Dissecting Roman Reigns

[CyberPunk]

Right, so here is another Roman Reigns thread this week. But, well, if he's going to be the man, he deserves all attention, doesn't he? So what's this thread about? No this is not your 'I love Roman Reigns' or 'Roman Reigns sucks' thread. I am trying to dissect the performer and character that is Roman Reigns. Of course, this is my opinion, and as this is an internet forum, everyone's opinion is welcome.

So I have divided this post into three parts. Thumbs up i.e. what's good about Roman Reigns, thumbs in the middle i.e. what's ok and thumbs....you get the picture, right. Let's get down to it then, shall we?

Thumbs up - The best thing Reigns has going for himself is, of course, his looks. There is no denying the fact that Roman Reigns looks exactly how every man on earth would want to look like. He is well built, looks intense, 6'3", 265 pounds. He checks all the boxes here. He has ring presence. When he's in the ring, you notice, which is always a good thing. Plus, his entrance works for him. That brings him closer to the audience which, again, makes his presence felt.

Thumbs in the middle - In ring, Roman Reigns is just that, average. He does some good things, and some other not so good things. Good thing is that he keeps it simple. He has few moves and he knows how and when to use them. What doesn't work is his ring repertoire. I am not saying he should have 1000 moves and such, but in his limited moveset, he lacks something which he should really have, i.e. power moves. He is a powerhouse and the most powerful move he has is a Samoan drop. May be working with Big Show didn't help him much either. Overall, I believe he knows what he needs to do inside the ring but there isn't much to 'wow' the audience at this point.

Thumbs down - Clearly, the first thing you notice here is his mic skills. His promos have yo yo'd between 'good enough' to horrible. He is not your man for long, winded promos. He stresses wrong words, takes unnatural pauses and at times his expressions are wrong while delivering promos. His best promos are when he doesn't have more than 2 lines to say. Then, there is his character. While Shield ended, Reigns didn't move on. He retained everything from Shield except that there was no Shield. He is solo, he is no longer the 'muscle' of the group. Also, since Shield breaking up, he didn't really have a well defined character. But may be that's on the creative, not him.

All in all, Roman Reigns is still someone who needs work in quite a few areas. Potential is there, but it remains to be seen how much of it he can fulfill.

Just to reiterate, these are my opinions, and I don't expect everyone to have similar opinions, so everyone is welcome to state theirs. What would be your Thumbs up, Thumbs in the middle etc for Roman Reigns? Where do you think he scores with you? Where do you think he needs improvement?

Let's try to be civil.

 

[Jimmy Carter]

I think dissecting Roman Reigns would be a good idea for a segment on RAW. Maybe this could be a way to kick off a feud with Dean Ambrose, where he straps Reigns to an operating table and proceeds to perform unnecessary surgery. As Roman shrieks himself in and out of consciousness due to zero anaesthesia, Dean rummages around in his body like he's rooting through a drawer full of loose junk. He tosses out random vital organs (after briefly putting on a puppet show with them), munches on some pre-digested barbecue, and generally makes light of his former comrade's mutilation and misery. This will culminate in a lobotomy that transforms Roman into a perpetually cheerful manchild, sort of like John Cena mixed with Pee Wee Herman.

On the subject of Roman Reigns at the moment, he seems to have a strong physical appearance, middling in-ring ability, and mediocre/poor speaking skills on the microphone. I consider this evaluation to be unique and distinct from previously shared opinions.

 

[bioshock]

Lets not forget if talking is his weakness, well. Goldberg and Lesnar couldn't talk a lick. And look at where pure talent got Lesnar, and look at the heights it took Goldberg.

 

[Navi]

Reigns is either going to be something very special or a unmitigated disaster. It all depends on two things, how he's booked, and how the fans receive him in that said booking. Instead of giving him the time to get his feet wet, they've pushed him into the deep end, and now it's time to put up or shut up.

Thumbs Up - You can't talk about Reigns without talking about his looks. He is arguably one of the best looking guys on the roster today. Women swoon when he comes out, and I would equate the way they act towards him is the same way as they would a male stripper. I'm not sure he does so much for the men, but the women love him. Not sure either if that's the target audience Vince is going for but it works.

