Origins of Roman Reigns’ ‘Acknowledge Me’ Catchphrase Revealed

Roman Reigns has established himself as one of the greatest pro wrestlers of all time thanks to his incredible character work. The Tribal Chief continues to rule WWE with an iron fist and now it appears the origins of his iconic catchphrase have been revealed.

After Roman Reigns returned to WWE back in 2020, he wasted no time in becoming the WWE Universal Champion and gained a strong foothold. His first major feud was with Jey Uso and thus, The Bloodline storyline began.

Eventually, Roman Reigns demanded that people acknowledge him and it took little time for it to become his catchphrase. During every appearance, The Tribal Chief demands acknowledgement from fans and pro wrestlers alike.

While speaking with Rick Rubin on the Tetragrammaton podcast, Paul Heyman talked about the origins of Roman Reigns’ ‘Acknowledge me’ catchphrase and revealed the exact moment it was born.

“Roman had said, ‘Well, you know what I really want from Jey? I don’t want his love. I have that. I don’t want his admiration. I don’t even want his obedience. I’ll take that from him. You know what I need? I’m the ‘Head of the Table.’ I am ‘The Tribal Chief.’ I need him to acknowledge me.’ And the moment he said it, we all got chills because we knew this is bigger than this moment. This is the declarative statement. This is the definition of the character. What does the character want? What does ‘The Tribal Chief’ need? What does the ‘Head of the Table’ seek? Acknowledgment.

[Roman is] the most confident performer, the best-looking man, the guy that looks like a champion, the one guy that can handle Brock Lesnar, the D1 athlete, a second-generation Samoan American wrestler, and he’s needy. He’s a ‘Tribal Chief.’ He’s ‘The Head of the Table.’ He runs the family. He’s the biggest star, but he’s needy. He needs you to acknowledge him.”

Roman Reigns’ next title defence was also confirmed recently. In the meantime, the Bloodline storyline continues to gain speed as we head towards the WWE Money In The Bank Premium Live Event next month. We’ll have to see what events will unfold in the coming weeks.

What’s your view on this Roman Reigns story? Do you love his catchphrase?? Let us know in the comments!