Roman Reigns REVEALS the 'two requests' he made to WWE prior to his 2020 return as The Tribal Chief

As we gear up for SummerSlam 2021, we can't help but think about last year's PPV with Roman Reigns making his surprise return and having a complete character makeover as The Tribal Chief. Embracing his heel persona with open arms and deservedly winning the Universal Champion, Roman made the most of the opportunity and can even be arguably deemed as the face of the company.

For the unversed, it was before WrestleMania 36, when Reigns decided to put his health first and stepped away from WWE, which was functioning from the Performance Center, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, before returning in August at the end of SummerSlam 2020's main event; Bray Wyatt aka The Fiend vs. Braun Strowman. During a recent appearance on Sports Illustrated Media Podcast, via Post Wrestling, the 36-year-old wrestler revealed the "two requests" he made prior to his WWE return. Roman divulged, "I've said it before, I don't think — I'm sure I could do it but I don't think I would wanna do this without him [Paul Heyman] in my corner, and he's one of very few, you know? There's — I had two requests. I wanted to work with Michael Hayes, that's my guy."

Acknowledging Michael's influence on his life, Reigns admitted that Hayes has been with him from his "The Shield days" and even before that, with his family. In fact, Roman confessed that "a lot of people around" him "have been in relations and in close contact with my family, even before my time as a performer, back when I was just a kid."

"So they have a great history with my family and they've taken to me like family, like blood and those are two guys who are critically in my process – Michael Hayes and Paul Heyman," Roman concluded.

Well, Roman's requests were granted and proved to be a fruitful gamble as The Head of the Table continues to be the biggest attraction in WWE!

What do you have to say about Roman Reigns' The Tribal Chief gimmick? Share your honest, personal thoughts with Pinkvilla in the comments section below.

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Meanwhile, Roman has his work cut out for him as The Head of the Table will be defending his Universal Championship against the returning John Cena at SummerSlam 2021, set to take place on August 21.