Roman Reigns: Looking ahead to 2014....

[L@RISANO]

Well Old School RAW was a pretty good show, I had my complaints,very few I might add. However, the Main Event was what I was most anticipating since it was announced for last night's show. The chance to see Roman Reigns in singles action. Needless to say, it was a great Main Event with a great ending, especially the fact that Reigns picked up the win which will do wonders for his push going forward. The loss won't hurt Punk either and made the result a sort of win-win going forward. The Piper's pit was used brilliantly for the Shield's break-up whilst giving Ambrose a rub in promos with one of the greatest mic workers ever in the company.

Now to Reigns;
As a huge fan since I saw him, I have to say he did well in a singles match considering it wasn't a short match either. Didn't go the distance of the possible matches he will have if/when he makes it to the Main Event. I think he needs to have a couple more moves in his arsenal, maybe even showcase his athleticism a bit more during the matches.
Indeed, he is being portrayed as an Animal, and more and more after hearing Batista is having a possible 1/2 year final run, Roman Reigns is suited to taking over the role Batista held from 2005 till he left. It would be perfect if Batista's final act in his upcoming run is putting over Roman Reigns as the new Face or at least elevate him to the higher echelons of the WWE. It also would allow Reigns to grow slowly as a Singles competitor and allow him to feel his way into the Main Event. Yes, he is a Powerhouse competitor, but his build can allow him to be much more complete in the ring if developed properly. At times last night, he seemed a bit winded and lumbering, and whilst all was forgotten in the end due to the great near-falls action, it is something hopefully the WWE look for him to work on.

I must say to conclude; If yesterday was any indication, 2014 might just shape up to be the Year of Roman Reigns. I am looking forward to it and hopefully, him nor Daniel Bryan will be messed up, rather built properly and we can have the Main Event of Wrestlemania 31 - - - Daniel Bryan vs Roman Reigns -->>> WWE World Heavyweight Championship!

 

[crswcw]

Do not see why people are so high on this guy. He doesn't have mic skills limited wrestling ability and just looks like the rock with long hair

 

[Limitless]

I would like to see Reigns and the shield end after Wrestle Mania and have him work his way up, sort of how Lesnar did. Either have Orton remain a dominate champion until SummerSlam or pull the trigger on Batista and have Roman win his first World Title Then.

Here's the kicker though... They should have Dean win the Money in the bank. Have Roman be a dominate champion for a couple of months and then have Ambrose cash it in. I am not saying Dean should win the belt, but I want to see these two go at it. I think Dean has the potential to be a good rival for Roman for most of his career. You have a Powerhouse like Roman and a Crazy Lunatic like Dean. Sounds good to me!

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Reigns looked good in his match against CM Punk and the booking was a great way of protecting each guy. While Ambrose's interference was extremely minor, it could be viewed as just enough to take Punk's eye off the ball. Reigns' spear looks devastating when he's really able to hit it with the right amount of force, like we saw with Punk last night. Punk doesn't have to worry about looking weak when you take into account that Reigns' spear has scored pins over the likes of Sheamus, Kane, Bryan, Orton, Ziggler, Jericho, RVD and Cena.

As to where Reigns ultimately goes, that's hard to say. Like all Shield members, Reigns has gotten a strong response. When you're booked as well as The Shield have been and have demonstrated the consistent level of ability to justify such strong booking, as The Shield has, it's only natural for fans to be interested. Personally, I don't believe we'll ultimately know what Reigns is capable of until he's truly off on his own. Ambrose is a great character that knows how to use psychology to tell a story, Rollins is a potential workhorse who can be counted on for great matches but I don't think Reigns is as well defined as of yet. The muscle of a group, whether it's a wrestling faction, mercenary group from some action flick, fictional superhero team, etc. is often not as clearly defined as a character as other members.

However, Reigns made a strong impression last night in a rare singles match appearance by scoring a win over a former 5 time World Champion in WWE and the longest reigning World Champion in WWE for the past quarter century.

 

[nWo2]

I dont want the Shield to break up cuz Roman Reigns IS a star, but so are the other guys in The Shield. The problem most people are having is because Ambrose brings all the heat on the mic in The Shield and Reigns usually ends up finishing off their promos cuz he's "the biggest guy" That means he DONT HAVE TO TALK SHIT!

Roman Reigns is a future champion based off size ALONE the fact that he's over already as a dominant heel is justification because that was easy to tell since their debut.

Dean Ambrose is a character and that will propel him to championships

Seth Rollins is a work horse and has a diverse skill set which will get him over, but not as much juice unless he steps it up!

I would love to see him square off against Batista, Triple H, John Cena, Sheamus, etc.. Can you say the same of any other guys in The Shield?

 

[CultOfPersonality]

I think it's important for Reigns to have a good stint with a midcard title before blasting him straight into the WWE title picture. Whether it be triple thread for the US from Ambrose, or a feud with Big E whilst still part of the Shield for the IC, he needs a belt just to see how he responds and how the fans respond to him.

