One Quote That Would Change Roman Reigns's Career Forever

[CKDaimen702]

In the aftermath of the Royal Rumble, we do not know if the heat on Reigns will carry over into the Wrestlemania buildup. I think that at best, it will be a mixed reaction, because, let's face it, once something becomes a trend with wrestling fans, especially if it is hate related or chant related...it doesn't tend to magically go away. So let's assume that he continues to get the Cena reaction leading into Mania and for the foreseeable future. There is one quote that he could say that would set the tone for his character not only leading into Mania, but for his entire career.

It's 2015. It is past time to fully embrace the Tweener. It has been teased in the past and introduced off and on, but rarely, if ever has it been fully embraced with the top star. The closest examples I can think of is Corporate Dude Love in 1998 and Bray Wyatt of today. But neither of them were/are the #1 guy. If there is one thing we all know about the IWC and the adult wrestling fanbase as a whole, it's that they hate faces who try too hard or when a face is "forced" or "handpicked." I propose that they should make Reigns a tweener, and they should do so with one simple quote....

I will never forget the first time Reigns spoke. It was when the Shield was cutting a promo about who they were and what their intentions were in the WWE while being interviewed by Michael Cole. Reigns simply said, "If I have something to say, I'll say it." And it's not what he said, it's the WAY he said it. I loved the stoic, IDGAF, badass attitude and that was his attitude through out the Shield. It is only recently that he has softened a little bit and began to pander to the crowd more than necessary. The WWE needs to cease and desist this pandering immediately and return Reigns back to the core of his character: a stoic, steely, ice-cold, IDGAF badass. And they can do that with one quote. Without further adieu, here is the quote....

During an interview, Reigns can be asked about the continued mixed reaction he is receiving. Maybe in the ring after a match or backstage before a match. Doesn't really matter. And in the EXACT SAME TONE where he said, "If I have something to say, I'll say it," this time, he just looks at the interviewer with this robotic look...like the freakin' Russian off of Rocky IV, and he says to the interviewer, he says....

"If they cheer, they cheer. If they boo, they boo."

Then he just walks away.

Epic.

And from that point on, he just does his thing and is a man of as few words possible but continues being pushed to the top.


What are your thoughts on this? Would Reigns as a tweener work with him being the #1 guy? And would this quote help the character?

Personally, I think that if anybody can master the tweener role, it's Roman Reigns, and that if the tweener will be embraced by the WWE, it is either now or never because I can't picture someone doing it better than Reigns. And I think this quote could make it happen.

 

[BillAlfonsos_Whistle]

I think a Reigns tweener character would work very well. I especially agree with your point about his edge when they were cutting promos as the Shield. Even as the Shield slowly broke away from their role as heel goons for powers that be he maintained that cool, calm, and collected attitude.

If I were writing the show right now I would have Reigns come out and really give it to the fans. "How dare you boo me? And for what...because your golden boy didn't win?" type deal. I'd have him verbally bury Daniel Bryan, Ziggler, Ambrose, Wyatt, and anyone else that is a perceived "better choice" by some fans. Now this sounds heel-ish but it would be all about the delivery.

"I'm not here to win a popularity contest. I'm here to win the WWE championship" type promo wouldn't necessarily turn him heel. It would just portray some of the passion they keep trying to force feed us about him. WELL SHOW SOME ROMAN!!!

He comes off as contrite, a tiny bit arrogant, and worst of all BORED AND COMPLACENT. Instead of playing the typical face card of "The paying customers can boo and cheer whoever they want" he should go with a more edgy way of saying the same thing that puts more focus on HIM than on THEM. "Whether you want to boo me or cheer me. I will be the next WWE champion and I am the future and the future is NOW! Believe that" type deal.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

The biggest roadblock to Roman Reigns' success is probably Vince McMahon. Based on what we've seen in the past several weeks, though it's still early in Reigns' super push and things could possibly change, Vince wants Roman Reigns to be another John Cena. He wants this family friendly, tall, dark, handsome superhero that can be viewed as a good role model. He doesn't want an edgy Tweener or anti-hero who could care less if the crowd cheers for him or boo him. If it was, then Randy Orton would have been the perfect choice to have been the face of WWE for the past decade.

In my opinion, I don't see fans accepting Roman Reigns right now. I think some of them would view this as just another attempt on Vince's part to manipulate them. I think Vince would be better off to cut his losses, let Roman Reigns spend 2015 building up his reputation in good feuds & matches, building up his credibility while slowly transitioning back into the sort of edgy Tweener character who didn't open his mouth unless he had something to say. Basically, let Reigns be the guy he was while part of The Shield.