Thumbs in the middle - He is okay, not great in the ring. He has a very limited moveset and quite a few of them require a lot of set up. For example the Superman punch, he has to get down on one knee, pound the ring, it's not like they can't see it coming. I would love to see him bust out some power moves, but they are either holding him back, or he hasn't learned them yet. He's quick for his size, but it gets him tired, and I see him laying around a lot, that's not good and I wonder if he can work a long match.

Thumbs Down - His biggest and most pronounced problem is his work on the mic. He just doesn't have it and might never. Public speaking is something that not everyone can do, and they say it's one of the biggest fears in the world today. He was cloistered when he was with the Shield, Ambrose and Rollins did the mic work, and since he's been on his own, he's faltered badly. I'm not sure giving him a mouthpiece would help, if he's going to be the next face of the WWE, then he has to get himself over the hump somehow. They also have to change his character. The Shield is no more and to have him still represent it, is stupid. He's supposed to be his own person, so let him. The others have moved on, it's time for him to do so now.

I know this sounds a lot like the OP's post, but there isn't much more you can say about Reigns. He hasn't really got a great body of work to talk about. He's only been a singles wrestler for about 5 months, some have waited for years to get into the position he's in now. And like I've said before if he didn't look the way he did, we wouldn't even be talking about him.

If you look at Reigns right now and evaluate what he's done so far, unfortunately his best days are behind him. It's going to take careful booking, and a lot of hard work on his part, to make sure that doesn't stay the norm. If he crashes and burns as Mania, and I can see it happening, his run will be over before it even starts, and he will never get another shot at the top spot. Vince is putting a lot of faith in Reigns, and if Reigns can't handle it there are a lot of others nipping at his heels. I wish him well but when he's in the ring he's there by himself. He comes from a great wrestling family, but they won't be there fighting the good fight for him, this is something he has to do by himself, and I sincerely hope he can pull it off.

 

[MartialHorror]

My feelings echo all of yours. Thumbs up, appearance. Thumbs down, his promos. Thumbs in the middle, his in-ring abilities. I think Reigns is very much a victim of the times. WWE feels the next face should be another John Cena, so tried developing him into that kind of character. In reality, Reigns should be more like the Undertaker. Don't let him talk too much, but make sure his few words matter. As for his in-ring abilities, just continue getting him experience. If he can do more than what he's showing, although him to show the extent of his abilities.

I actually like how Reigns is acting during his Bryan feud.

 

[Zycho32]

I'll honestly refrain from the 'Thumbs Up/Middle/Down' segments because frankly my opinions are in line with the others and it's just white noise. However, I think I have something original to contribute to the subject, even if more of it is on WWE than Reigns himself.

Roman Reigns is WWE's first truly Artificially Constructed Superstar.

I'll explain. Traditionally, the true Superstars have always been promoted from the lower ranks due to how over they had gotten with the crowd, to the point where they actively MADE money for their respective 'companies' if you will. After all, if you didn't pay tickets to see somebody, who's going to push them to the top? This process has endured precious few 'adjustments' over the last couple of decades, even with the shift to PPV and Free TV and the era of direct competition that transpired when Wrestling Territories one by one fell into the clutches of corporate conglomerates.

Hulk Hogan was over as shit when he came to WWF from AWA and it was only a short matter of time before that overness made him the Face of the Company. Stone Cold Steve Austin became over as shit when he finally jumped WCW for WWF and his rise to the top was perfectly natural. The Rock endured a crappy first gimmick, found his true niche, and got over the fucking moon as a result before he took the reigns from Austin, however briefly.

Even John Cena was incredibly over in the year or two preceding his first WWE Title run in '05, having been a highly entertaining gimmick and a rock solid midcard title-holder. Maybe his credentials were the weakest of the mainstays, but you can attribute that to the lean period WWE was in.

As for Reigns, well, the stats say everything; only about what, five months injury-free as a singles performer? Hidden in tag teams for the vast majority of his career at the 'Top Level', only ever had the Tag Team belt in his so-called list of accomplishments, his suddenly un-funny reputation for being built 'SRTAAAAAAAWNG' above all other hazards and the not only painfully obvious but also exceedingly dull and dishonest way he's been pushed to the stratosphere? He's been manufactured to be the new Face of the Company. Not built up. Not developed. Not even Replicated, really. Just... assembled.

