Really? Roman Reigns?

[Radical Canadian Goose]

I created a recent thread about Dean Ambrose that got a lot of heat. And I started thinking back to the Shields debut. Dean Ambrose (John Moxley) , Seth Rollins (Tyler Black) were indy standouts. We all loved them. Vinny Mac was showing some indy love.

Wait, who's this third dude? Roman Reigns wtf? We hated it. We wanted Leo Kruger or Corey Graves or hey maybe even Kevin Steen. Roman Reigns? Who's he?

Admit it. We all thought it. And Vince proved us wrong. Roman Reigns is the next big thing.

Yet again Vinny Mac trumped us.

 

[MoRtAnDaD]

I respectfully disagree, yes in the beginning, Ambrose was the most standout of the three. (in fact the first interview with cole...basically was done by dean).

But i never saw that much of a heat against reigns. As a matter of fact, the shield was so well written and booked that they became instantly "IWC"'s favorites.

 

[Jaystone46307]

i just don't like how they are having reigns be precieved as this beast when there are men on the roster that dwarf him and compared to the other 2 he hasn't shown much of anything special its just that the other 2 have been seen wrestling more so now reigns is being booked in more spots fans actually like a little change

 

[rbv13]

Ill give Reigns his WWE Super Star look but aside from that I don't share the same feelings towards him as most of the fans. He is damn good when you look at rest of the roster but that's not really saying a lot. As an all around performer he ranks third in the Shield. In real star of the group is Rollins and that will be proven in the long run.

 

[Jaystone46307]

ambrose i say will still reach heights in wwe that the other 2 won't reigns will grow stale after awhile and the other guy see i can't even remember his name will stay mid card

 

[gaggletop]

I'm not sure what the question is to be honest. I assume you are asking our feelings on Reigns.

I personally pay little attention to the indies, never really have. I do hear about them though, and Rollins and Ambrose were the 2 I would hear about; never Reigns. I will say this, I personally do not see Reigns as the next big thing. I don't think he has proven himself on the mic or proven he can get a crowd against/behind him without the shield. Take Rollins and Ambrose out of it, and do you think this discussion would take place had Reigns debut as a singles competitor? I do not, but I would love to be proven wrong. That doesnt mean WWE cant push him to make me believe, I just don't think it would be discussed had he debuted alone.

As for nobody knowing him in the beginning, we see this all the time. Nexus was a vehicle for Barrett, yet Bryan used that angle and his firing/rehiring to get out of the shadows. Then he proved himself. The Spirit Squad looked like a vehicle for Dykstra, yet he is long gone and a repackaged Ziggler is the obvious breakout. The Nation of Domination was for Simmons, yet the Rock stole the show. It happens. Dosent mean that is what Vince intended, it just means somebody got over so now they capitalize. I will say Reigns has the potential to be huge, but could also go down like Diesel. Huge in the beginning, then who cares at the end. Time will tell.

 

[Messiah]

No it just proves all the fans are a bunch of sheep, not in a bad way, but it shows the fans will get behind any superstar if WWE books it right.. Roman Reigns hasn't shown he can do much besides a Spear and his "Superman" Punch, he's still very green in the ring, which is what's scary if he's going to go solo soon. Roman Reigns has always had a great look, but he needs more than that if he's going to be a top star in WWE.

 

[streicher187]

Don't usually pay attention to a lot of the younger guys as most get buried but Reigns sticks out. I think in the Wyatt vs Shield group Roman has the "it" factor.

I don't see Bray Wyatt being much w/out the Family and the other 2 members of the Shield are mid card talent on their own. I could actually see the Rock coming back and passing the torch to Roman and giving him the rub to elevate him to superstar

 

[BigThunder]

I was a little skeptical of Reigns; I wasn't all that impressed with what I saw on NXT. But he's had time to grow, in the ring and on the mic, and it's long been apparent that he has "the look".

I'd have preferred them to keep the Shield together and elevate them to a main event stable, but I think all three men have tremendous potential when the breakup happens.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

I was a little skeptical of Reigns; I wasn't all that impressed with what I saw on NXT. But he's had time to grow, in the ring and on the mic, and it's long been apparent that he has "the look".

I kind of think that's what WWE really sees in him that makes his stand out in the Shield. Reigns isn't that much better on the mic and the ring than Rollins and Ambrose, heck even Rollins is pretty good in promos.

All three have a great future in the WWE but none of these guys are main event ready or even singles star ready. Does anyone think Reigns can stand on his own in a singles program? Right now I don't think so. I think he can start getting a singles push but still being part of the Shield. Otherwise now is not the time.

 

[gaggletop]

I kind of think that's what WWE really sees in him that makes his stand out in the Shield. Reigns isn't that much better on the mic and the ring than Rollins and Ambrose, heck even Rollins is pretty good in promos.

All three have a great future in the WWE but none of these guys are main event ready or even singles star ready. Does anyone think Reigns can stand on his own in a singles program? Right now I don't think so. I think he can start getting a singles push but still being part of the Shield. Otherwise now is not the time.

That was my point too. As a singles competitor, Reigns wouldnt have made it this far yet, and stand alone I don't think he is ready. That doesnt mean they can't push him, but is he truly ready to go it alone? Time will tell, but I don't think he has reached the point yet. He can still find success, but not as much as he would if they waited. Imagine pushing Shawn Michaels the minute he got to the wwf. He may have still made it, but not as far as he did. Grooming is important, as you only get 1 or 2 do-overs before they give up.

