Roman Reigns on Daniel Bryan type run to the title?

[Straightfromthehart]

So it would seem that Vince isn't totally convinced that Reigns is at the rite point to win the title rite now, and needs more of a build. They are obviously going with a Daniel Bryan type story...the authority holding him down, the fight against the "man" so to speak. This would suggest to me they are not totally happy with where he is in regards to fans and feel he needs a longer build. Now I would say this is probably the rite call, he isn't totally over with the hardcore fans (not to a daniel Bryan level anyway). And the whole "being held back for not selling out" angle can really gage how much the fans want to see the belt on him....the last thing Vince wants is the big push only for him to get a mania main event win being boo'd outta the stadium, so it seems they're going for the long battle against the authority to build him to their "man" status.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

If WWE hopes to somehow recreate what was done with Daniel Bryan, they're in for a disappointment. Fans aren't going to rally around Reigns the way they did for Bryan because Reigns has too many things going for him that every fan knows Vince McMahon is especially fond of, namely that he's a big ol' muscular Adonis whereas Bryan was a 5'10" 210 pound "normal" guy who had a common man type of quality to him and who happened to be among the top in-ring wrestlers in the world. The cosmetic factor is something highly prized by Vince and the fact that Bryan wasn't the big ol' super stud, yet fans really dug him, automatically put him in the role of underdog and Roman Reigns ain't no underdog.

Fans have warmed up to Reigns to a much greater degree than this time last year, I doubt he's gonna get booed out of the building, but his popularity isn't anywhere close to what we saw with Bryan. Daniel Bryan could return tonight on Raw and there'd be a gaggles of fans rallying for him to challenge for the title; I'm not saying he would, of course, because only time can tell whether or not he should hang it up, but that wouldn't stop a lot of people from wanting it.

I think Vince is going to go the route of Reigns being the new stud on the block, someone that's gonna decimate whatever obstacle is put in front of him because that's how Vince likes his top babyfaces: relatively one or two dimensional, looks like a superhero and kicks ass like one. In short, Vince wants a John Cena 2.0, only Reigns doesn't have anywhere near the overall ability to step into Cena's shoes. I like Reigns and I do wanna see him have a successful career, but I don't see Reigns as being the next it guy based on what I've seen.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

But it doesn't work for Reigns. He's not a little guy like DB. Plus there's too many reports saying that they want to push him and it was quite the opposite for DB. Don't they understand there's so much information on the internet that many fans know what's going on?

I'm not one of those posters who advocates heel turns much, but it would've been the absolute perfect time for them to pull on with Reigns. The corporate heel champion would've been a perfect role for him right now. He'd keep his promos short, have HHH/Stephanie do some of the talking for him. It wouldn't even have to be that long of a heel turn.

I'm not surprised they didn't pull the trigger on it, because LOLWWE, but whether it's stubbornness or just stupidity, it's the wrong move IMO.

 

[Straightfromthehart]

I agree totally with you both, but it seems Vinces think this route will get him more over with the fans....I would have turned reigns heel last night....I'd say that would make him more popular with the hardcore...turn him into a ruthless badass

 

[stingray11214]

VKM has lost his mind if he thinks Reigns will be Bryan 2.0 or Cena 2.0. EVERYTHING about him SCREAMS Lex Luger 2.0. Luger had a nice build up as well. Guess what happened? He could not draw ants if you threw him in a sugar mill. Reigns is proving that with House shows. SO, what makes VKM think he is going he is going to get better with an even LONGER build? Reigns WORKED in The Shield because he is a good tag wrestler. That I will give him. But, as the "face" of the Company? No, just no.

 

[Kodo Sawaki]

Trouble is that there is no one in The Authority worthy enough for Reigns to go over aside of HHH. If they did that last year you would had Kane, Orton, Rollins and J&J, HHH, whole bunch of heel guys for him to go over on his way. Now its just HHH. And dont tell me there is Sheamus because he garners no reaction at all and its ridiculous choice for main Champion.

Always found that reaction against Roman ridiculous. Punk and Bryan had that "they dont want me as Champion" notion worked fine eventhough both of them were multiple times World Champions before that point. Now you have the guy who had multiple good singles matches behind him, has good looks and even improved a lot on mic and you still cant get behind the guy. I got it for Wrestlemania, he wasnt nearly ready then, but now its just ridiculous.

