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Deion Sanders Shoes Go Viral In WWE Superstar Roman Reigns RAW Return
Jan 27, 2024; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Roman Reigns reacts during the WWE Undisputed Championship match at the Royal Rumble at Tropicana Field. Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

As one of World Wrestling Entertainment's top-drawing superstars, Roman Reigns often asks opponents and fans to "acknowledge" him. On Monday, he acknowledged Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders.

Reigns wore Sanders's signature Nike Air Diamond Turf shoes in a shocking return to action on the most recent episode of Monday Night RAW, another symptom of the ever-growing "Prime Effect."

Hailed as one of the world's best professional wrestlers yet away from television for nearly three months, Reigns rocked the kicks of "Coach Prime" while coming to the aid of fellow stars Jey Uso and CM Punk.

A red-hot Birmingham, Alabama crowd oohed and aahed as the four-time WWE Champion and 10-time WrestleMania main eventer laid waste to Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed, likely setting up a match for SummerSlam: New Jersey at MetLife Stadium next month.

In storyline, Breakker caused Reigns' absence in April with a vicious attack at the command of heated rival Seth Rollins and ex-manager Paul Heyman.

As of Wednesday, Reigns' return has been viewed over 20 million times across WWE's social media platforms. Clad in Sanders's trademark shoes, the 40-year-old's moment closed one of the promotion's most captivating weekly programs of 2025.

At this stage of his career, any Reigns appearance on a non-premium show can be considered a spectacle, further highlighting the significance of his shoe-wearing.

Reigns, a former Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets defensive lineman whose real name is Joe Anoa'i, is a passionate NFL fan and longtime supporter of the San Francisco 49ers. Sanders played cornerback for the Niners in 1994, helping the franchise win its last Super Bowl to date.

Sanders also reciprocated the nod online, posting an Instagram story on Tuesday of Reigns in his Nike Air Diamond Turfs.

Reigns showing love to Sanders through footwear isn't new among public figures. Since Coach Prime's hiring at Colorado in 2023, his shoes have made a major comeback across sports and pop culture. Many of the Buffs' players wear the shoe in support of the brand.

Most notably, world-renowned rapper Kendrick Lamar wore Sanders's Nike DT Max '96 shoes during his Super Bowl Halftime Show performance last February.

According to StockX, this event led to a 413% increase in trades of Sanders's DT Max shoes. It happened at a perfect time, as Lamar's release of the single "Not Like Us" and album GNX led to one of the most commercially successful points of his career.

Monday wasn't the only WWE-Colorado connection of the past week. During the TV special Saturday Night's Main Event , current Buffaloes linebacker Gage Goldberg confronted World Heavyweight Champion Gunther to defend his father, Bill Goldberg, during his retirement match.

Goldberg, a WWE Hall of Famer and former NFL teammate of Sanders's with the Atlanta Falcons, saw his son Gage join the Colorado roster last season. Bill Goldberg made several appearances at Buffs games in 2024, even bringing Breakker with him for September's clash with the Baylor Bears.

Sanders's ever-growing Prime Effect is seen in more corners of culture with each passing day. From the squared circle to the Super Bowl stage, Colorado's coach has as much influence as when he first said, "If you look good, you feel good."


This article first appeared on Colorado Buffaloes on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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