When did Roman Reigns start wrestling?

Roman Reigns has professional wrestling in his blood, but it wasn't his original career trajectory. He spent most of the 2000s aiming to become a professional American Football player.

While he became an NFL Player, it was disrupted due to health reasons. Eventually, Roman Reigns began to focus on a wrestling career and signed a developmental contract with WWE in 2010. His father is Sika Anoa'i, one half of the classic Tag Team "The Wild Samoans".

Roman Reigns began wrestling in 2010, and 11 years later, he has gone on to become the biggest Superstar of his generation. When Roman Reigns began his wrestling journey, he was assigned to the developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW).

My very first match on FCW TV. Shad was unhappy during these times, but he was still kind to me and took good care of me. We rode to a couple towns together and he shared stories of his road experiences and his friendship with my cousin Umaga/Eki. Now they rest together. 🙏🏽 https://t.co/Sv7FNDeIUv

— Roman Reigns (@WWERomanReigns) May 20, 2020

The FCW training area wasn't nearly as refined and professional as the modern WWE Performance Center, but the company was going through a transitional phase in terms of developmental territories.

NXT, which was first a game show in WWE, became the official developmental territory, with the company moving away from FCW. This was in the summer of 2012, meaning that Roman Reigns had a small tenure in NXT before moving to the main roster.

Before A Future @WWE: The #FCW Story drops tomorrow, look back at THIS #BattleRoyal featuring @WWERollins @WWERomanReigns @XavierWoodsPhD and more!👀 https://t.co/UBLp5DJFxC pic.twitter.com/c1EFMVHvXa

— WWE Network (@WWENetwork) March 7, 2020

It was only two years after Roman Reigns began wrestling that he joined the WWE main roster as part of The Shield. Reigns was the powerhouse in the trio that also included Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose (now known as Jon Moxley).

A controversial rise to stardom for Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns was essentially the handpicked successor to John Cena in the eyes of Vince McMahon. While it was only speculated at first, the mega push that Roman Reigns received between 2015 and 2018 told the whole story.

Roman Reigns' babyface push was constantly rejected for three straight years. That didn't stop him from headlining WrestleMania 4 years in a row, but in hindsight, the backlash can't be pinned on Roman Reigns alone.

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After Roman Reigns' brave and miraculous recovery from leukemia in early 2018, fans began to warm up to him as a babyface. He took a hiatus between late March and August 2020, returning as a heel. Since then, there hasn't been any Superstar in WWE that has received more praise than Roman Reigns. It's been a long journey for him since his wrestling career began in 2010, but he is now among the most decorated members of his legendary Samoan wrestling bloodline.