Roman Reigns wouldn't have returned to WWE in August 2020 if he wasn't allowed to start performing with the 'Tribal Chief' character.

Just before WrestleMania 36, Roman Reigns pulled out of his scheduled Universal title match with Goldberg due to fears over the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reigns wasn't seen on TV for around four months, but returned at the end of the SummerSlam pay-per-view in August 2020.

Upon his return, Roman was able to be a heel for the first time as a singles star, and it seems like this was a big condition for his return.

The 36-year-old recently sat down with ESPN for an interview, and according to the site's write-up, Reigns might not have returned in 2020 if he wasn't able to play the 'Tribal Chief' character.

“Reigns and Heyman said they might not have returned to WWE unless they were given permission by WWE CEO Vince McMahon to execute this story in a mostly unscripted fashion.”

The role has enabled Roman to become widely recognised as one of the biggest stars in the industry, with fans believing that he's now doing the best work of his career.

WWE tried for years to get Reign over to the extent he is now, so the risk of turning him heel and allowing him to do the Tribal Chief character did work.

Roman Reigns WWE

WWE WrestleMania 38 will see a 'Winners Takes All' title unification match between WWE Champion Brock Lesnar, and Universal Champion Roman Reigns.

More news is expected to emerge between now and WrestleMania 38, which starts tomorrow night, so make sure you stay tuned to GiveMeSport for any updates on that front.

You can watch WrestleMania 38 this weekend live in the US on Peacock and in all other international markets on the WWE Network.