Is Roman Reigns A Draw?

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

Anyone with half a brain running a wrestling promotion would push someone like Roman Reigns to the moon and back. Historically, the big tough looking guys have always been the draw and garnered the most interest. Me for example, I look much more forward to matches such as Brock Lesnar vs Samoa Joe/Strowman than I would say Hideo Itami vs Daniel Bryan or something along those lines. There is just something about 2 behemoths clashing horns that makes wrestling awesome. I can't speak on behalf of the general audience but just look at who the top draws in the industry have been:

Hulk Hogan
Stone Cold
The Rock
John Cena

All physically imposing badass looking guys straight out of a comic book. Roman Reigns has the look and despite the IWC's consensus, can put on some hard hitting matches. He's the guy you want on the late shows and being interviewed on the red carpet representing your company. Would people who don't watch WWE be more impressed with someone who looks like Roman Reigns or one of the cruiserweight/smaller guys? In ring ability, despite Reigns having some of the best matches over the last few years out of anyone, doesn't define you as a professional wrestler. If you think that's all that matters you have no idea how professional wrestling works.

So Reigns is being pushed just because he happened to be into that category of wrestlers. All WWE had to do was to wait. They didn't. Now it's over.

Also, you get the same feeling from watching AJ Styles come face to face with Finn Balor, as you do when you watch Strowman come face to face with Big Show, or Daniel Bryan come face to face with Andre.

SIZE DOESN'T MATTER IN 2017!

What matters is being entertained and connecting with the audience and delivering the most possible believable match. For example, Brock Lesnar. CM Punk. Daniel Bryan. Those guys became popular without being forced to us, because of the above reasons.

In-ring storytelling and suspension of disbelief.

Watching Roman Reigns take 4 AAs, 56 F5s and deliver 145 Superman punches doesn't do that. Watching the Cruiserweights jump around like they're a circus doesn't do that. Watching Dean Ambrose wrestling like he's having a seizure doesn't do that.

I remember watching CM Punk wrestle The Big Show once. And it was good. Why? Because Punk sold me the fact that he can take down Show, despite the size difference by using different methods.

Plus, we're just going to forget how hard Cena schooled Reigns one month ago?

 

[Psykohurricane55]

i feel that fans that discuss WWE on wrestling board kinda forget that WWE isn't like a ROH or any other indy promotion in North america. They are the multi millions dollar entertainment company that serve many master.

Wrestling right now isn't a draw like it once was. While WWE is doing o.k and the indy's are doing better then they've been doing in years, they're not doing the amount of money that did back during the keyfabe era or even the monday night wars era and sadly that's not going to happen anymore because the business as change to the point that pretty much nobody wants to believe in those characters anymore and doing the old good guy vs bad guy doesn'T work anymore because fans are on to it and don't want to believe anymore and even the wrestlers don'T want to play the part anymore because when you watch let's say a Reigns vs Strowman match, you know damn well that these guy are best bud backstage and their just putting on a show. So the realism isn't there anymore and that'S why you won't really get that mega superstar like you did in previous era.

So all that to say that they need a guy that the mainstream media will like to do promotion for them, they need somebody that kids will see as a superhero, That's what the face of the company does and that's why Reigns is over and Reigns is becoming the face of the company. The guy as the look that mainstream media like and think that a WWE superstar should look like and kids see him as a superhero which is a big plus for them.

While we know that WWE as change and wrestlers are more athletic then ever, the the mainstream public and casual fans that don't watch WWE regularly, they still see WWE as the land of the Giants so again if you send somebody like Finn balor, not disrespect to him or his fan base, they see a regular guy which back in the day would probably be a job guy being interviewed on tv, that'S why they barely never send Punk or Bryan do T.V. promotion, because while they we're super over, they don't fit what the mainstream media wants out of pro wrestlers. Reigns does.

In the end, while reigns isn't the most over guy with us fans, he is one of the most over guy in the company, he moves merchandise, he sell tickets, fans truly anticipated any match he's part off. so why would WWE stop pushing a act that's making them money.

 

[rmp0012002]

But does he really sell tickets and merchandise? He’s definitely not a figure like the draws of the great wrestling eras. He doesn’t have that charisma that transfers to people outside the sport. He just doesn’t come across as a larger than life person. That’s what Vince wants but as much as people think he is I just don’t see Reigns as the next Hulk Hogan or Stone Cold.

 

[d_henderson1810]

Totally agree he has the look. As a matter of fact he probably has the best look on the roster today. However the problem with Reigns isn't his look or what he does in the ring, it's the fact that he is kind of boring.

All of the people you named in your post have one thing in common, they are charismatic and can talk. They can make you believe that they are the best at what they do and no one can touch them. That is an ability that Reigns doesn't have and it's too his determent.

If Reigns could talk like the Miz or Jericho or any number of others, he'd be gold and no one could touch him, problem is he can't and he's been given a lot of time to learn. It's just not something that comes natural to him, that isn't necessarily his fault. Not everyone is comfortable speaking in front of a crowd and some never will be.

Except, like I have pointed out before, there have been others who have been big and not been maestros on the mike.

Brock Lesnar would be horrible cutting a lengthy promo, but it doesn't matter, as he has Paul Heyman to do it.

The Undertaker got by on his presence and Paul Bearer in his early years, and didn't speak, as the character wasn't lent to it. Ditto to Kane circa '97-2000.

Bret Hart wasn't great on the mike. Neither was Chris Benoit (and it wasn't lack of stickwork that hurt his legacy). Braun Strowman is massively over at the moment, and says few words at a time.

Roman could still be big and not need stickwork. Maybe he needs a manager, a mouthpiece, to get him over (when Brock leaves at WM next year, maybe make an extra stip that, if Brock loses, Paul Heyman must have Roman Reigns as his client). Or, maybe have his opponent do the talking, and he stare them down, seeting, and the opponent then be met by a spear or a Superman Punch. Let Roman be that "his actions speak for him", and he never needs to say much, because his actions say more than his words.

Roman isn't considered main event material because he is overused, and the fans don't want to get behind Vince's "boy", no matter who it is, because it is an admission that Vince McMahon gets some things right (whereas the current favourite opinion by people here is that Vince is old, never gets it right, and needs to retire). Admitting that he gets "his pick" right is something that the fans will never admit.

There were people who used to say that Cena was terrible cutting promos when he was a main-evented. But lo and behold, he shows up once in a while, and suddenly you all love his stickwork. No, that's not it. You love that you don't see him every week anymore.

Prediction:- If Vince keeps Roman as the top guy for tenor twelve years, like he did Cena, and then Roman becomes a part-timer, a veteran, and edging retirement, you will all start to get nostalgic, put your rose-coloured glasses on, and pretend like you now respect the man, because he isn't on TV every week, and Vince has a new guy you hate as "the man". Roman won't look so bad by comparison. Because that is exactly what you have all done with the once-hated John Cena, who is now treated as a respected veteran who gives back to the sport (when he used to be accussed of never jobbing to anyone).