I do agree that it was the best option to turn him heel. From the storyline point they were running was ridiculous because he fought the fight to get to Rollins and then fought all the tournament eventhough he could just join Authority and get free pass. Now it could make sense however because he always comes so close and lose it. He acctualy has some valid points to switch sides. Dont believe they would run it though, Vince wants him face. And thats a shame because if they want him as some "mega- star" and "face of WWE" could be better option to get more over as heel and then turn him face.

 

[Azane]

Theres a huge difference.

Fans liked Daniel Bryan, always did, before he was even in WWE.

Roman Reigns was loved in the Shield, but he's been booed out of the building on every singles occasion.

2 Superman punches and a Spear after his opponent carries the entire match is boring people out of their minds, and the fact that we always know it's coming.

Daniel Bryan had the hardcore fans over well before he even touched a WWE ring, and if you watch some of his early events, he was getting some of the highest pops of anyone, even when he was a nobody storyline wise. Fans appreciate wrestling Talent, Reigns is moving towards the Cena formula of getting beat for the entire match then comeback with 2-3 moves for an "underdog" victory, but he's never the underdog, EVERYONE had Reigns vs Ambrose with Reigns winning that tournament, he wasnt underdog, and it made the entire build up pointless.

 

[Prince Vee]

If WWE hopes to somehow recreate what was done with Daniel Bryan, they're in for a disappointment. Fans aren't going to rally around Reigns the way they did for Bryan because Reigns has too many things going for him that every fan knows Vince McMahon is especially fond of, namely that he's a big ol' muscular Adonis whereas Bryan was a 5'10" 210 pound "normal" guy who had a common man type of quality to him and who happened to be among the top in-ring wrestlers in the world. The cosmetic factor is something highly prized by Vince and the fact that Bryan wasn't the big ol' super stud, yet fans really dug him, automatically put him in the role of underdog and Roman Reigns ain't no underdog.

Fans have warmed up to Reigns to a much greater degree than this time last year, I doubt he's gonna get booed out of the building, but his popularity isn't anywhere close to what we saw with Bryan. Daniel Bryan could return tonight on Raw and there'd be a gaggles of fans rallying for him to challenge for the title; I'm not saying he would, of course, because only time can tell whether or not he should hang it up, but that wouldn't stop a lot of people from wanting it.

I think Vince is going to go the route of Reigns being the new stud on the block, someone that's gonna decimate whatever obstacle is put in front of him because that's how Vince likes his top babyfaces: relatively one or two dimensional, looks like a superhero and kicks ass like one. In short, Vince wants a John Cena 2.0, only Reigns doesn't have anywhere near the overall ability to step into Cena's shoes. I like Reigns and I do wanna see him have a successful career, but I don't see Reigns as being the next it guy based on what I've seen.

I totally corroborate with what Jack Hammer had stated. Even though I'm one of those "Cena Sucks" chanting fan, I admire him and his hardwork, that he had carried the WWE over his shoulder. Reigns definitely doesn't have those capabilities. Moreover comparatively, when they both started to get stardom, Reigns is older already. He's around 30 isn't he? I don't see him the Big Thing or the Face of WWE. If they still believe in that, it'll be a doom.

 

[Bruno's Sanctimony]

The only things that feel real anymore are Undertaker's legacy, Brock Lesnar's dominance, Daniel Bryan's popularity and John Cena's inevitability.

Everything else seems manufactured...including, most blatantly so, Roman Reigns' "push".

That E thinks they're going to catch lightning in a bottle twice, by giving Daniel Bryan's storyline to Roman Reigns, without any regard to the differences in their characters, abilities, histories and public perceptions is only the latest example of E's myopic ineptitude.

The story writing needs to be given back to wrestling people, and the upper management needs to back off and let things happen. But this stuff is boring...and I say that as someone who went through the second half of Backlund's reign and the early 90's with this company.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

Reigns needs to turn heel, I think that way they can find an angle that can finally turn him face while using the heel turn to help on his promo and charisma. Taking the Bryan route is a mistake since part of Bryan's appeal is that fans can sympathize to him. I say Reigns is better off taking a Batista route since he does have look and size that's similar to Batista and Batista got really hot once they found the right angle for him to finally go babyface and chase for the title.