Having a belt also means (normally) more mic time so he can work on his skills in that department as well.

Personally, I like watching The Shield struggle with dissension, especially Ambrose who I think is revelling in being this paranoid lunatic who looks like he's one step from going over the edge. I'd like to see this carrying on for a little while longer, definitely through RR where it can be teased more so with Ambrose eliminating Reigns in the Rumble Match (after Reigns has gone on a Kane style spree of eliminations). Then at WM30 have the triple threat for the US, have Reigns win it and then go from there.

 

[Pedigree1]

Roman not only looked impressive,he looked damn impressive last night.. A+ all the way around yes obviously the match was protected as too make Reigns inabilities look rather minor.. Ambrose interfered but not much at all.. That was a devastating spear by Roman,man he drilled CM Punk and pinned the 5 time World Champion.. Roman i expect great things from in 2014 he is a eventual WWE WHC in the making!!

 

[ASKane]

Reigns promo during Piper's Pit was one of the best promos of the night. It was short and very effective and did the job required. He looked intimidating and only needed about 10 words to get his point across. Cena doesn't look intimidating in any way and that's why he needs 15 minutes to make himself look strong in promos however someone guys only need 30 seconds. Promo skills are overrated, good wrestlers should get the pushes and Reigns is a good wrestler. MITB winner I hope

 

[Kidpolean]

The more I see the Shield the more I think that these guys are very very AVERAGE. Ambrose flat out SUCKS. The guy is small working a boring slow pace, not athletic at all, talks weird for absolutely no reason, horribly oversells every move, and just comes off as a geek that got picked on in high school. Rollins is ok. Rollins will be your typical mid carder. He's no different than Tyson Kidd or Kofi, boring as hell on the mic and currently has no character at all. Reigns has a good look but worst mic skills than Ryback. I like his intensity in the ring but he lacks an actual moveset. His spear is inconsistent as it looks great sometimes and terrible other times. His facial expressions just SCREAM NO PERSONALITY and because of this he will never be a serious champion. They will give him the belt once or twice and he will fail miserably. I mean seriously, How the hell could this guy carry a feud? He cant talk, he cant sell a situation because he lacks any acting ability or personality. Ryback has more personality than him. Even if he has a manager, the manager cant fix the fact that he just stands there with a blank confused look on his face. Reigns is a vanilla giant!!!

Can someone please explain to me WHY YOU THINK REIGNS WILL BE A STAR?

Good Look
Average in ring
Terrible on mic
No personality

What is so special? Is it just because he is starting to get a push so everyone just assumes he will be a star? Is everyone just overrating these guys because they work well as a unit? Is is all based off of his look? I really dont understand it. None of them do anything special.

 

[Mustang Sally]

I'm not sure. I really want Reigns to make it big because he's got the makings of a star, that's for sure.

Still, even as he looks great while delivering his spear or that move in which he jumps in the air and throws a punch with his body at a 45 degree angle (whatever it is), his mat wrestling repertoire leaves something to be desired, even when he's being led through the match by a true pro like Punk.

The thing is, Roman has been in gang attack mode since entering WWE. He uses the spear in sneak attack situations, including the one last night. Having the opponent distracted so Reigns can spear him is totally Shield-like in application, right? Dean Ambrose interfered, and we got the same result we always get.

The Shield is breaking up, though. Roman Reigns is going to have to handle things on his own, which is a complete reversal of what he's been doing all along. He's never going to be a ring technician, but plenty of performers have become superstars without it.

Having him beating CM Punk on Raw is the surest indication of the plans WWE has for Reigns. The sky's the limit in 2014.

 

[CultOfPersonality]

The thing is, Roman has been in gang attack mode since entering WWE. He uses the spear in sneak attack situations, including the one last night. Having the opponent distracted so Reigns can spear him is totally Shield-like in application, right? Dean Ambrose interfered, and we got the same result we always get.

The Shield is breaking up, though. Roman Reigns is going to have to handle things on his own, which is a complete reversal of what he's been doing all along. He's never going to be a ring technician, but plenty of performers have become superstars without it.

I think he has a decent enough moveset to make it on his own, and I wouldn't say his spear is a complete sneak attack move. When he sets it up for it in the corner and does his whole roar to the crowd, if he was on his own in singles competition he would no doubt nail his opponent off that set up. Same with the set up for the superman punch. Obviously whilst he's in The Shield it makes more sense for the others to get involved because they're a heel stable and it's become synonymous with them to get a dirty win.

Nonetheless, he was impressive against Punk - he looked dominant because of his size advantage but still had to work hard for it, and it really did look like he worked for the win. A good start to a promising career here's hoping!

 

[The Eighties]

When Punk wrestled Ambrose and Rollins it was two guys working, last night Punk led Reigns through the match in the way Batista was led by Triple H in their early matches.

