'%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)
Triple H recently shared an interesting story about Roman Reigns, explaining how far the latter has come over the years.
Roman Reigns is hands down the biggest star in WWE today. He holds both the WWE and Universal Championships and is the top heel in the company. Reigns' presence on WWE SmackDown has helped the show generate huge ratings over the past three years or so.
Triple H recently spoke with The Athletic and opened up about the idea of creating new stars. The Game shared a story involving The Tribal Chief from way back in 2019. He revealed that the folks over at The Tonight Show weren't interested in Reigns or Braun Strowman making an appearance on the popular talk show.
“Three years ago, ‘The Tonight Show’ would call and want a guest and ask for Triple H or The Undertaker or (John) Cena. There was a year I couldn’t make it work, and I asked them to pick Roman or Braun (Strowman). They weren’t interested… Now Roman is on that show on his own. It takes time. You’re building stars. It’s not like flash-in-the-pan stars where this guy’s hot in boxing today and six months later, no one remembers him.
Triple H stated that creating new stars is a slow and steady process.
“You’re trying to build generational stars that last. It takes time. It’s a slow and steady progression, and they’re getting there. Becky Lynch, Roman, they’re becoming household names,” said Triple H. (H/T The Athletic)
Check out the results from the latest episode of SmackDown here.
Roman Reigns has gone through a major character progression over the past three years
Back in 2019, Reigns was one of the biggest stars in all of WWE. He made a big return to the ring on the road to WrestleMania 35 after battling leukemia for months on end. He later made his way to WWE SmackDown during the 2019 Superstar Shakeup.
Reigns opted out of his WrestleMania 36 match against Goldberg due to COVID-19 concerns. He made a significant return to WWE at SummerSlam 2020, attacking Braun Strowman and The Fiend in the process. Reigns finally turned heel, a character change that fans had been demanding for years at that point.
The Tribal Chief won the Universal title a week later and has held the belt ever since. He is on the verge of completing 600 days as Universal Champion. There's no denying the fact that Reigns has now become a significant mainstream attraction who has enough star power to appear on major talk shows on his own.
What do you think? Do you believe Roman Reigns wasn't popular enough to make an appearance on The Tonight Show back in 2019?