 

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

I don't think anything about this post is right. Maybe YOU thought that. I believe my exact thought on The Shield was "I know Rollins, I don't know Ambrose, and nobody knows Reigns. But their gimmick is good, I'm intrigued, and I want to see more of all of them."

I don't know anybody that was immediately pissed off about Reigns being in the group. He's got an amazing look. He's the perfect enforcer. I think I liked him more than I liked Batista in Evolution at the start.

Also, Reigns is the break-out star now because WWE creative is pushing him in that direction. They could have done it with any of them. So to say "Vinny Mac pulled one over on us" is kind of ridiculous. At this point I hope all of them are big enough, and have been around on top long enough to be individual stars when they inevitably break up. Rollins could go the way of the Slater, I suppose. I hope not.

 

[GameOver]

Speak for yourself, I never wanted Corey Graves he's useless as is most of the NXT roster. I agree tho Leo Krueger seemed like a perfect choice and still has potential, tho Roman was doing the same deal in NXT so it coulda been either.

I don't agree that Roman hasn't done anything, he has IT, he is not useless in promo's, he has the look he has the draw and he has presence, everything you want for a growing star. He can certainly go it alone just like Batista did, use a group to get onscreen and work on your presence then let loose and Spear everyone into cheering for you.

as it stands i think Roman is ready for the second tier title and stay near the world title but he certainly hasn't earned a spot at the top yet. Ambrose is just borderline boring now and Seth hasnt done anything as far as i'm concerned since he was the NXT champ, he's just along for the ride other then throwing out a good mic performance every now and then and is i'd admit probably the best of the 3 in the ring from bell to bell but he doesn't have presence.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I can't say that I liked or disliked the notion of Roman Reigns whatsoever in the beginning. I didn't know squat about the guy, so I was willing to wait and see; to give the guy a chance before I embraced or pissed all over him. In the beginning, Ambrose did stand out more, as did Seth Rollins, because Roman Reigns generally had a more limited role within the group dynamic as the muscle. Reigns excelled, however, in this role and was convincing. He didn't, and still doesn't, speak as much as Rollins & Ambrose, but he does a good job when he does speak. He has a really good look that's convincing as the muscle of the group and the fact that he bears a really close resemblance to The Rock plays in his favor as well.

As far as another indie talent debuting as a member of The Shield, it may have worked out and it may not have. Just because a guy has an indie background doesn't automatically mean that he's some great mega talent. The way some indie marks go on, you'd think that every other name on indie scene is a mix between Kurt Angle, Stone Cole & The Rock. The indie scene is packed with wrestlers with hardcore fans, all of whom proclaim their guy or guys as being the greatest of all time.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Also, Reigns is the break-out star now because WWE creative is pushing him in that direction. They could have done it with any of them.

Very true. It's always interesting to watch Vince McMahon and his team decide whom to push and whom to not push. Sometimes, it can get overbearing, as if he's saying: I'm the star-maker. The audience will like who I tell them to like."

I felt this way about Vince's efforts to feature Dolph Ziggler and Cody Rhodes. Especially in Dolph's case, Vince tossed these guys in our faces so much because he apparently decided they were the future main eventers of the company.....and in spite of indications he's backed off on them, who knows what will happen in the future?

As far as stage presence, I think Vince has a winner with Roman Reigns. I love the guy's look and the way Creative has him approaching his function in the ring and on the mic. (Yes, he's not as accomplished in speaking roles yet, but he's got that attitude about him).

Whether the performers Vince backs prove to be a hit or a miss, he's got the difficult task of choosing who the stars of tomorrow are going to be. I think he's got it right on this one: Roman Reigns is going to be really big.

 

[jsnsince89]

Slightly changing gears here, Does anyone not think that breaking up the Shield now is a bad thing or does anyone like me believe there's still legs in this stable beyond WM. When I say that, I refer to a change of members? Out with Reigns who's time has come but keep Ambrose and Rollins alongside a new muscle of the group? Dare I say repackage Ryback to Ryan Reeves or bring in a new NXT member?

 

[laodaron]

No. The Shield is done. Ambrose should become a WWE Main Event jobber, Rollins is looking at a decent midcard career, and Reigns is looking at the uppercard in the next 6 months. Trying to keep a stable going with new members ala Four Horsemen just doesn't work anymore.

 

[laodaron]

Because Ambrose is boring, slow, and easily the least talented out of the stable. And stables don't evolve anymore, period. There is no more Evolution, there is no more Legacy, there is no more DX (unless the original members bring it up) there is no more NWO. Stables die when their members either go singles or can't hang in the WWE.

 

[Blade]

I'm pretty sure no one was pissed off that Reigns was the third guy. Nobody hated him. If anything, we were indifferent to him. We wanted to see Ambrose and Rollins. Those are guys that some of us knew and liked. Reigns, at that point, was a nobody to hardcore fans as well as casual fans.

And I don't think people saw nothing in him. We just never gave him much thought due to Rollins and Ambrose. That's only natural, no? If Ambrose and Rollins had been called up with anyone who wasn't Sami Zayn or Kassius Ohno, it would've been the same case because we didn't know the third man. But I don't know anyone who actively disliked or resented Reigns, or thought that he was somehow undeserving.

Nobody thought that, because nobody really cared. Now that Reigns is starting to impress us, we're starting to care. Because that's how wrestling works.