He's a big guy with an aura of cool about him and presence, plus he has a killer spear, but I hope they don't over-push him too quickly. He is not as well developed as Big E when it comes to singles wrestling and could do with going the same road, beating Ambrose for the US title and having a long run with it, working guys that can help teach him while putting him over.

He's in the Batista position right now, the fans are baying for him to turn on the other two in much the way fans were waiting for Batista to turn on Triple H, and when he does the pop will be huge. However it was a Wizard of Oz situation, once the curtain was pulled back and we were treated to week after week of Batista wrestling singles matches it wasn't so great, thus his popularity cooled if you compare it how molten hot he was coming off the Triple H angle.

Now in fairness to Batista he grew into a capable performer and had the title put on him with very few TV level matches under his belt, so it wasn't his fault that ring-wise he simply wasn't prepared for the role he was thrust into.
They can void this with Reigns if they take their time and put the title on him when he's 2007 top pro level Batista instead of green as grass 2005 level Batista.

 

[Alastor]

Hopefully they don't hotshot him to main event scene with his push. ADR, Swagger, Ryback all never recovered. I don't see enough from him to be interesting enough without the Shield. Ideally I am hoping for them letting Reigns and Big E have their own rivalry over the IC title and build each other up for the first part of 2014.

Batista had years as a member of Evolution and he could borrow a few traits from HHH and Ric Flair that helped him build bits and parts of his persona when he broke out for his singles run. Yes Reigns is also in a 'dominant' or 'featured' faction but the Shield is as bland as they can be and the members has shown almost no memorable individual characteristic compared to members of Evolution. Bastita could leverage on HHH or Flair's characters even though they don't fit him at all to make his character more interesting. Reigns don't have that luxury.

 

[kadroan]

I think it's important for Reigns to have a good stint with a midcard title before blasting him straight into the WWE title picture. Whether it be triple thread for the US from Ambrose, or a feud with Big E whilst still part of the Shield for the IC, he needs a belt just to see how he responds and how the fans respond to him.

Having a belt also means (normally) more mic time so he can work on his skills in that department as well.

Personally, I like watching The Shield struggle with dissension, especially Ambrose who I think is revelling in being this paranoid lunatic who looks like he's one step from going over the edge. I'd like to see this carrying on for a little while longer, definitely through RR where it can be teased more so with Ambrose eliminating Reigns in the Rumble Match (after Reigns has gone on a Kane style spree of eliminations). Then at WM30 have the triple threat for the US, have Reigns win it and then go from there.

I agree. That would be perfect. No need to rush Reigns in the main event. I can see Ambrose ready for a MITB win or even Cesaro.

They need to take time with Reigns like what they did with Cena

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I think we will see Roman Reigns as World Champion in 2014, but as much as I want to see it, I hope they don't rush him into the main event at Wrestlemania 30, as I don't think he is ready for it. They need to take their time with Reigns, and make sure they don't push him too quickly as they have a potential megastar on their hands.

I would like to see Reigns look extremely dominant in the Royal Rumble, eliminating several superstars before being knocked over the ropes "accidentaly" by Dean Ambrose and/or Seth Rollins, leading to the break up of The Shield, and Reigns defeating Ambrose at WM30 for the US Title. The two of them can then feud over the belt for a few months, before Reigns moves up to main event level. If WWE play their cards right, we could see Roman Reigns headlining Wrestlemania 31 next year.

 

[Cody Trail]

I think Reigns needs to spend another year or so in the mid-card before WWE decides whether or not to give him a big push. The only thing he really has going for him at the moment is his look. He needs to improve his ring-work and mic-work a bit before they decide to go full force with this guy. It's simply too much too soon.

 

[L@RISANO]

Roman Reigns should be built up slowly for the ENTIRE 2014 if possible. Let him get over with the crowd. Give him the occasional Main Event on RAW or SmackDown to improve slowly.
It isn't too hard to book either. The WWE has enough Main Event stars at this time to avoid pushing Roman Reigns into the Main Event scene from early. If possible, start Roman Reigns' Main Event run at the Royal Rumble 2015,the earliest. Hopefully, he would have improved on his current weaknesses, and have a more defined singles role( as Jack-Hammer said, he doesn't quite have that as yet).
As I said in the OP, have him go over Batista at some point next year. The passing of the torch moment, if you want to call it that. It has to be a Heel Batista however. I am not sure how long Batista will leave Mid-year to promote his movie, but if he is leaving just to promote and then is returning, a programme between him and Reigns after that would be perfect.
On this current Road to Wrestlemania, start by taking the US title from Dean Ambrose, and then having an extended feud with him or between all the members of the Shield. As has been mentioned, this has alot of similarities to when Batista turned on HHH. Not on the exact same level, but it is close.
Don't drop the ball on it,WWE!