Paul Heyman believes "The Tribal Chief" and the story of Roman Reigns' historic run as Undisputed WWE Universal Champion deserve an Emmy award.
Roman Reigns' run from WWE SummerSlam 2020 up until now has weaved a continuous thread, telling a story of Reigns' shift from valiant babyface to power-hungry villain. Along the way, The Usos, Solo Sikoa, Sami Zayn, and more have all been a vital part of the story, but Paul Heyman has been by Roman Reigns' side since the very first week.
Speaking with Variety, Paul Heyman stated that he believes Roman Reigns' current character should be up for an award.
“I will honestly state that I’ll put Roman Reigns and his portrayal of the Tribal Chief up against anybody right now in how he has approached a reality-based character of the top star of the industry,” Heyman tells Variety. “The fact that he’s not recognized by the people that are there to reward such performances with an award, to me, is disconcerting.”
Paul Heyman would address the turn of Sami Zayn at the 2023 WWE Royal Rumble event, comparing it to Shakespearean pantomime. Overall, Heyman says that while it was once considered laughable that WWE would be up for an Emmy, it is what they're striving for with this storyline.
“We’re trying to present a body of work that exceeds all boundaries and limitations that have been imposed upon this industry, either self-imposed or imposed by the predetermined notion of what this business is by the outside world, as evidenced by the fact that we’re sitting here today talking about the unfathomable concept of the Emmy Awards because a year ago we would have been laughed out of the conversation,” he says. “But this is what we strive for.”
Roman Reigns' story with Sami Zayn will climax at WWE Elimination Chamber 2023 when Sami challenges Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.
Fans can read Sami Zayn's thoughts on whether or not he believes he could beat Roman Reigns at this link.
