As the Shield was nearing an end, Roman was the most over guy in the group. Regardless of in-ring talent, mic work, or any other factor, Roman was getting the biggest cheers. Cheers are what matter in wrestling and no doubt those in the back were feeling very justified in adding him in as the third man in that elite outfit.
Then Roman got on his own and things changed. Not a whole lot of effort was put into a storyline for him, he simply floated around and was treated like he was supposed to be important despite having done nothing of note since leaving the Shield. Ambrose/Rollins were in the midst of an excellent feud, getting people to clamor to see more of them, while a lot of time was being spent trying to hide Roman's weaknesses. Two guys playing to their strengths compared to one guy being hidden in multi-man matches with random other guys, it was fairly clear who the fans would get more attached to.
Then Roman was injured. He returned to a mild pop and continued along the same aimless path that he had been on prior to his time away. His pop grew smaller and smaller each week. Abysmal promos sealed the deal...the Roman train was at a dead stop but the office was insistent that he was the guy.
So at the Royal Rumble, Roman goes out and does his job, to a few cheers covered by drowning levels of hatred. His entrance doesn't feel electric, his moves don't pop the crowd, and he basically blends into the background for nearly the entire Rumble. He looks visibly disheartened, not showing any of the flair that a guy who just won a "life changing" event should have, like he is realizing that the biggest night of his career might be the same night that buries his entire future.
It isn't just the fans who are hurt by the blind eye turned to their demands, the fans WANTED to like Roman, and if he had been built up like it initially seemed like he would be then they might still be behind him. But he wasn't. It is clear he has no input into what he does, otherwise he wouldn't be a badass character dropping groan worthy little kid lines into his promos. The same people trying to build him into a star are the same people whose wrecklessness may very well have destroyed his chance at future success.
Tonight will be a very interesting night, and while I'm one of the many who believed his winning the Rumble was a bad idea, I still feel bad that his career is heading in this direction. He had a spark but too much wind hit that spark too soon and snuffed it out. He had no time to build his fire and now his 'failure' will be saddled fully on his shoulders. Unless there is a miracle over the next two months, Reigns won't be the next John Cena, he'll be the next Miz.
Then Roman got on his own and things changed. Not a whole lot of effort was put into a storyline for him, he simply floated around and was treated like he was supposed to be important despite having done nothing of note since leaving the Shield. Ambrose/Rollins were in the midst of an excellent feud, getting people to clamor to see more of them, while a lot of time was being spent trying to hide Roman's weaknesses. Two guys playing to their strengths compared to one guy being hidden in multi-man matches with random other guys, it was fairly clear who the fans would get more attached to.
Then Roman was injured. He returned to a mild pop and continued along the same aimless path that he had been on prior to his time away. His pop grew smaller and smaller each week. Abysmal promos sealed the deal...the Roman train was at a dead stop but the office was insistent that he was the guy.
So at the Royal Rumble, Roman goes out and does his job, to a few cheers covered by drowning levels of hatred. His entrance doesn't feel electric, his moves don't pop the crowd, and he basically blends into the background for nearly the entire Rumble. He looks visibly disheartened, not showing any of the flair that a guy who just won a "life changing" event should have, like he is realizing that the biggest night of his career might be the same night that buries his entire future.
It isn't just the fans who are hurt by the blind eye turned to their demands, the fans WANTED to like Roman, and if he had been built up like it initially seemed like he would be then they might still be behind him. But he wasn't. It is clear he has no input into what he does, otherwise he wouldn't be a badass character dropping groan worthy little kid lines into his promos. The same people trying to build him into a star are the same people whose wrecklessness may very well have destroyed his chance at future success.
Tonight will be a very interesting night, and while I'm one of the many who believed his winning the Rumble was a bad idea, I still feel bad that his career is heading in this direction. He had a spark but too much wind hit that spark too soon and snuffed it out. He had no time to build his fire and now his 'failure' will be saddled fully on his shoulders. Unless there is a miracle over the next two months, Reigns won't be the next John Cena, he'll be the next Miz.
