Did Roman Reigns finally cement his self as The NEW Face of WWE last night?

[That N Word]

So last night, The Roman Reigns Story came full circle and perhaps one of the greatest episodes of Monday Night Raw in history and one of the greatest moments in WWE history.

Last night, he not only proved once and for all that he has what it takes to be the Centerpiece of the show. He also did what almost nobody thought he could by getting the whole crowd on his side and had the building electric. The arena came unglued like he was "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.

My question is did Roman Reigns finally prove he is The UNDISPUTED man in WWE? At this point I do, I doubt that when John Cena comes back he will be the #1 babyface over Reigns when he returns. Last night, The Roman Empire rose and The Reality Era has officially begun!!!

What I could see with Reigns, is him beating Sheamus to retain at Royal Rumble and then going on to beat Triple H at WrestleMania 32. His next big match would be Brock at SummerSlam which he would win and Seth at Survivor Series (?) Then giving us our WrestleMania 33 main event of John Cena vs. Roman Reigns. Where we would either see Cena beat Reigns by turning heel or Reigns winning and Cena raising his hand passing the torch.

But in my opinion last night was the defining moment of his career that really cemented him as "The Man" in WWE. What are your thoughts?

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

No. It takes too much time for something like that, no matter who it is.

Did Cena instantly become the face of the company in 2005? No. It took years to really cement himself in that position.

They did a really good job with Reigns the past two nights, but two nights is an entirely different animal than two weeks, two months or two years. They have a lot of time to screw it up. It's sad that I'm stating it so negatively, but the WWE hasn't instilled a lot of faith in me lately.

 

[AegonTargaryen]

I agree, he did cement his legacy last night.

I, in particular, marked out when he won the match and consequently, the title.

I used to be pretty much a "Roman Reigns is boring" guy, but after last night, even during the opening segment, I made up my mind.

This is the only thing we will ever see from Roman. He'll never be half as good in the ring as Cesaro/Rollins/Bryan. His mic work seems to have improved. He has the look. He is intense. Sure, his moveset/superman punch/spear are pretty boring to watch week in and week out. But, and this is a huge but, he's what he is and it's never going to change. So why not just accept him for who he is and embrace a little bit of hero-worship and admiration?

I in particular admire how hot he is and how cute his smile is. The women are lucky because they don't have to be a straight guy and yet go on to bask in how hot/cute/awesome Roman Reigns looks/is.

 

[Bischoff's Knob Slobberer]

You call that garbage last night one of the Greatest episodes of Raw? WTF?????? That was horrible booking and made Sheamus and the League of Nations look weak. Reigns is still horrible in the ring. He's slow and lethargic. If your ignorant asre paid attention instead of going all goo goo gaa gaa over Reigns, you would see Sheamus had to slow down for that stiff prick in several spots. I was there last night and the ENTIRE audience was not in Reigns corner. I don't know what you saw, you probably just made that up. Heck, Vince showed his old asre up and did not get a pop. Needless to say, I won't be wrestling WWE anymore. Way more talented guys deserve that belt than that stiff prick Reigns.

 

[NatureBoy3:14]

it just left me more confused really. So now everyone is a Roman fan. Is it because he is champ? Is it because anyone that beats up Vince and Triple you like. (That means they suckered you and you are actually sheep because they knew they would get you to like him that way) Is it because you respect his hard work and you have always been a supporter.(there haven't been too many of those in this forum) I just don't know.

I know I can let my kid be a fan of a guy that lays waist to three guys after the bell with a chair. I couldn't let my son who was actually a Roman fan watch him do what how did to Hunter or the LON. Nor can I let my kid be a fan of a guy that beats up 70 year old men. It's just not a good look. So in essence he made fans of the older crowd and now I can't let my youngster be a fan of his. Cena had his flaws but at least he was 100% for the kids. I can respect that. He stood for something. The kids.

So now I'm truly confused to be honest. If they were going to make him for the kids then they should've stuck to their guns and figure out a way. You can't have a guy that beats people since led after the bell with chairs as the face of a PG show. You can't have him doing make a wishes because he isn't a good example. Sorry that just the truth. He shouldn't be on the front of toys boxes and commercials because how he got to his title is marred with bro ken bodies of of bosses he has out through tables and guys he has beat down with chairs. Good guys don't do that in the PG world. You can't have him beating up the Boss. What does that teach kids?