 

[MTL722]

Roman is not Daniel Bryan. The only thing they have in common is that they are professional wrestlers. WWE can try and build Roman all they want with whatever storyline they want, but they will never get Roman to the level Bryan achieved before injury

Im not one for comparing Roman to Luger, although I get the point. I'm not one for comparing Reigns to Cena, although I get the point. I'm going to out on a limb and say that Reigns biggest problem is simply that he is not a power guy. He has the look of one from the neck up, but what moves does he do that makes you think "Wow, that was tough"? He does that Rampage Jackson lift up powerbomb, but never once had it looked good. If you've never seen it, Google Rampage Jackson powerbomb and you'll see that Roman mimics is terribly

I don't want to pick on Romans in ring ability because he does put on better matches than people give him credit for. The problem is that he's always been built as this powerful guy, when he is probably not even I'm the top 5-10 strongest guys on the roster. Cesaro, Cena, Ryback, Big E, Henry, Big Show, Titus, hell I'm pretty sure Rollins is stronger than Reigns. He was my least favorite of The Shield for that reason. He's not an enforcer

At this point, I don't know what you do to get Reigns OVER. People expected cheers from the Atlanta crowd but, at least on my TV, he was mostly boo'd. You book him against Cesaro and Ambrose and expected him to get cheered? I think that's why they haven't turned Ambrose on him. Ambrose would get a huge pop if he turned on Roman, depending on the city they do it in

Idk guys, I feel like I'm starting to ramble so Im going to close with this statement.

Roman Reigns is not, will not, and can not be what Daniel Bryan was and is. Why? Because Daniel Bryan was grown organicly. Reigns was grown with pesticides

 

[Navi]

Yea like most have said Reigns isn't Daniel Bryan and he won't ever be. They are two completely different personalities and wrestler's and should be treated as such.

Daniel Bryan is a gnome and Reigns is a Greek God, and I'm not trying to be insulting when I say that, it's the truth. There is nothing underdog about Roman Reigns at all. He has lead a charmed life. Went to a good university, played football and was drafted by the NFL. The only things the two of them have in common is that they are both married to beautiful women. Yes one of them is Brie Bella. She can't wrestle but she is good looking.

Bryan has spent the last what 15 years of his life learning this craft and it shows in the ring. He is a critical thinker and can adapt, sometimes Reigns looks a bit confused, sorry to say. As an underdog Bryan was the perfect choice. Fans got behind him because he wasn't a Roman Reigns, so you can't expect fans to get behind Roman Reigns because he's not Daniel Bryan. They picked Bryan over him at the beginning and stayed with him. Just look at Brie Bella when she wrestle's the YES chant is still going strong.

I'm not a huge advocate for turning a wrestler heel either. As a matter of fact I don't think I've ever said that about any wrestler, as it seems to be the most common choice for the IWC. In this case though, turn Reigns heel for the good of his career. If the guy is going to get boo'd then let him get heat for legitimate reasons. Last night was kind of embarrassing, as I heard cheers for Sheamus when he cashed in. Sheamus the one person that hardly anyone wants as champ got cheered over the next face of the company. UGH

Yes he was over in the Shield, but then the Shield was over as a group. Reigns main problem is that he isn't with the Shield anymore, even although the WWE hasn't changed anything about him. Entrance music, gear, everything is the same, it's almost like they are afraid to change it up.

But the biggest reason they won't turn him heel is because if they do Dean Ambrose will be the new top babyface and once up there, it will be hard to get him off that pedestal. Fans all over already pop louder for him than they do most of the roster. So the WWE has a problem, they can keep trying to get Reigns over, but he will never reach the level that Cena or Bryan has so they will just have to live with it.

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

Who would buy Roman Reigns as an underdog? He has the ideal size and look. He has received strong booking from the moment he debuted.

Daniel Bryan didn't have the ideal size and look. He didn't receive strong booking. People bought into the idea that WWE has holding him back.

I'm a fan of Roman Reigns. He's getting better in the ring and is decent on the mic, but there's no way I'm buying an underdog story.

