When two WWE Superstars were told they look too similar to Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns and The Usos have embraced their Anoa'i family roots over the last two years in WWE. The Bloodline members are allowed to wear similar attire when they appear together on television, but that was not always the case.
In September 2016, Jimmy and Jey Uso turned heel for the first time in five years. As part of the character change, they stopped wearing face paint and swapped their bright clothing for darker colors. The appearance alteration meant they closely resembled their real-life cousin.
Jey Uso revealed on Corey Graves' After The Bell podcast in 2020 that WWE officials told him and his brother not to look like Reigns:
"Obviously, for the heel change, we needed to change everything, but they were saying when they had first seen us working in all black, it was like, 'You guys look too much like Roman. Don't look like Roman.' Man, who the hell else are we supposed to look like? We're in the same gene pool, uce." (H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcription)
Acknowledge #TheBloodline.
@WWERomanReigns @WWEUsos @HeymanHustle #SmackDown https://t.co/yQqxTEHZDf
The Usos were the top heel tag team on SmackDown at the time, while Reigns performed as a polarizing babyface on RAW.
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How The Usos avoided looking too similar to Roman Reigns
Jimmy and Jey Uso were not forced to wear face paint again, but they agreed to adjust their attire. Instead of donning all-black gear, they introduced red and white colors into their clothing and footwear.
"The 2016 Usos….. literally" 🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩 https://t.co/ZkBVwMx3eO
Jey added that WWE's decision-makers initially wanted The Usos to continue wearing face paint:
"Like, we fought to get that [face paint] off. They wanted us to keep it, but in my mind it wasn't going to work. There was no way we could get away from that. Like, we were colorful, but then we had to get completely away from that. 'They can't tell who y'all are without the face paint.' You know how that is."
The Bloodline has established itself as one of the most dominant factions in WWE history. The group currently consists of six members: Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, Paul Heyman, Roman Reigns, Sami Zayn, and Solo Sikoa.
Do you think WWE should have stopped The Usos from looking too much like Roman Reigns? Let us know in the comments section below.