Roman Reigns is arguably the greatest heel in the wrestling industry right now, and that is a credit to him and the hard work he has put in since returning to WWE. The decision to commit to him being a villain on television is something that needed to happen, and it has truly made him an exciting wrestler to watch.
WWE has made plenty of small tweaks with his character to enhance things and that has taken him to a new level. Roman is now performing at the absolute peak of his powers, and some of the changes made have helped in creating that.
8 New Theme Song
Roman Reigns getting a new theme song is something that fans have wanted for a very long time. Even as a babyface, people wanted to see him ditch The Shield music and bring out something that was authentically him, as Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose had their own music.
WWE waited a while to bring out a heel song for Roman, but they delivered a fantastic song when it finally happened. The song is very grand and truly suits a brilliant heel as everything about it is over the top and it makes a real impact because of that.
7 New Ring Gear
Another smart change WWE made to get away from his time with The Shield was switching up his ring gear. Roman Reigns had been wearing the same thing from the moment he debuted, rocking the protected vest throughout his entire career.
However, the heel turn brought an end to that, and ditching the classic look is something that worked out for him. While it doesn't gain him any heat from the fans, the decision to not have the vest backs up his arrogance as a character, which is a great detail.
6 The Paul Heyman Factor
There is no denying that adding Paul Heyman to his character was a crucial element of the heel character that Roman Reigns has developed. It was a partnership that nobody expected to happen, therefore when it did, people were completely shocked by it.
Seeing Heyman, who Roman had feuded with in the past, working with him was a clever decision and a nice swerve by WWE. Paul has added a lot to his character, putting some fantastic promos together to make him a top star.
5 Bullying Paul Heyman
The difference between Paul Heyman's relationship with Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns is very clear, with the Tribal Chief having no problem bullying Heyman and telling him exactly what to do. Rather than Paul putting everything together himself, Roman tells him what he wants and expects it to happen.
The subtle moments between them are fantastic and they add to their relationship, which in turn makes Roman seem like a scarier heel. Having him threaten his own helpers is a unique idea, and even though Heyman is a heel himself, it does make fans feel sorry for him.
4 Pure Arrogance
Every heel typically believes in themselves, but WWE often likes to create cowardly heels. Characters that will run away and don't often back themselves up, but that isn't the case with Roman Reigns as he is very arrogant and full of belief.
That is something that has gained him a ton of heat throughout his heel run so far and has taken his character to the next level. It gives fans a reason to truly dislike him, as Roman is happy to brag about being the best in everything he does, which people typically do not like.
3 Slowing His Pace Down
A subtle change that Roman Reigns has made throughout his heel run is slowing his pace down inside the ring and becoming a lot more methodical with his in-ring style. It's something similar to what Triple H has always done, and it worked well when he was a heel as well.
Roman will work at his pace and that is it. He is never prepared to get dragged into things with other wrestlers, working too fast for the sake of it, and that works well for his character. He slows the pace, takes his time, and dominates his opponents, which makes fans hate him even more.
2 Confident Promos
Before his heel turn, promos were always something that Roman Reigns struggled with. One of the big reasons for that was because he was so restricted and heavily scripted. However, as a heel, Roman has been allowed more freedom on the microphone, and it has worked in his favor.
The promos that he cuts are fantastic and it is easy to dislike him, yet still find him entertaining, which works well. He has improved massively in this element and that slight confidence change has enhanced his character so much as it is easy to believe in him.
1 Trash Talking
The best change that has come with Roman Reigns as a heel is the trash-talking he has brought to the ring. He does that throughout all of his matches now and it has added a great element of entertainment to his character.
He will happily talk trash to anybody he is wrestling with, no matter how talented his opponent is. It is always fun to hear what he has to say during his matches, and it certainly enhances his character as it makes him seem even more arrogant during his performances.