Right now, the notion of Roman Reigns being handpicked by Vince McMahon is far too fresh in people's minds and it's not going to dissipate between now and WrestleMania XXXI. After all, if Vince intends to defiantly push forward with Reigns as his guy, then fans who're frustrated with the notion aren't going to be able to just simply let it go when it's right in their faces each & every week. However, I think there's a better chance of pulling off this Tweener character if Reigns is sort of put on the backburner and actually built up as someone with credibility. MAYBE by next year's WrestleMania, with time, some consistently good booking and a staunch determination not to make Reigns over into a John Cena clone, fans could be willing to embrace him. I don't any one particular tweak helping Reigns right now, nor do I see any sort of quick fix happening here. Many fans are too frustrated with Vince and Reigns just doesn't have the ability to pull fans into the illusion.

 

[Radical Canadian Goose]

Right now, the only quote that will help him is, "I'm sorry to the WWE universe, but I have to pull out of the WM 31 main event due to an injury." It sucks, cause I think that Reigns/Lesnar will be a surprisingly above average main event, but, the best thing for both WWE and Reigns is for him to get injured. Bryan (please no) or another superstar can be hot shotted to the Main event with Brock, win the title Reigns comes back, rips through the roster (garnering crowd support) beats Bryan (please no) or whoever else is the champ to great applause. #pipedreams

 

[BillAlfonsos_Whistle]

The family-friendly aspect of the WWE is honestly making their product suffer very badly IMO. I am not claiming the federation should not cater to children and family at some level. There are always silly characters you can fallback on to playcate that part of the fanbase but the bottom line is...look what has happened with each stupid family friendly type push they have tried to give people.

I can't help but immediately think of Ryback and the "Feed Me More!" gimmick. They took a monstrous beastly guy and made him into a total utter joke. It's amazing he has even recovered to the level he has IMO. Now with Reigns trying to make him a humble family-oriented superstar. It's just never going to work that way. There are far too many adults, smarks, whatever you want to call them/us to ever get a guy over in this fashion again.

I also can't help but look at Daniel Bryan who has a goofy demeanor and YES! gimmick who got over the way Vince wants organically. People love the dude. Mostly because he actually has some in-ring talent! I keep hearing people say that Reigns/Rollins are mostly being held back from their lack of promo and speaking talent. But Bryan isn't a great talker either. He doesn't entertain me a tall on the mic. But once the bell rings the guy is a gamer. He is one of the best on the roster.

I think Vince/HHH/the brain trust should recognize this. The best way to get a guy over who will fit their family friendly image is to actually take wrestlers with talent and give them small pushes to see who the people latch onto. The "all the eggs in one basket" thing is getting really old.

CM Punk held the WWE title for 400+ days and he was far from family friendly. It's time to shift. I know they aren't going back to PG-14 and that's not what I'm asking. They just need to realize the days of classic baby face with no talent but on the mic is OVER. Even a guy like Cena has gotten better in the ring over the years and never STUNK to begin with.

Just watch the Roman/Big Show match this past Thursday to see just how horrible Reigns is. Him trying to sell the leg injury was hilariously bad.

 

[Hillali2]

It's an interesting concept. It pretty much sets the tone for reigns character. He would suit that tweener position. I think reigns needs to say less. Mark madden was right, the more reigns talks the more his weaknesses are exposed. At the very least he could have a manager to talk for him.

 

[WimpyKid4Life]

Interesting idea. It got me thinking: The Philadelphia crowd thought they "won" because they rejected Roman Reigns and booing him is now the "cool" thing to do, but I don't see it that way. I think it just fits with his 'One Versus All' mantra.

 

[Boxhead333]

I was thinking a similar thing just this morning. I think Reigns would suit the tweeter role perfectly. He just can't be the John cena style baby face. Here's my idea, of course it would rely on Reigns mic skills. But I think he could pull it off. Like you said I'd have him come out and tell the fans that he's tired of pandering to them. If they don't like him, that's fine. He's decided he doesn't care what they think, he's doing what's best for him.

The quote would be something like " I'm not Daniel Bryan, I'm not John Cena and I'm certainly not the Rock. I'm Roman Reigns, I've gotta start making my own name. Love me or hate me, doesn't matter, I'm going to walk out of Wrestlemania as the WWE heavyweight champion, believe that."
After that I'd have him get new theme music and ring gear. He can say he's starting fresh, leaving his past with the Shield behind him, and to prepare for Brock Lesnar he needs to settle some old scores and be entirely focused on Wrestlemania. Then I'd have him call out Big Show and dominate him. He could do the same with Bray Wyatt the next week and Seth Rollins the week after. He could say he's settling old scores by beating old enemies.

