WWE has always felt as if Roman Reigns could have been the company's top guy, even dating back to his debut, and the 36-year-old has gotten into insane shape to help fulfil that potential.

Roman Reigns, in his current role as The Tribal Chief, looks and feels as if he's a dominating presence at the top of the WWE roster, but that wasn't always the case.

Looking back at how he looked in his days as part of the NXT brand in 2012, Roman Reigns was a shadow of the figure that we have grown to know and love today.

Roman Reigns, who just starting out with WWE at the time, had only just started on his tribal chest and shoulder tattoo and had limited facial hair, which don't really fit his current character well.

The SmackDown star also looks considerably smaller than he did back in 2012, with his body transformation again only enhancing his current gimmick.,

It's known that WWE is a "looks-based" company, where the presentation and appearance of a wrestler will massively impact how they are perceived by fans and management. 

Considering that, and looking at the insane shape that Roman Reigns has been able to get himself into it, it's no surprise that WWE has looked to continuously push him as its top star.

We are just one year away from Roman Reigns ten-year anniversary in WWE, with the Universal Champion making his NXT in-ring debut on the October 31 show back in 2012.

It didn't take long for Roman to catch the attention of higher-ups, as less than a month later, Reigns debuted on the main roster at Survivor Series with Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose as The Shield.

You can watch Roman Reigns live every week on WWE Friday Night SmackDown over here in the UK on BT Sport.