Now here's the thing. On paper, for a company like WWE, this is a GOOD move for them. Having a Face of the Company by normal means is a incredibly risky venture, as Wrestling Companies are always at the mercy of the ceilings of their performers... and their overall health. After a run with Hulk Hogan that lasted until he started to get a bit stale, he jumped ship to WCW and a good three year void came as a result until Stone Cold came into the fold. Then his neck broke and his knees gave out and by '99 he was supplemented by the Rock(which was a damn lucky bounce) until Rock moved to Hollywood and all of a sudden there was another void, a more dangerous one because there was suddenly no enemy to vanquish but complacency. Then Cena came along, and WWE has treaded water ever since because WWE clung to the guy like a drowning man clings to a life raft. And fate largely smiled upon them because Cena has proved shockingly more endurable than any of the other aforementioned stars.

So skipping all that uncertainty and necessary scrambling in order to create your own Top Face? Sweet idea. They even had a prerequisite in the form of their former competitor WCW, who just about manufactured Goldberg from whole cloth and had him win their World Title in, what, a span of 12-18 months? Of course, Goldberg ran roughshod over a company that was doing a really good job at draining their own blood behind the scenes, and the fallout would come very shortly AFTER Goldberg was swindled out of the Title at Starrcade 98. But those are just details to gloss over for a company like WWE who is much better at handling their business... right?

The problem with constructing a Top Star from scratch is it requires two things; excellent timing, and excellent booking. Reigns has gotten NEITHER.

Consider the Timing. Whether it was WWE being swayed by Roman's reaction in the '14 RR- and missing the point in the process- or jumping the gun because Daniel Bryan went down barely a month into his much appreciated title reign, few people would argue that Reigns absol-fricking-lutely needed a lot more time on his own before he truly grew into someone who could take and hold onto that Top Spot. The injury excuse on Bryan's part makes the move somewhat understandable, but only if you believe the context that Reigns was Plan B for this year. The fact that Reigns was sidelined for a couple of months AFTER he was slotted in to replace Bryan was even more damaging as a whole.

That leads to the Booking. WWE has done NOTHING to hide the blatant laziness of their writing, especially after Reigns finally came back. You saw the hints during those constant vignettes and talks with Reigns while he was recovering, looking to make him human and not a Replicant, which had the opposite effect when they tried making him into John Cena-lite during his comeback.

The Slammy Award was a throwaway moment that was put in a glaring spotlight because it was exposed as a longterm plan that wasn't adjusted for the sake of the story. It also exposes what Reigns likely would have done had he not been injured (Beat Rollins twice at NoC and HiaC, played Ziggler's role at Survivor Series, maybe have a quick and lethal run with the IC belt too).

And when they absolutely needed someone big and bad to sell the overrated and outdated concept of the 'Monster Underdog', they bring in the Big Show. The same Big Show that's been about as moveable on an emotional scale as a giant boulder in the ground. Actually, Big Show's a perfect example of how the old days of Monster Heels are really gone, when you have to have twenty-year veterans lumber down the ramp to keep rehashing such a tired storyline. It did no favors for Roman, who would've been better off squashing the Giant from day one because Show can't carry Roman in a match and they STILL keep trying it!

But the biggest example of Reigns being Artificially Constructed for the Top Spot will always be the '15 Royal Rumble. Every potentially colorful moment that could(and probably would) have overshadowed Reigns was mercilessly purged from the program. Daniel Bryan, dumped in ten minutes like he was a nobody, almost timed to have the least possible amount of interaction with Reigns as possible. Guys like Dolph Ziggler or Dean Ambrose or Bray Wyatt, dumped by Big Show and Kane like they were losers. Big Show and Kane actually dumping contestants over the ropes without a fight like they were suddenly fifteen years younger and deserving of Top Heel status. Then there's Roman, by all accounts mostly lying there. Not even laying waste to contenders like he did the year before, but just lying there, getting a 'comeback' moment that he couldn't completely sell when he tricked Show AND Kane go over the ropes and won the Rumble. They tried with painful deliberation to make the high mark Roman Reigns winning like an underdog against two over-the-hill monsters that made everyone else look like losers. Then they brought out the Rock for the endorsement, a real slap in the face.