 

[Creepy Old Man]

Won't work. Being the face of modern WWE requires the ability to pull off lengthy, 15-20 minute talking segments. Hogan, Austin, Rock and Cena all nailed it. Bret, as much as speaking was his weakness, had to learn to convey his thoughts in long promo segments. Reigns will have to learn it as well. Problem is, a Bret Hart had near-peerless wrestling skill to compensate, while Roman absolutely cannot sustain a 30 minute pay-per-view match.

I don't see the Reigns experiment ending in anything but disaster.

 

[Mustang Sally]

And in the EXACT SAME TONE where he said, "If I have something to say, I'll say it," this time, he just looks at the interviewer with this robotic look.

In theory, I can see it....and it might serve two purposes: first, it relieves Roman (and us) of the problems created when he opens his mouth, since he's far from a polished speaker. Second, it would cast him as the strong, silent type, which is what his appearance suggests.

When he walks up to Renee Young's interview position and favors her with a big smile, I cringe. To remain consistent with his look, he shouldn't be smiling like that at anyone, whether a pretty girl or not.

Of course, there's one problem with all this; he's (apparently) destined to hold the world championship. Now, there's a dilemma.... doesn't the holder of the big belt have to represent himself (and his employer) in more complete fashion than just with his in-ring prowess?

I think Reigns would be better served functioning as he did with the Shield; talk only when he needs to, have him appear powerful, mysterious and dangerous more for what he doesn't say than what he does. Maybe he should have a representative, a mouthpiece to do his talking for him. Perhaps Paul Heyman; we've been reading folks assigning Heyman to Seth Rollins ....but Seth doesn't need him....he already has the Authority.

So, let Roman stick to the: "If I have something to say, I'll say it" mantra while letting his actions do the talking while his agent tells us whatever we need to know.

 

[BuriedByCena]

Only thing that will save Roman is if he lets loose on the mic, un-scripted and just go full blown heel.

When he stutters doing this promo and the fans laugh at him for it, have him yell at the fans "Go ahead and laugh, I suck at promo's I admit it. I'd like to see any of you do any better. I am going to win the title whether you like it or not." Then he drops the mic and gives everyone the finger.

Why not have him just admit he hates talking to the fans? It could be his gimmick. Every time a face tries to hand him a mic, he could refuse to take it and just spear them instead.

 

[OYDK]

"If they cheer, they cheer. If they boo, they boo."

Doesn't John Cena say this about 5 times a year? I don't see how saying something like this differentiates Roman Reigns from John Cena at all. What I get from this quote is, "If you don't like what I'm doing, too fuckin bad it's not going to change..." Also, I don't really get this tweener obsession. There are a bunch of tweeners in the WWE such as Randy Orton, Ryback, Dean Ambrose, even Bray Wyatt to a point... Imo, Reigns becoming an ass-kicking tweener again doesn't separate him from the pack enough.

Roman Reigns needs to become a flat-out heel, and he needs Paul Heyman by his side. He needs to go the Rock route meaning Reings needs to be a heel before he can become THE face and it astounds me that WWE doesn't see it (or at least it appears they don't see it). I get that the WWE wants Reigns as their next babyface but what's the rush? Is John Cena going to Hollywood or secretly dying? It would seem that Reigns still has a few years before he needs to pick up the torch, unless WWE wants to turn Cena heel or whatnot.

I say turn Reigns heel at Mania, align him with Paul Heyman, and give him a dominant run as champion before a babyface Seth Rollins eventually takes the belt. Next year, WWE can decide where they want to go with Reigns depending on how he progresses. This just seems like the logical route to me at least.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

The biggest roadblock to Roman Reigns' success is probably Vince McMahon. Based on what we've seen in the past several weeks, though it's still early in Reigns' super push and things could possibly change, Vince wants Roman Reigns to be another John Cena. He wants this family friendly, tall, dark, handsome superhero that can be viewed as a good role model. He doesn't want an edgy Tweener or anti-hero who could care less if the crowd cheers for him or boo him. If it was, then Randy Orton would have been the perfect choice to have been the face of WWE for the past decade.

