted to the contorted depiction of Colonel Walter Kurt inApocalypse Now, played by Brando. As per Paul Heyman, it was his suggestion that Reigns watch the movie, paying close attention to Brando’s personality. He toldBarrett Sports Media,
“I had Roman Reigns watch Apocalypse Now multiple times. To me, that was the heart and soul of the character of the Tribal Chief. A warrior so great that he conquered his own island.”
Further,Heyman explained,
“Brando presented himself as a pseudo-God. We call it a Tribal Chief. ..That’s where the villainry of Roman Reigns comes in because he says ‘Acknowledge me,’ and [at] once you acknowledge him.”
Brando’s depiction of a pseudo-god-like figure resonated with Reigns, forming his way of dealing with the Tribal Chief persona. The demand for acknowledgment, the aura of power, everything clicked for Reigns, driving his transformation into a formidable bad guy in the WWE universe.
Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman Wanted to Beat Peaky Blinders, Breaking Bad and The Sopranos’ Villain Arc With The Tribal Chief Storyline
Fans also have a lot to say about this. One fan (Rakshit Shah)even commented on social media,“Everything changed for Roman after this. He became a megastar in the wrestling industry.”While others also chimed in.
Roman is a good and legendary man
— Habib Malik (@HabibMalik626)July 19, 2025
Thanks to paul and roman for saving WWEThe introduction of The tribal chief gimmick changed wrestling foreverpic.twitter.com/I2M03WAkYc
— J (@renegaded_J)June 19, 2025
The horror…the horror
– Roman Reigns
— SM (@Sharky784)July 18, 2025
Reigns’ journey has indeed been impressive, inspiring countless others along the way.
Muskan Chaudhary
Articles Published :694
Muskan Chaudhary, Junior Content Writer at Fandom wire. Having completed her degree in Commerce, she has written over 500 articles spanning FandomWire and Animated Times in the pop culture. She is dedicated to bring the latest and informative content from the entertainment world, thus expanding her knowledge in the field. Apart from her contributions to FandamWire, she has a keen interest in video games, sketching and playing tennis.