The worst kind of kicker though? Not only is WWE going to still construct Reigns as a champion out of thin air, they will still probably tread water after they've done it. Nothing against Reigns, but really, I have no reason to be invested in the guy and WWE pretty much shat the bed as far as I'm concerned. He'll go over clean against Daniel Bryan, he'll go over clean against Brock Lesnar, then he'll go over clean against Seth Rollins and from there... it's just done, I guess.

I mean, how do you get emotionally invested in a Replicant anyway?

 

[Anger]

I am of the mind that Reigns is, generally speaking, just not ready. However, I also believe that Reigns has been unfairly maligned by those whom will not be satisfied unless Bryan is the WWE WHC. Allow me to stipulate that I am a big fan of Reigns, but I am also a huge fan of Bryan. To my mind, Reigns is pretty good in-ring and at times decent on the mic, but in need of more time and work. But these people who endlessly defecate on him are actually convincing me to become an even bigger Reigns fan out of simple spite. This bullshit is beyond ridiculous. But, I still think WWE pushing Reigns so heavily so soon is a mistake. He needs another year or so. I would much rather see Ziggler, Rusev, Wyatt or Ambrose getting this push. But, they still woyld not be Bryan, so the same people would still piss and moan.

 

[Boring]

Thumbs Up - He's struck gold with the IWC based on his looks and those in it looking for a dominant papa bear.

Thumbs Up - His memorization of scripted lines by WWE writers, w/ only slight mistakes per promo, has many detractors giving his mic skills a pass.

Thumbs Up - Casual fans would not even give you a legit response if you asked about his moveset (they'd think the Superman punch and Spear were great.) As for the IWC, most think he's a phenomenal athlete and I'm sure praise his "original" superman punch and "best spear ever," like they'd been told by Vince himself to make Roman look "really strong."

Thumbs Down - I'm in a minority, but I think Roman Reigns is green, arrogant, hard to teach, overrated, etc. Bad people have a talent for manipulating people, which WWE has no problem with doing. Kids, women, male fans, WWE will know how to use Reigns to manipulate them. Reigns isn't a good in-ring worker but neither is Cena, but that's why WWE employs people like CM Punk, Bryan etc to make their chosen sons to look good. Reigns read lines from a writer like everyone else, eventually he won't fuck up as much.

In conclusion, WWE is what it is. You're either dimwitted or realize this horse shit. Odds are you don't because it's been this way over 10 years now.

 

[Anger]

Well, are we not self assured. He knows all and if you do not see that as fact or perhaps hold a differing view, it is merely because you are a brainwashed dimwit. Everything is as he states. He is the arbiter. He is rather a boring sort.

 

[kumarjtk]

i dont see anything wrong in roman reigns. The reason u guys hating him bcoz he is handpicked by wwe.
U guys wait some time to allow him to perform in the ring. After six months u guys tell ur opinion about roman. Let allow him to perform in main event picture.

 

[CyberPunk]

i dont see anything wrong in roman reigns. The reason u guys hating him bcoz he is handpicked by wwe.
U guys wait some time to allow him to perform in the ring. After six months u guys tell ur opinion about roman. Let allow him to perform in main event picture.

I don't think anyone's hating here on Roman Reigns. And being handpicked by the machine is not a bad thing either. But when it's blatantly obvious that the handpicked man is not ready for his position, people would complain.

I am pretty sure that majority here are willing to give the man time to improve and perform better. From what we have seen of him, however, shows that there's lot of improvement required and he's not ready for a main event spot right now. His in ring prowess is based on exactly 4 moves. A dropkick to an opponent draped in the ropes outside, a samoan drop (his comeback move), Superman punch (his setup move), and spear (finisher). None of these moves showcase any of his abilities as a storyteller inside the ring, nor do they wow much. He can't handle a mic properly, not yet. His biggest strength is his looks and that's about it.

I don't hate Reigns. But his position on the card at this time is unjustified. You don't get to the top and then prove yourself. You prove yourself and then get to the top.