In my opinion, I don't see fans accepting Roman Reigns right now. I think some of them would view this as just another attempt on Vince's part to manipulate them. I think Vince would be better off to cut his losses, let Roman Reigns spend 2015 building up his reputation in good feuds & matches, building up his credibility while slowly transitioning back into the sort of edgy Tweener character who didn't open his mouth unless he had something to say. Basically, let Reigns be the guy he was while part of The Shield.

Right now, the notion of Roman Reigns being handpicked by Vince McMahon is far too fresh in people's minds and it's not going to dissipate between now and WrestleMania XXXI. After all, if Vince intends to defiantly push forward with Reigns as his guy, then fans who're frustrated with the notion aren't going to be able to just simply let it go when it's right in their faces each & every week. However, I think there's a better chance of pulling off this Tweener character if Reigns is sort of put on the backburner and actually built up as someone with credibility. MAYBE by next year's WrestleMania, with time, some consistently good booking and a staunch determination not to make Reigns over into a John Cena clone, fans could be willing to embrace him. I don't any one particular tweak helping Reigns right now, nor do I see any sort of quick fix happening here. Many fans are too frustrated with Vince and Reigns just doesn't have the ability to pull fans into the illusion.

There IS no quick fix for Roman Reigns... and there absolutely shouldn't be.

This whole thing reminds me of Poochie on the famed Simpsons episode (stay with me) in that it's a character created and voiced by Homer who initially was over/was popular as part of the group with Itchy and Scratchy... and he started to get popular... till it became forced and the execs were making it "all about Poochie" and he had to be the star... even the immortal "when he's not onscreen they need to be thinking about Poochie". It all ends with a revolt by the fans and a hastily put out, badly drawn "Poochie returned to his own planet and died on the way" just to get rid of the embarrassment of the failure. While the episode was cartoon characters, the process is identical for building up wrestlers in WWE... substitute Rollins and Ambrose for Itchy and Scratchy and you have the exact situation.

Reigns is the least original of the 3, the least developed and has shown ZERO growth as a character, he even retains the Shield's music, signature look and entrance... almost as if he gets to keep it in case it doesn't work out... he can return to The Shield or have a new version... nothing they've actually done with him shows real faith in him, he's just "what the brass want".

No magic quote is gonna get Reigns over like it did for Austin or Pillman or The Rock... there's not gonna be a magic bullet promo that suddenly turns people's opinions round on him. The only think that is going to fix it is solid HARD work, improving daily between now and Fast Lane at minimum and Mania if they follow through. They need to be getting him down to NXT on his days off on the quiet and working with their top guys, Regal in particular... cos at the moment it doesn't matter WHAT is coming out of his mouth, his facials give away he is well out of his depth and not confident... The Rock made it work cos he was not only genuinely pissed, but when he first uttered "If you smell..." at Wrestlemania 14 he had utter faith that it was not only gonna get over but that it was an integral part of what he was going to be projecting from then onwards. Nothing Reigns has said so far has that conviction to it, whether scripted by Vince, Heyman or the man himself it won't make a dent if he doesn't KNOW who Roman Reigns is himself...

As it stands it's gonna end horribly for Roman Reigns, and he'll get the WWE equivalent of that hand written card "...his career died on his way out of Wrestlemania... or rather Reigns returns at MITB with a New Shield stable..."

 

[mkw1962]

Roman should come out and tell the crowd boo me cheer me it does not matter I am the future of the WWE. Just like a lot of you have said he could say something along those lines throw the mic down and walk away. WWE needs to figure out how they are going to use Roman here are your choices:
1. Heel it speaks for itself be the big monster he was in the Shield beat up anyone who gets in his way and hook up with Paul to screw Brock at WM31, maybe even turn his back on Rock and cut a promo saying he does not care about anyone or anything but himself. Boo me cheer me I am the future of the WWE and nobody can change that.
2. Face continue doing what they are doing now maybe Roman can come out and save Daniel than cut a promo like you guys can boo me or cheer me all you want that will not change the fact that I am going to WM31 and take down the beast and become the new WWE world heavyweight champion believe that.
3. Tweener A good mixture of a heel and a face bring back the tough guy image he had in the shield and only talk once in a while, but still be there for Dean, Danniel and Dolph if they need some help.
If the Tweener or face does not work let Seth cash in at WM31 and hold the title til Roman is ready, I would go with the heel image but than when does Seth get his shot. Have Seth cash in and than Roman changes the next night on Raw.

 

[royalroadweed]

It doesn't matter what he says and how they change his character if he can't wrestle. He should be more concerned about leaning how to wrestle for more than 10 minutes.