So no he isn't the "face" of the WWE. At least not of the PG WWE. If we are transitioning out of PG to a PG-14 then ok I can deal with that. But if it stays PG all you sheep have been lead astray. There won't be anymore beatdowns and chair shot that got you to like him and his title reign is going to be crap. You have officially been punked. You will be back here emotional trying to figure out why the creative direction is terrible. Why his promos are terrible and why he is only doing five moves. Honestly I'm just left with more questions then answers. I will be reading the RAW updates to find out though.

 

[Woodstuff]

I in particular admire how hot he is and how cute his smile is. The women are lucky because they don't have to be a straight guy and yet go on to bask in how hot/cute/awesome Roman Reigns looks/is.

You don't have to be a straight guy either, buddy. be what ever makes you happy!

As for Reigns, no I don't think he is THE guy in WWE. He's the vocal point right now, but something could happen down the line that changes plans. I can't wait for HHH/Rollins to return. Reigns whooped the hell out of HHH, and now he's the WHC thanks to VINCE MCMAHON. Gonna be a great HHH/McMahon angle in the future. Reigns looked awesome last night, easily one of the greatest episodes of Raw in history 10/10

 

[Fillet Club]

Certainly not yet, this doesn't just happen overnight. The ending to TLC was a massive step in the right direction, taking the crowd reaction into consideration, that is the Roman Reigns people want to see. No more of this 'tater tots' nonsense, just let this guy go out there and let his fists do the talking and maybe, just maybe he'll get there.

 

[stingray11214]

Not even close. Sure, they brought out VKM to push the crowd to Reigns. But, he won the title on RAW. Did not close out a PPV. Furthermore, it gave NOBODY a reason to watch the Rumble or WM. You need to have a hint of mystery in the air. You do not have that here. At this point you know it will be Brock winning the Rumble and facing Reigns at WM. SO, why buy it? Sure, the spot was great. Best RAW in eons. But, it should be like that EVERY week, and not just when VKM is on. But, I suspect the TV audience heard a lot of canned cheers for Reigns. That crowd was not THAT great for Reigns. So, he is still a long, long way from being anywhere CLOSE to being the face of the WWE.

 

[That N Word]

You call that garbage last night one of the Greatest episodes of Raw? WTF?????? That was horrible booking and made Sheamus and the League of Nations look weak.

If you thought Raw was garbage it's because your one of the those guys who look for a bad show. The show was great. At moments it dragged (diva's match,and Neville/Breeze/Miz) but every Raw has a dragging moment and at least those moments were building to something. And it didn't really make them look weak, it just made Reigns look strong. Rollins looked more weak his whole title reign than Sheamus did last night. And it was one of the greatest Raw's of all-time for the fact that 10 years from now everyone will be talking about it.

Reigns is still horrible in the ring. He's slow and lethargic. If your ignorant asre paid attention instead of going all goo goo gaa gaa over Reigns, you would see Sheamus had to slow down for that stiff prick in several spots.

Only person ignorant here is you if you can't see talent. Your one of those indy sheeps I can see that think if he isn't from the indy's then he sucks and then replies with something cute like "oh but I like Bray Wyatt." He doesn't suck in the ring. In fact nobody in WWE had more MOTY candidates this year than Cena,Reigns,and Rollins. And ever match slows down for several spots. He didn't have to slow down for him. The match was pretty damn good and fast pace.

I was there last night and the ENTIRE audience was not in Reigns corner. I don't know what you saw, you probably just made that up. Heck, Vince showed his old asre up and did not get a pop. Needless to say, I won't be wrestling WWE anymore. Way more talented guys deserve that belt than that stiff prick Reigns.

Good we don't need blind haters like you watching anymore anyway who just tune in to bash the products. You say you were there then you know both Reigns and McMahon got mega pops. You can tell it wasn't audibles because you can literally see the fans going nuts on the screen. So stop trynna make shit up. It's OK that you dislike Reigns but blind hate is just petty. And i'm tired of hearing that anyone who doesn't do German Suplex's,Flying Sentons and Hurricarrana's aren't talented. You don't know talent then. And Reigns works harder both on and off screen than anyone not named Triple H and John Cena out of the wrestlers. If we want by who really deserves the title then Reigns,Cena,Titus,Miz,Big Show,Seth Rollins,and Daniel Bryan would be top of the list.

And your right at first the entire audience wasn't in his corner. But the moment he won the belt they was. You probably was the only guy booing at that point.

 

[That N Word]

it just left me more confused really. So now everyone is a Roman fan. Is it because he is champ? Is it because anyone that beats up Vince and Triple you like. (That means they suckered you and you are actually sheep because they knew they would get you to like him that way) Is it because you respect his hard work and you have always been a supporter.(there haven't been too many of those in this forum) I just don't know.

