Roman had dealt with fierce, painful, and nonstop rejection for years and years, and there are few things that hurt more than that. We humans are social creatures. One rejection is fine. But constantly feeling unwanted and unloved? That is one of the most painful experiences anyone can ever imagine. And the Roman Reigns character felt that feeling night after night for years, though it was unacknowledged for all that time because the previously poor writing could not allow it to be acknowledged.
Even his bout with and victory over leukemia was not enough to truly get audiences on his side as a heroic face of the company. While he was cheered upon his return, even then, his positive reception began to diminish, as that old mold, solidified on that fateful night in Philadelphia, refused to break.
Roman needs acceptance. He needs to exorcise the pain of rejection that he felt all those nights and all those times. All of the cruelty he inflicts as the Head of the Table – supposedly for the benefit of the business, is really his way of saying “am I good enough for you now?”