Roman Reigns' Tribal Chief Character Revealed To Be Inspired By Marlon Brando In 'Apocalypse Now'

Speaking at the recent BSM Summit, Paul Heyman has claimed that Roman Reigns' 'Tribal Chief' character was inspired by Marlon Brando's role in Apocalypse Now.

Heyman stated:

"When we first started talking about the presentation of the Tribal Chief, I had Roman Reigns watch 'Apocalypse Now' multiple times. To me, that was the heart and soul of the character of the Tribal Chief. A warrior so great that he conquered his own island. We call it the Island of Relevancy. Someone who now, all the natives - which is the WWE Universe - all the fans and performers on the roster look to for guidance because he's the top star. 

"In 'Apocolypse Now', Brando presented himself as a pseudo-god. We call it a Tribal Chief. Then, as everyone relies on Brando on this island for guidance, for wisdom, for substance, for food, for shelter [...] he feels the burden of the responsibility, of the obligation, of the accountability to be the leader of all these people. [...] He resented those that looked to him for guidance that he wanted to give them in the beginning and then that obligation became too much for him to bear. That's where the villainy of Roman Reigns comes in, because he says 'acknowledge me,' and once you acknowledge him, he says, 'Someone else I'm responsible for.'"

Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now was released in 1979 and features Brando as Colonel Kurtz, a rogue member of the U.S. Army Special Forces, whom the movie's protagonist is tasked with killing. It is adapted from Joseph Conrad's 1899 novella Heart of Darkness.

Reigns is set to defend his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Cody Rhodes at WWE WrestleMania 40. This bout will take place on night two, with the pair also clashing on night one in a tag team match featuring The Rock and Seth Rollins.

H/T to Fightful.