I know I can let my kid be a fan of a guy that lays waist to three guys after the bell with a chair. I couldn't let my son who was actually a Roman fan watch him do what how did to Hunter or the LON. Nor can I let my kid be a fan of a guy that beats up 70 year old men. It's just not a good look. So in essence he made fans of the older crowd and now I can't let my youngster be a fan of his. Cena had his flaws but at least he was 100% for the kids. I can respect that. He stood for something. The kids.

So now I'm truly confused to be honest. If they were going to make him for the kids then they should've stuck to their guns and figure out a way. You can't have a guy that beats people since led after the bell with chairs as the face of a PG show. You can't have him doing make a wishes because he isn't a good example. Sorry that just the truth. He shouldn't be on the front of toys boxes and commercials because how he got to his title is marred with bro ken bodies of of bosses he has out through tables and guys he has beat down with chairs. Good guys don't do that in the PG world. You can't have him beating up the Boss. What does that teach kids?

So no he isn't the "face" of the WWE. At least not of the PG WWE. If we are transitioning out of PG to a PG-14 then ok I can deal with that. But if it stays PG all you sheep have been lead astray. There won't be anymore beatdowns and chair shot that got you to like him and his title reign is going to be crap. You have officially been punked. You will be back here emotional trying to figure out why the creative direction is terrible. Why his promos are terrible and why he is only doing five moves. Honestly I'm just left with more questions then answers. I will be reading the RAW updates to find out though.

It's pretty clear that I have been Reigns supporter since day 1 when he was in The Shield. So know they didn't sucker me in, I just never gave up on the guy. Just like I didn't give up on Ambrose,Rollins,Wyatt,Harper,Owens,and Cesaro either.

 

[OYDK]

I know I can let my kid be a fan of a guy that lays waist to three guys after the bell with a chair. I couldn't let my son who was actually a Roman fan watch him do what how did to Hunter or the LON. Nor can I let my kid be a fan of a guy that beats up 70 year old men. It's just not a good look. So in essence he made fans of the older crowd and now I can't let my youngster be a fan of his. Cena had his flaws but at least he was 100% for the kids. I can respect that. He stood for something. The kids.

Dude, let your kid be a fan of whoever he wants...

To the OP, Roman Reigns definitely has not cemented himself as the top man in 2 days. Everybody is losing their minds because that was some of the best booking of Roman we've seen in a long time, but it doesn't instantly make him "the guy", especially when the "old" guy (not the old guy) is still around. Reigns has a long way to go until he cements himself as the face of the company. Plus the "face" of the company seems to be interchangeable these days. One day it's Cena, the next it's Orton, than Bryan or Brock, than it was Rollins for a bit. Now it's Roman.

Once Roman Reigns proves that he is the best all around talent on the roster, than he'll cement himself as the face. I think many of us would agree he's far from the best right now.

 

[Mustang Sally]

.... I doubt that when John Cena comes back he will be the #1 babyface over Reigns when he returns.

I suppose it depends how one defines the 'face' of WWE. For instance, if during a one month period, a performer who has a hot program going sells more merchandise than John Cena, has that guy now supplanted Cena as the 'face?' No way, and Cena has been #1 for so long that it would take more than one title win by Reigns or anyone....no matter how heroic....to take over the mantle. In fact, it would take a lot more.

As much as I like Roman Reigns, he's got a long, long way to go before becoming the #1 guy in the company. But he needn't feel bad about it, because he's got plenty of company chasing Cena.

On the other hand, did Roman make great strides in his performance at TLC and his title-winning effort at Raw last night in defining his character and direction?

Yes, he absolutely did......and he's earned every ounce of it with hard work.

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

Woah, woah, let's slow down a bit. I said last night that I was 100% behind Reigns, and I meant that.

He has been great in the ring and after last night, you almost have to like him.

However, Reigns isn't face of the company. He has potential to be, but he has to improve his mic skills. He's awful in delivering long promos. He has improved somewhat, but he's still no Hogan, Cena, or Austin on the mic, and he probably never will be.

 

[multiverseman.com]

I think people's expectations have been so drastically lowered that they'll pop for anything new.

Guess what? The babyface you shove down everybody's throat for a year and a half is supposed to get over. That shouldn't be the hard part. Instead they failed and failed and failed to get him over and had to cash in ALL that McMahon equity to get him hot for 2 segments. Now he's the face of WWE?

This is the same guy that gave the tater tots promo last week. I'm sorry, people popping for this are in for a letdown IMO. Could be wrong tho.

