Are WWE fighting a losing battle with Reigns as a face champion

[Kodo Sawaki]

First of all, I like Reigns and respect whole idea that they are trying to do with him. He is member of one of the most important familys in wrestling, cousin of by all charts top 3 wrestlers of all time The Rock. On top of that he has good look that you do need in wrestling. He is pretty marketable based on just that facts. Even so, he was member of one of the most dominant factions ever in Shield(they even defeated Evolution twice for cryin outloud). He received one of most biggest pops in faction as "The Powerhouse"(as anouncers called him) of the faction and most biggest reaction on last Rumble(for reason that werent him but still). In situations where you want to build new stars it makes sense that you try with him.

Problem in all that is booking. From breaking of "The Streak" it was clear that someone needs to get the rub from Lesnar. That someone WWE decided to be Roman Reigns. On paper it makes a lot of sense and it was expected to go that way. In reality it doesnt go that smooth. After break up of Shield he was injured. In that fallout he almost received nothing because Rollins got all heat because of heel turn and Ambrose stayed to feud with Rollins and got pretty favorable reaction(he even beat Cena at merchandise one month). That rub that he could get you could see on Smackdown when he(and Ambrose joined later) where fighting Rollins. In process of injury he lost Survivor Series rub which WWE throw at Ziggler. He could get pretty good face rub then. Before he comed back they throw "Superstar of the year" award to him. Which didnt do him good because you could see from airplane that vote was rigged in his favor. After he comed back instead of going after Rollins(Rollins in all fairness was busy in that time with Cena and Brock) they slapped him with Big Show. Which didnt brought him any good especially because they build Show as someone Reigns couldnt even overcome. Add that terrible "Superman 1950" promo and you get why fans wherent exaclly behind him at that time. And on top of that they gave him Rumble expecting that he would get decent reaction. And they did it by making him "killed" most of the match(appart from last year when he was dominating and fans loved it even for wrong reasons) only to overcome Big Show and Kane at the end(both of which are pretty irrelevant today) and making his cousin Rock help him and even trying to get him some rub from Rusev after all that. Too corny and you can see why fans werent behind him if you build him good on paper but in reality as someone who overcomes irrelevant people and is handpicked to succeed. After Rumble they tried to make it better( head to head with Brock was good, Bryan acctually did elevate him a bit, and Heyman throwing tantrums at him also) but its to little to late.

So you see, its not that WWE is fighting lose battle to make him face Champion(he would be fine face Champion if build up properly), its WWEs fails making him bad face Champion and not getting people behing him. Because if he wasnt hurt and acctually got rub from Shield fallout and Survivor Series, if they did better build with him after all that, he would be fine. Maybe not great as they expected but he would be pretty good at odds they gave him and fans could get behind him after all that.

 

[MR K]

To answer the op, yes! I have never heard a "you can't wrestle " chant at any upcoming babyface champion leading up to mania. I have never heard someone else's name being changed during a promo for an upcoming babyface champion at mania. Every single guy that was going to take the spot that Reigns is about to take was mega over before they took that spot. WWE have fucked up.

 

[FreezeIzGAWD]

80% of the fans are behind Bryan, you moron! He's the number two merch seller behind Cena. Bryan gets the crowd invested in what he is doing. You are blind to the fact that he is the most over person besides Cena. You just can't stand that a guy that looks like a troll is more popular than an ordinary bland muscle head, it just kills you! Casuals don't know who he is? Look at the crowd, dumbass! Believe that!

WOW......

You guys are a riot!

Okay first off I never said Daniel Bryan wasn't popular. I said to casual fans!

Do you know who "One Time" Keith Thurman is? If so you are a hardcore fan but to casual fans there are only two boxers.... Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather.

Do you know who Rakim Allah is? If so you are a hardcore rap fan but to casual fans they only know Snoop Dogg and Eminem?

Daniel Bryan is not nearly as over as the Yes Movement. Did you forget that people chanted YES during Stephanie's promo against Cena recently? Guess she is OVER too huh?

Daniel Bryan has no crossover appeal at all. He doesn't have the look, charisma and honestly he is as bad if not worse than you guys claim Roman is on the mic.

That is why Roman is the future and DB will remain GOD TO YOU NERDS!!!!

Oh by the way google top wee ten merchandise sellers and Roman is out selling DB but hey don't let FACTS stop your good stories....

http://wrestlingnews.co/news-on-wwes-top-merchandise-sellers-at-arenas-and-online/

BELIEVE THAT....

Or whatever you GEEKS want to.....

 

[Navi]

WOW......

You guys are a riot!

Okay first off I never said Daniel Bryan wasn't popular. I said to casual fans!

Do you know who "One Time" Keith Thurman is? If so you are a hardcore fan but to casual fans there are only two boxers.... Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather.

Do you know who Rakim Allah is? If so you are a hardcore rap fan but to casual fans they only know Snoop Dogg and Eminem?

Daniel Bryan is not nearly as over as the Yes Movement. Did you forget that people chanted YES during Stephanie's promo against Cena recently? Guess she is OVER too huh?