 

[DexVendetta88]

Reigns' current push may look comparable to DB's push on the surface, but the reality is that this push is being forced down out throats. Creative can try all they want to get Reigns where he needs to be, but at the end of the day it's all up to him to get himself over which is something he can't seem to get a grip on. I always found that the best faces were always determined by us the fans. This is why DB's push worked so well because this was a guy who the fans were willing to go behind, and actually cheer for. They're trying to do the same with Reigns, but the build and the reaction just isn't there. As many have mentioned already, the only way Reigns would really go over is if he's heel. That seems like the easy way out but if they can only have the right angle, and the right people working with Reigns then maybe he can pull off a decent face run without turning heel. However considering the current talent pool and the way creative has been, it will be practically impossible to pull off.

 

[rbv13]

I can just imagine Creative scrounging to find old scripts from '13 & '14 and passing them off as fresh.

- Summer Slam errrr Survivor Series: Triple H gets involved to assist Orton errrr Sheamus w/a title victory. The Authority has their selected champ.

- NOC/HiaC (oh wait speed things up): Reigns vs. Sheamus w/HBK errrr Rock as a guest ref. Rock screws Roman.

- Royal Rumble: Get Reigns away from the title and in a fued w/the Wyatt Family errrrr New Day. Big E goes over and Reigns isn't in the Rumble match. Rey Mysterio errrr Kalisto enters at thirty. Batista errrr Barrett wins the title shot at WM.

- February: Occupy Raw errr Sit In at Fast Lane

- WM Reigns vs. H as the curtain jerker to set up a Triple Threat main event. Reigns goes over Sheamus and Barrett.

Oh yeah, toss in an adorable cancer kid. Book it Vince. Pure genius.

 

[Sexcellence of Sexecution]

The only things that feel real anymore are Undertaker's legacy, Brock Lesnar's dominance, Daniel Bryan's popularity and John Cena's inevitability.

Everything else seems manufactured...including, most blatantly so, Roman Reigns' "push".

This is 100% correct.

Roman Reigns being held down by the Authority and chasing the belt will not work, becuase it has no air of believability at all. Reality is what draws in wrestling, especially now, and you are absolutely right in your analysis of what feels real in the 2015 WWE. There is no sense of reality behind the angle with Roman Reigns, because every single fan can tell that he is a prototypical WWE babyface that is receiving a manufactured heroic run. It doesn't feel real that the Authority would hold a guy like Reigns down.

The smart move would have been to capitalize on the transparent nature of Roman's push by aligning him with the Authority. He would be believable as a heel for the same reasons he's not believable as an underdog babyface. The crowd knows the Authority is pulling for him. Behind the scenes, WWE management wants Roman Reigns to be the top guy, so this should be mirrored on screen. The business has been exposed to much. You need storytelling that is inspired by reality or the show will never be interesting.

Roman Reigns should have aligned with the Authority at Survivor Series to beat Ambrose. Having Reigns as the heel champion and Ambrose chasing as the underdog babyface would make more sense. At TLC you have Ambrose challenge Reigns, and Reigns goes over. Ambrose earns another shot at the Royal Rumble, and this time he shocks the world by beating Reigns for the belt. However, as he is celebrating Sheamus comes down to ruin the moment by cahsing in MITB. Sheamus his a Brogue Kick but Ambrose somehow kicks out. He fights back and overcomes the odds to beat Sheamus and retain the Title. No one would see that coming. No one. The crowd would fucking shit themselves and it would put Ambrose over huge. As the crowd is in a frenzy, out comes Triple H who announces that Ambrose's night still isn't done because Roman Reigns is using his rematch clause right now. SPEAR. 1, 2, 3...and just like that Roman regains the Title. Nuclear heat.

Reigns and Ambrose have their final confrontation for the Title at Fast Lane in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match like the one between Austin and Triple H. Roman goes over 2-1, building momentum heading into WrestleMania. At WrestleMania, Reigns defends the Title against the dominant Rumble winner, Brock Lesnar. Meanwhile, the foundation has been laid for a match between Dean Ambrose and Triple H. That kind of booking would elevate both Reigns and Ambrose into legit top level stars.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

The reason it worked for Bryan was because the fans were already behind him when The Authority storyline began, they didn't so much get behind Bryan because of the story as they were already there.