 

[Saeros]

The crowd was nowhere near as "electric" as they were for Stone Cold. They were hot and mostly on his side, but dont compare that reaction to Stone Colds. It wasnt even close to Eddie Guerreros win at No Way Out 2004 or CM Punks at MITB 2011.

Last night was a fantastic show. The ECW match was really good, The opening match was great. And the Vince/Roman stuff was good. Roman finally winning was a good payoff.

However, last night was not perfect booking. My biggest flaw was Stephanie McMahon. The whole slappling deal is pathetic when theres no payoff. Shes been slapping wrestlers for the best part of 15 years now and its just awful. Yes shes part owner but when i saw her basically beat Roman Reigns up last night with her slapfest, i just shook my head and thought to myself "thats what you do to build someone as your next big star is it?"

Im not a Roman Reigns fan, his in ring work isnt great, his mic work is just awful. People can say all day long how hes "improved" But then again so has Cesaro, so has Adrian Neville. Roman Reigns hasn't improved *Enough* to make me take his seriously. Every time he speaks hes underwhelming. His facial reactions are underwhelming. Im not a John Cena fan either, but compare the two. Cena sells things excellently and that sold him to me as a top guy even though i never liked him from day one. I will still admit he is a top guy.

They have a lot of work to do to continue to build Roman as the top guy. And they can make many mistakes along the way. They need to play to his strengths and not keep exposing his flaws. TLC played to his strengths. Its just a shame for the best part of 2015 hes been made to look poor by cutting awful promos and poor acting.

What also annoys me slightly is, while the ending to TLC was great because of its unpredictability and the way it was done. It still seems cheap to me. They've tried everything for Roman to get over by himself but now they've gone back to using the Daniel Bryan underdog routine. That was new and fresh a few years ago. They've basically rehashed it for Roman but in a slightly different way and a lot have bought into it and not seen it as the same ideas we've already had.

Roman still has a long way to go and if they keep pushing him as the character he was at TLC then he can go far. If he reverts to the same hes been on Raw for the past year then he'll be going nowhere in a lot of fans eyes.

 

[BuriedByCena]

LOL at everyone jumping on the Roman bandwagon. He is no where near being the man or face of the company. He is still horrid on the mic and has 2 moves of doom. He needs 3 more to equal Cena. Then he needs to make T-shirts that don't suck. Sorry, but his dumb spider man t-shirt is not cool.

He will never make it unless he turns heel but Vince wont let him. So Roman will always get the 50/50 love/hate Cena gets. He is destined to become Cena 2.0 which fans wont stand for.

WWE will drop the ball like they always do and Roman will continue to say childish things like Tater Tots and Beanstalks.

He is very awkward in the ring. He stands and walks weird. He is very green and unsure of himself. He comes off as scared. He is not a ring general like Cena or Bryan.

He is a weaker version of Cena and fans know it.

The thing is, I don't even hate Roman. It isn't his fault. It is Vince/WWE's horrid booking and scripting that is to blame.

 

[Kodo Sawaki]

I know I can let my kid be a fan of a guy that lays waist to three guys after the bell with a chair. I couldn't let my son who was actually a Roman fan watch him do what how did to Hunter or the LON. Nor can I let my kid be a fan of a guy that beats up 70 year old men. It's just not a good look. So in essence he made fans of the older crowd and now I can't let my youngster be a fan of his. Cena had his flaws but at least he was 100% for the kids. I can respect that. He stood for something. The kids.

Yes, he really stood for something when, for example, he handcuffed Orton too. Thats real kids stuff.

As for new face, in absence of Lesnar, Cena and maybe Bryan, Roman is no1 face of the company. That was clearly shown because he is focal point of WWE last 2 months. Seems like everything big they do is about Reigns. But after Cena comes back Cena will still be no1. That transition when Reigns becomes no1 guy or "The Man" has still not happened. But he is getting there slowly. Even got Philly fans who booed him out of building almost a year ago to cheer for him now. So he is getting there.

 

[realoldskoolfan]

Let's slow the roll here. It's great that the last 2 days have generated a buzz and Reigns has been booked solid but let's not crown the guy. Step back enjoy the ride and see where it takes us the audience.
It's safe to say the majority has been enjoying the recent events and the few who don't are either a. The smarks pissed off its not whatever flavor of the month wrestler they are into atm b. People who hate Reigns and always will or c. Fans that no matter what will never be pleased because it's not the Attitude era or whatever other reason
I think we can all agree that it's good for everybody Sheamus doesn't have the strap and hopefully can go back to the mid card (what a huge mistake giving him the briefcase was to start with)

 

[Cats Pajamas]

Roman Reigns spent the last year and a half convincing me that he is definitely NOT the face of the company. Fixing Reigns is a week-to-week process and I’m not just yet going to sink my faith in a Creative team that writes a promo around the term “tater tot”. This is a fine start, though.