Daniel Bryan has no crossover appeal at all. He doesn't have the look, charisma and honestly he is as bad if not worse than you guys claim Roman is on the mic.

That is why Roman is the future and DB will remain GOD TO YOU NERDS!!!!

Oh by the way google top wee ten merchandise sellers and Roman is out selling DB but hey don't let FACTS stop your good stories....

http://wrestlingnews.co/news-on-wwes-top-merchandise-sellers-at-arenas-and-online/

BELIEVE THAT....

Or whatever you GEEKS want to.....

First of all you might get a more positive response from people here if you didn't call them GEEKS, ********s, NERDS and other such. Every time you post here it is always derogatory in some way, shape or form towards the fans. You know the fans, the people who actually pay to attend the shows and buy the merchandise.

And furthermore everyone is entitled to their own opinion, it's called Freedom of Speech, and if it doesn't correspond with your's, then that come's under the heading of too bad. There is no reason to name call because of it. You sound quite honestly like a 3 three old having a tantrum.

No one gives a shit about rappers and boxers, that's not what this thread is about, nice try to derail it though. Casual fans do know who Daniel Bryan is, they would be stupid if they didn't, as he was the winner last year at Mania. The show that most casual fans do watch.

And the list you provided with the top merchandise sellers, is old, try updating it if you want to make a valid point.

 

[Dave]

Yeah, it's not working as a Face. To be honest, his look lends itself towards being a brooding heel in the ilk of Brock Lesnar or Dave Batista. It seems odd to me that the WWE didn't consider putting him with a manager a long time ago and have him fill that spot in the roster. Still that's the easy option for the WWE. And they didn't want another brooding heel that destroys people. The WWE wanted an actual alternative to Cena. But the problem is, Reigns doesn't have the talent that John Cena does... And he never will by the looks of it. Even upon his debut, Cena had a tonnes of charisma, something that can't be taught. Lets be honest, every time Reigns opens his mouth, the crowd let out a collective yawn.

It's clear now, to the WWE and to everyone, that Reigns isn't the guy to replace Cena. They tried and they've come a long way with him. But he just doesn't have the natural assets that is required to take that role. I'm afraid the WWE will have to have a deeper look at their roster and see what else is available to them because Reigns just doesn't seem capable right now.

But back to the topic at hand, with everyone talking about a double turn, it seems unlikely it will happen. With all the recent reports coming out of the WWE with regards to Brock, it makes it even more unlikely that Reigns is going to be the Champion after Mania. And I think that's a good thing. Until he learns how to be an interesting face, or the WWE turns him heel and puts him with a heater, he's going nowhere.

 

[Navi]

Yeah, it's not working as a Face. To be honest, his look lends itself towards being a brooding heel in the ilk of Brock Lesnar or Dave Batista. It seems odd to me that the WWE didn't consider putting him with a manager a long time ago and have him fill that spot in the roster. Still that's the easy option for the WWE. And they didn't want another brooding heel that destroys people. The WWE wanted an actual alternative to Cena. But the problem is, Reigns doesn't have the talent that John Cena does... And he never will by the looks of it. Even upon his debut, Cena had a tonnes of charisma, something that can't be taught. Lets be honest, every time Reigns opens his mouth, the crowd let out a collective yawn.

It's clear now, to the WWE and to everyone, that Reigns isn't the guy to replace Cena. They tried and they've come a long way with him. But he just doesn't have the natural assets that is required to take that role. I'm afraid the WWE will have to have a deeper look at their roster and see what else is available to them because Reigns just doesn't seem capable right now.

But back to the topic at hand, with everyone talking about a double turn, it seems unlikely it will happen. With all the recent reports coming out of the WWE with regards to Brock, it makes it even more unlikely that Reigns is going to be the Champion after Mania. And I think that's a good thing. Until he learns how to be an interesting face, or the WWE turns him heel and puts him with a heater, he's going nowhere.

This is one of the best posts I've read regarding the Roman Reigns situation, and it sums it up perfectly. Kudo's Dave.

They have tried everything, they've thrown everything at the wall to see what will stick and nothing has. Reigns has the looks of a champion, but as I've said before the other skills just aren't there yet. Maybe it's the WWE's fault for pushing him too fast and too far. 7 months as a singles wrestler on the main roster, doesn't make you main event material. Reigns is still in a learning curve, and they didn't want to take the time to for him to complete it.

The biggest issue is they will never be able to replace John Cena. Cena is a once in a lifetime wrestler, he's that one guy that comes along that has charisma, skills and the passion for the business that makes him an outstanding talent. And no I'm not saying other's aren't as talented or as passionate, but Cena lives, breathes and bleeds WWE. It's his life.

The WWE will be hard pressed to replace that, so they shouldn't even try and they don't need too. I've never agreed with having one guy carry the company, there is nothing wrong with having a roster full of wrestler's that fans are paying to see. They've already started to ruin Reigns because of it, how many more will they go through before they realize that times have changed, and so have the fans?