 

[Wald]

I really wish someone would use Vince's extensive wrestling library to go back and give him a history lesson in his own company. Like people have been saying in here, Roman got over as a cool, quiet character in the Shield and that's what works for him. Vince wants to turn him in to a lovable babyface that cracks jokes, smiles with kids and and is an all round good guy. We've seen this before for him and we've seen it fail.

Exhibit A: Diesel in 1994 - Here was a character who got over almost exactly the same as Reigns did. He was a brooding, good looking, ass kicking machine who didn't say much and let his actions do his talking for him. He got over to such an extent that he was a triple crown WWF champion within a year for god's sake! So what does Vince do? He changes his character completely in to a guy who cracks joke and is an all round good guy, complete with nonsense like this.

[YOUTUBE]imbS4v3pHD4[/YOUTUBE]

How lame is that? Just painful and it completely destroyed Diesel's character and run. He was primed to be the next main man in the WWF but Vince blew it and after a lacklustre year long run the belt was switched back to Bret Hart so that he could drop it in turn to Vince's next project

Exhibit B: Shawn Michaels in 1996 - HBK got over naturally because of his talent and his character. Back when the Heartbreak Kid gimmick was introduced it maybe was a bit too midcard in its presentation. But through years of tweeking and working on it Shawn found the right formula, a cocky but funny guy who could back it up in the ring, and fans flocked to him. After his showings against Razor Ramon at Wrestlemania X, Diesel at Wrestlemania XI and in the Royal Rumble in 1995 than Vicne basically had no other option but to turn him babyface, the fans wanted it. So he had a great nine month midcard run where he beat Jeff Jarrett, Razor Ramon in a return ladder match and, kayfabe wise, came back from a concussion and a collapse in the ring to win the Royal Rumble for the second year running.

Here's where his character fell off the wagon. Vince decided to tweek his persona to fit what Vince wanted out of a main event babyface. He got Shawn to take on his former mentor Jose Lothario and to act humble about facing the Hitman at Wrestlemania XII. Bret talked a good fight of wanting to prove to himself that he's the best whilst Shawn came across a bit weak. After his title win this continued in to feuds with Diesel, Vader and Sid as Shawn would sell merchandise in the ring, dance with children and use that obnoxious Kliq Kam in the crowd with his fans. His reign was an utter disaster and within months fans had rejected him to the point the belt was going to be switched back to Bret Hart.

Ironically what Vince wanted was the guy he never really got fully behind, Bret Hart. He wanted a babyface champion who was down to earth and was a good fighter. He wanted the Hitman but didn't recognise it and instead tried to make HBK and Diesel in to Bret Hart. Neither could do it because it wasn't their characters and Vince doesn't seemed to have learnt that lesson. He's trying to make Reigns in to John Cena and it will fail and it will fail fast and hard.

 

[Sexcellence of Sexecution]

Marshawn Lynch is one of the biggest badasses in the NFL and he doesn't give a fuck about doing interviews. If he feels like answering questions, he will, but for the most part he seems to generally hate the media. If Roman Reigns projected that kind of attitude it would actually be pretty cool.

Obviously the WWE wouldn't want a top babyface that prefers not to talk, but it would actually be something interesting and different. Paul Heyman's philosophy as a booker was to accentuate the positives and hide the negatives, and it makes a lot of sense. Roman Reigns isn't a strong talker, but he has a strong presence, so utilize him accordingly.

 

[kadroan]

He would make a great tweener. However, WWE seems too stuck in their ways to try Reigns at that role. I'd think they'd rather try to make Reigns their face. Think Sheamus in 2012, Batista in early 2014.

 

[NegativeFeedback]

I want Roman to have this character:

Renee: So, Roman, do you think you have an advantage over Brock now that he is rehabbing Broken ribs?

Roman: I'm sorry, are you a medical professional Renee? Do you even know what broken ribs look like? And if you did, do you know exactly how they can affect one's performance? No, you don't know shit. So how about you leave it to the doctors to talk about how meaningful this injury is because I don't need to hear this from your med school wannabe mouth.

Renee: Fair enough... How about last night at Fast Lane? You had a really dominant performance against Big Show in your Last Man...

Roman: The hell you say to me? Dominant? What do you know about being dominant in the ring? Have you ever stepped in the ring? Do you even know how to lock up? I'm sorry, but this is some grade-A bullshit. *turns to camera* How about you get me someone who knows WTF they're talking about cuz I can't deal with her ignorant ass.