 

[Azane]

I already watched Stone Cold vs Mcmahon 20 years ago, I can't really get into it now, and "WIN OR YOUR FIRED" matches always irk me, because either Superstar wins, and the stipulation is pointless, or they'll find a way around it (Juan Cena), and be back the next week.

I still think "Tater tots" *Stupid Smile* when I think Reigns, to win me over, he has to bleach that image out of my head.

 

[kadroan]

So last night, The Roman Reigns Story came full circle and perhaps one of the greatest episodes of Monday Night Raw in history and one of the greatest moments in WWE history.

Last night, he not only proved once and for all that he has what it takes to be the Centerpiece of the show. He also did what almost nobody thought he could by getting the whole crowd on his side and had the building electric. The arena came unglued like he was "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.

My question is did Roman Reigns finally prove he is The UNDISPUTED man in WWE? At this point I do, I doubt that when John Cena comes back he will be the #1 babyface over Reigns when he returns. Last night, The Roman Empire rose and The Reality Era has officially begun!!!

What I could see with Reigns, is him beating Sheamus to retain at Royal Rumble and then going on to beat Triple H at WrestleMania 32. His next big match would be Brock at SummerSlam which he would win and Seth at Survivor Series (?) Then giving us our WrestleMania 33 main event of John Cena vs. Roman Reigns. Where we would either see Cena beat Reigns by turning heel or Reigns winning and Cena raising his hand passing the torch.

But in my opinion last night was the defining moment of his career that really cemented him as "The Man" in WWE. What are your thoughts?

Vince finally did it. He didn't even have to turn him heel. I just hope they give him quality opponents going forward, no Kane's, Mark Henry's or Big Show's.

 

[BringThePain834]

Last night really said it all for me. Sheamus was a transitional champ at best that only got it because his title win coincided with the release of the TMNT 2 trailer. A movie he happens to be in.

This was always the plan. Put the title on someone the crowd hates even more than Reigns just long enough to make them want him to win. Then pull the trigger in a way that feels unique to get everyone talking, bringing out Vince as the icing on the cake.

Give it a week and you'll all realize this really isn't that special. By WrestleMania we'll all be praying for Brock Lesnar to kill him.

 

[Braineaters]

I am legitimately surprised just how many of you are eating this stuff up. Reigns is being booked just like Cena always was: as Superman. In fact, Reigns single-handedly destroying the LoN is almost exactly like Cena destroying the Nexus. It's bad booking that hurts several people for the sake of elevating one. Is that really what you people want???

 

[GOOZEKING]

I enjoyed raw to an extent it was a decent raw with 3-4 segments that I hated. We got 1 man that after bryan, heyman, your mother, your sister, everyone tried to get reigns over.... But it takes a 70 year old man to come out and get him over... It's disgusting and he isn't even over. You all know that at tlc and raw if it was anybody even Heath slater beating on the authority he would get cheered to. And those idiots that said raw crowd was just like the rumble crowd need to get their ears checked because all I heard last night was 90% women and children cheering for reigns. I would be perfectly calm right now if my worst fear was going on right now... The only reason I didn't want reigns to get pushed is because I didn't want to see another super cena. Roman reigns last night exceeded super and it's disgusting. Look it was a decent raw but WHY do I care that reigns won but it is obvious he shouldn't have lost at survivor series and we should have gotten something different but instead we get wwe making reigns have cena's power and daniel Bryan's underdog story. I feel sorry for you guys

 

[Sexcellence of Sexecution]

The crowd popped because it was a World Title change on RAW. Give it a couple weeks and he'll get lukewarm reactions again.

The difference between Cena and Reigns is that Cena's rise to the top felt genuine. It felt real. He was a guy with a seemingly lame white rapper gimmick wrestling on Velocity. The rapper gimmick wasn't even planned, it just came out of a throwaway segment where he dressed up as Vanilla Ice for Halloween. Eventualy, Cena got the crowd behind him and became World Champion. Reigns has been protected since day one when he was in the Sheild, and it was abundantly clear he was going to be positioned as the top guy based on his look and his family. Also Cena writes his own promos and has natural charisma, while Reigns looks and sounds like a dope saying canned lines. Yes, it was a cool moment seeing him beat Sheamus for the belt, and the entire set-up and match was perfectly executed. That doesn't mean he's going to be the next fucking Hulk Hogan.