 

[Mustang Sally]

I'm enjoying the Roman Reigns threads showing up this week. There's "Dissecting Roman Reigns" and "Rebranding Roman Reigns."

I'm thinking: after we're done dissecting and rebranding him, should we do a thread called "Neutering Roman Reigns?" If they want to stop the multi-generational Anoa'i bloodline into pro wrestling, that's one way to do it.

At any rate, I'm giving Reigns a thumbs-up because of the improvement he's shown in the past few weeks. Admittedly, a month or so ago, I thought it just wasn't going to work out; he just had too far to go to reach the dizzying heights the company apparently had plans for Roman to scale.....plus, the time away with injury couldn't have come at a worse time in regard to his personal development.

Still, management has obviously told him what he has to work on.....and he's doing it. His verbal stuff is getting better; it's not so much he's suddenly become a great speaker, but I think he's sticking more to a script of words the writers want him saying, he's keeping his speeches shorter....and most importantly, he's bouncing his words off someone (usually Daniel Bryan) rather than addressing the audience at large. Some people are more comfortable doing this, and Roman Reigns seems to be one of them.

The same principles apply to his ring work. He's being coached; he's carrying himself with more purpose and assurance. His pounding a fist on the mat and delivering the spear have always been his strong points largely because they're fixed, repetitive actions. Roman is weaker at ring wrestling where he has to "work" instead of deliver choreographed moves. I don't care how much it's said Vince McMahon wants every move mapped out in advance, there has to be some working....and Reigns hasn't done too well with it.....until the past couple weeks. His overall ring presence is getting stronger and more effective.

Example: Daniel Bryan was celebrating outside the ring after a victory in a tag match with Reigns as his partner. As Daniel moved around the ring apron, doing his chant, Roman was gliding from ring post to ring center to the ropes, following Daniel's progress, moving with purpose and grace, simultaneously mocking and lauding his partner.

Seeing that made me believe Roman Reigns is going to make it. He's already got that incredible look......and he's gaining the rest of it under fire.

Thumbs up.

 

[Anger]

I am in full agreement with CyberPunk and I also largely agree with Mustang Sally. I do not believe Reigns should be the guy yet, as he does need much improvement. But I firmly believe he is much better than many of his detractors believe or would have others believe of Reigns. If one were to apply a grade standard to Reigns, I would say he is currently at a B-, whereas I believe not so long ago he was a C-. The man is learning as he goes, which is not ideal, but he is learning. All while intransigent whiners shit upon him endlessly. He has great potential and has already made good strides, but as I said, he needs more work. I honestly feel that he needs another year to learn and hone his skills, ala Seth Rollins, who many people complain WWE is taking too long to develop.

 

[#1druid]

I think one of the main problems with reigns is his push was as subtle as a kick to the nuts from a guy wearing a light up shirt screaming at the top of his lungs "LOOK AT ME!"

In all seriousness If you Ignore top performers and only look at those who are/have been called "the guy" you have hogan, Austin, the rock, and cena and they are all gifted at addressing the crowd and providing essentially a narrating voice for the show. I can't see reigns being able to do that effectively. His in ring work is 3 stars out of 5 at best. He can do well with good opponents but he can also do terribly with those who are his level and under. They were able to mask that when he was just being tagged in at the end of matches but now he's a singles star and Orton and Rollins carried him in their singles encounters and I'm sure bryan will Sunday but I just don't know how lesnar and him will have a satisfactory match or conclusion. Lesnar has been booked like a highlander(not the tag team, the movie about immortals) and I just don't buy anyone beating him however even suspending that thought I just can't buy it as being entertaining. Plus I won't buy any number of spears ending it. People are really convinced about the Rollins cash in but I don't know that I buy it because they're going to give reigns a run, so I wouldn't see a cash in til payback or so, so mania will end in reigns celebrating to a chorus of boos.

 

[Rampage Bentley]

I personally, don't have any issue with Roman. I think he's fine how he is and I really don't think he needs the improvement that others insist he does.

I think WWE needs to learn how to maximize his strengths and play down his weaknesses better, but that's on creative, not Roman. Honestly, I think working with Brock is going to do wonders for him, as Paul Heyman is a master at maximizing talent. His promos leading up to WrestleMania will build up both Brock and Roman simultaneously.