'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Whether people love or loathe Roman Reigns, there’s no getting away from the fact that he is the most talked-about WWE Superstar of his generation.
“The Big Dog” burst onto the scene as part of the popular Shield faction in 2012 and, ever since the trio initially split in 2014, he has gone from strength to strength and firmly cemented himself as the current (and future) face of the company.
In this article, using data from cagematch.net, we take a look at five lesser-known things about the Superstar’s WWE career that you might not know.
#5 Statistically, 2017 was his worst PPV year
Remember when John Cena used to win almost every high-profile match he was involved in? Well, the “LOL Cena wins” phenomenon has transferred to Roman Reigns in recent years, with the Shield member often emerging victorious in the matches that matter most.
We’ve done our best impression of Dana Brooke and crunched some numbers from Reigns’ time on the main roster, and we learned that 2017 was actually the worst PPV year of his WWE career so far.
He competed in 10 PPV matches from January 2017 to December 2017, winning only four times (most notably against The Undertaker and John Cena) while losing on six occasions (most notably against Braun Strowman at Payback and Great Balls of Fire).
#4 His most frequent non-Shield tag partner is Randy Orton
Needless to say, Roman Reigns has teamed with Dean Ambrose (109 times) and Seth Rollins (98 times) more than anybody else in televised WWE matches.
Outside of his fellow Shield members, “The Guy” has had plenty of tag partners over the years, with most people probably assuming he has teamed up with cousins Jimmy & Jey Uso more often than anybody else.
That’s not the case, however, as he has actually teamed with Randy Orton on 11 occasions on WWE television, which is higher than both Jimmy (9 times) and Jey (8 times). He has even teamed more with John Cena (10 times) than The Usos.
#3 SummerSlam 2017 is considered his greatest match
Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer star ratings are only the opinion of one man, but they still represent a good guide when comparing and contrasting multiple matches from a Superstar’s career.
In the case of Roman Reigns, the Fatal 4-Way SummerSlam 2017 main event with Brock Lesnar, Braun Strowman and Samoa Joe was awarded ****3/4 stars – the highest rating he has ever received from Meltzer.
Lesnar was able to retain his Universal title in the chaotic 20-minute match, pinning Reigns after an F5, while Strowman and Joe both emerged still looking like legitimate threats to “The Beast” despite failing to win.
#2 His most frequent televised opponent is Sheamus
It’s no surprise that Roman Reigns has done battle with both of his fellow Shield members on numerous occasions since the trio split in 2014, facing Dean Ambrose 11 times in televised matches and Seth Rollins a staggering 42 times.
However, we’ve learned that the three-time WrestleMania main-eventer’s most frequent televised opponent in WWE is actually Sheamus – a man he has faced 45 times, most memorably in a 5-minute, 15-second match at Survivor Series 2015.
That tally could easily be surpassed in the not-too-distant future, with Kane (41 matches with Reigns) and Bray Wyatt (39 matches with Reigns) currently on the same brand as “The Big Dog”.
#1 His first WWE pinfall loss was against Cody Rhodes
Roman Reigns has only been pinned 23 times since making his WWE debut as part of The Shield in December 2012, with his latest pinfall defeat coming at the hands of Seth Rollins in the gauntlet match on Raw in February 2018.
Just 13 different Superstars have been able to keep “The Big Dog” down for the 1-2-3 over the years and only three of them (Rollins, Finn Balor and Braun Strowman) have defeated him clean in one-on-one singles matches.
However, his very first pinfall loss surprisingly came at the hands of Cody Rhodes when, in October 2013, The Big Show knocked Reigns out with a KO punch and the Rhodes Brothers defeated The Shield to win the Tag Team titles.