Frankly, Reigns was screwed the second it was reported he was going to be the next big thing before he had a singles push or even a singles match on Raw. I think so many fans shit on him simply because they knew he was going to get pushed to the moon before he did anything to warrant that. I think as performer Reigns is there but it's next to impossible for the fans to get fully behind him because they know his push wasn't organic. When you know so many pieces of talent are going to get pushed aside for Reigns before he does anything (especially when it's at the expense of guys you like) it's very easy to sour on the guy. They essentially told the fans "I know he's not over yet but he's going to be the guy regardless so deal" and that sucks for Reigns because he really has grown as a performer and his talent does warrant a title run. Reigns has prove himself but because the fans were in on it before he did they already turned their backs on him. The only fix now is a heel run because it sends the message we are going a different direction with Reigns. At that point fans will get what they want with Reigns and then they might start giving him a chance.

 

[kadroan]

Trouble is that there is no one in The Authority worthy enough for Reigns to go over aside of HHH. If they did that last year you would had Kane, Orton, Rollins and J&J, HHH, whole bunch of heel guys for him to go over on his way. Now its just HHH. And dont tell me there is Sheamus because he garners no reaction at all and its ridiculous choice for main Champion.

Always found that reaction against Roman ridiculous. Punk and Bryan had that "they dont want me as Champion" notion worked fine eventhough both of them were multiple times World Champions before that point. Now you have the guy who had multiple good singles matches behind him, has good looks and even improved a lot on mic and you still cant get behind the guy. I got it for Wrestlemania, he wasnt nearly ready then, but now its just ridiculous.

I do agree that it was the best option to turn him heel. From the storyline point they were running was ridiculous because he fought the fight to get to Rollins and then fought all the tournament eventhough he could just join Authority and get free pass. Now it could make sense however because he always comes so close and lose it. He acctualy has some valid points to switch sides. Dont believe they would run it though, Vince wants him face. And thats a shame because if they want him as some "mega- star" and "face of WWE" could be better option to get more over as heel and then turn him face.

It's basically a continuation of last year. He beat Kane Aug 2014 in a Last Man Standing match, he beat Orton at Summerslam 2014, J & J are no threat. They tried to keep him from competing in the MITB Briefcase match for the vacant WWE WHC title and he still won the battle royal to get in. Him and HHH already had a staredown last year, just sucks he had that injury last year.

Barrett, Sheamus and Rusev are no threat to him. I think this may be like the CM Punk situation, Reigns gets a match against HHH at WM, no title match.

 

[Navi]

Just reading back through the thread the one thing that no one has mentioned yet and it struck me as being strange, is the following.

When Bryan didn't win the title right off the bat, fans and some on the internet, DB fans to be exact went nuts. He was held back for the longest time, time enough in fact for the Rumble winner Batista to get boo'd out of the arena.

I see none of this with Reigns being held back. Sure some are pissed that he's not got the title yet, I think he should have had it be now, and I'm not talking about a 5 minute reign. It's more like oh he'll get it once they book him right. Well I don't know what else they can do. The Daniel Bryan story line won't work, bringing his family into it and making him look sympathetic didn't work, I just don't know what else they can do to get this guy over.

For almost a year now they've been trying to get fans behind him and I think the WWE is running out of options.

 

[ShinChan]

Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan are not comparable.... Bryan suited being an "underdog" but Reigbs is nowhere near an "underdog"..
So if they are going that way, they are damaging Reigns much more....

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

While I don't think Reigns is being positioned as an "underdog" as such , he's definitely being "screwed" out of the title in order to create sympathy for him from the fans, with the hope that they'll get behind him and more and more until he eventually does win the belt. Vince knows that if he put the strap on Reigns now there would still be a hell of a lot of people booing him, and if he is to be the next Face of the company, that just won't do.

Personally, while it will work to an extent there will still be alot of people who'll boo Roman just because he's Vince's pick and not theirs. To me, the best thing they could do with him is to turn him heel. He's got the look of a perfect Corporate heel, good looking with a smug facial expression. Give the man a suit and let him be the Corporate Champion, and then when Seth Rollins comes back he can be the face that he's destined to be. A cool heel Reigns will eventually get people wanting to cheer for him, just like happened with The Rock and Randy Orton from their days in The Corporation and Evolution. Then, when the fans are ready and wanting to cheer for Roman, he'd be amazingly over when he turns face again.