 

[John McCass]

WWE has put themselves and espescially Roman Reigns in a big problem. They booked the guy very badly that is leading to the burial of Roman Reigns. They are taking a step back according to MetsFan4Ever. If the rumors suppose to be true then, there gonna be a big problem for Reigns. The creative has came this much far making that guy look relevant. Personally, I never wanted Reigns to main event atleast this WrestleMania but, they gave the Rumble victory to him and now, Reigns badly needs the victory over Lesnar for any cost. If Reigns loses at WrestleMania, it is gonna be a tragedy to the young man's career. They should have waited a while before putting Reigns into the title picture. Instead of that, they superpushed him and now they are going back. The rumors can also be false as, some days ago, there was a rumor stating that Bryan will be added to the World Title match at the Mania which doesn't appears to be the case. Now, back to the topic. Reigns was midst a big push aroud Summerslam and pre-Night of Champions, he was injured. Then, he came back at TLC and went on to a meiocre feud with The Big Show (huh, WTF). Since then, he jobbed two or three times to Big Show, God knows why. Then, he went on to beat Daniel Bryan where he gained some fans back. But, the fault in guy is that he's very arrogant. If you look up to his interviews, I think you know what I'm saying. The problem with Reigns is that he was pushed before the time and without any buildup. Also, there is no buildup to his match at Mania (atleast, I don't call it a buildup without any interactions, not even a face to face). WWE Creative badly needs to think a better way to get Reigns over. People don't seem to be caring in this match. The best idea is to turn Reigns heel.

 

[Wald]

Yeah I'm a bit worried for Reigns if those rumours of Brock going over at Mania are true. They've built up this 'I Can, I Will' thing to the point that anything other than Roman winning looks like everyone was right all along and he doesn't have what it takes to be in that spot. The fact they've made a t-shirt saying 'I Can, I Will' hopefully, for his sake, means he is still winning.

I think a better way to get him out of the match without losing anything is to have a screwy DQ finish where it looks like he is going to win but Heyman gets Brock disqualified or Brock takes a cheap way out and low blows him or something. Have Roman get absolutely enraged and go town on Brock with chair shots and spears to set up Rollins cashing in and winning the title at Mania. That gives Roman an edge, a chip on his shoulder and a reason to go after Rollins and win the title. It also keeps him from losing by pinfall or submission and gives him a built in feud with Brock if Brock ever returns. It could also set up Heyman siding with Rollins as a means of gaining revenge for Brock as well.

 

[OYDK]

To answer the OP, yes WWE are fighting a losing battle by pushing Reigns as a babyface. The first problem is, he's just NOT a babyface character. As Jack-Hammer mentioned, Reigns reminds me a hell of a lot more of a young Brock Lesnar than he does a young John Cena. Why? Because he naturally comes off as arrogant and entitled. That doesn't work when you're a pretty-boy face. He needs to quit smiling and joking, and just come out as an intense wrecking ball. I feel Roman Reigns with a Ryback/Lesnar gimmick would have gotten over as a monster heel OR face, but WWE decided to turn him into Superman instead of the Hulk.

There's also the fact that a lot of smarks get their jollies off of pushing wrestlers' buttons, and Reigns eats it up like a child. Criticizing the smarks is not the way to earn their respect... it only enables them to shit on you more.

There are a few options on the table open to them at present though. Heyman could screw Brock out of the title and align himself with a new heel champion in Roman Reigns.

This option has been on my mind for a while now, and I see no reason why it shouldn't work. I'm with the majority in thinking this probably won't happen, but why not? Reigns isn't getting THAT over as a babyface and he still needs some work to be a consistent main eventer. Who better than Paul Heyman to make Roman Reigns legit? If Lesnar leaves, Heyman will need a "client" to keep him on T.V. and even if Lesnar doesn't leave, I think it would be cool to see face Lesnar vs heel Reigns/Heyman for the WWEWHC at ER. This option would solve many problems without creating too many imo.

Rollins could cash in on either Reigns, or even better on Brock, after the Mania match or the next night on Raw and set up a summer chase for the title for Reigns against his old stable mate. All good options and both I think would serve Reigns best in the long term instead of a straight up title victory and run coming out of Mania. What do you reckon?

This is what I think happens. For the longest time now, I've assumed that the man walking out of Mania with the title would be Seth Rollins. When everybody else was watching the build of Roman Reigns as the next man, I was watching the build of Seth Rollins, and it seemed as if they were setting him up for the title. Now with the the Brock Lesnar leaving/going dilemma, this option becomes less likely, but I still think it happens. If Lesnar does not walk out with the title, I would think that Seth Rollins does.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

New awful idea that I'm burying in this thread hoping no one will read. How about we go through the motions at Mania and have Reigns win the title and we all have a collective shrug. With Rusev losing the US Title it could lead to something resembling a dull champ face Reigns v evil Bulgarussian heel. However the twist is that Lana turns on Rusev and aligns in a relationship with Reigns. It turns Reigns heel and gives him a mouthpiece. Exposes Lana as no more than a social climber and moves her away from the pro-Russia gimmick. And it gives Rusev more to do, a start of new story, he will have smark sympathy from the audience after being booked to lose to Cena at Mania, and more sympathy having the woman he may have loved ditch him for another.

Never mind, it won't sell as much merchandize as whatever WWE is doing now.