Roman Reigns: Yea or Nay?

[Mustang Sally]

I'm not talking about what we think; but rather, what the WWE brass is thinking.

What was the story last night? In the lead-up to Royal Rumble, I firmly believed this was to be Roman's biggest validation yet. I figured he'd conquer all 29 guys gunning for him and emerge stronger than ever; that everyone else would be so hepped up to get Roman out of there that they'd fall prey to sneak attack from others, even as Roman was dropping people left & right.

But it didn't go that way, did it?

First, it can hardly be said groups of wrestlers were hanging up on Roman. He fought who he fought and there were no 'cooperative' efforts to get him out of there.

Second, what in the name of heaven was the reason for keeping him in the back room 'injured' for half the match? If anything, wasn't he supposed to be out there the whole time, valiantly trying to save his title against overwhelming odds? Jeez!

Third, Wasn't part of the attraction of the Rumble the notion of watching Roman tangle with Brock Lesnar, even a little? That didn't happen, either.

Instead, the whole production dragged much of the time while Roman was out of our sight. As Brock single-handedly fought off the Wyatt guys, wrestlers like Jericho and Ambrose lie in corners of the ring for large chunks of time, writhing in pain........with Roman finally re-emerging, charged up as if nothing had happened to him......only to see him eliminated before surprise entrant Triple H could even get at Roman.

Is Roman going to take the whole schmear back from Trips at WM32..... or did they make him look so weak (and almost foolish) last night as a precursor to telling the fans that something new is in store for us, and it doesn't involve Roman Reigns at the top?

Weird, weird, weird.

 

[J.J.]

The thing is, they did everything in the power to try to get Reigns over. They made the entirety of Raw about him. They brought back Vince McMahon, the best heel character of all time, to give him a better antagonist. They even made the Rumble (which typically has a narrative about opportunity and how anyone has a chance to go to Wrestlemania) all about him - constantlypushing the "One Versus All" thing and whether he could overcome the odds.

At first it kinda seemed to work, and Reigns was getting some amount of good reactions - well, it's hard to not get some good reactions when the entire product is about you. But last night proved that despite what it looked like after TLC, Reigns is not over at all. Getting boo'd in his own state and Triple H getting a pop when Reigns was eliminated. I'm starting to think this is a pet project going wrong.

 

[Con T.]

I'm not talking about what we think; but rather, what the WWE brass is thinking.

I'd imagine they're still betting on Reigns in the main event of Mania. I mean, as misguided as it sounds, they seem bound and determined to get this over.

What was the story last night? In the lead-up to Royal Rumble, I firmly believed this was to be Roman's biggest validation yet. I figured he'd conquer all 29 guys gunning for him and emerge stronger than ever; that everyone else would be so hepped up to get Roman out of there that they'd fall prey to sneak attack from others, even as Roman was dropping people left & right.

But it didn't go that way, did it?

Well, yes and no. What you're saying is accurate, but the storyline of the match (when Roman was in, and we'll get to that) seemed to circulate on Roman versus The Authority, and their goons. While it's been done, they probably believe Roman is better as a chaser, than the actual champion. And I'm not sure if they're wrong, by the way. There's little evidence to suggest if they're either right or wrong.

First, it can hardly be said groups of wrestlers were hanging up on Roman. He fought who he fought and there were no 'cooperative' efforts to get him out of there.

Probably because there was no incentive (except for the League of Nations) to go after Roman.

Remember in 1999, when Vince wanted a Austin out of the Royal Rumble? You'll recall that Vince placed a $100,000 bounty on Austin's head. Whoever eliminated Austin was $100,000 richer.

This time? Well, yes, you get to be champion. But you'd become champion, even if you didn't eliminate Roman. In spite of the moniker of this PPV, this wasn't about one vs. all. Namely, because there was no motivation to gang up on Roman Reigns. You could become champion, and still not go after Roman. Whoever eliminated him didn't become champion, it was if you won the Rumble.

Second, what in the name of heaven was the reason for keeping him in the back room 'injured' for half the match? If anything, wasn't he supposed to be out there the whole time, valiantly trying to save his title against overwhelming odds? Jeez!

Now, I'm not so sure why people are upset about this. Look at Roman Reigns; he clearly doesn't have the cardio to do start to finish.

Think of all the guys that last the longest in Rumbles. Consider the guys who come from the first five-ish, and win.

Flair. Michaels. Benoit. Mysterio.

Reigns, clearly, isn't that worker. And that isn't a bad thing, either. But the premise of him starting at #1 was doomed from the beginning, even if fit the idea of what WWE was going for. Hell, they had Austin take the same break in 1999 (though, to be fair, he did win from #5 in 1997).

Third, Wasn't part of the attraction of the Rumble the notion of watching Roman tangle with Brock Lesnar, even a little? That didn't happen, either.

Why tease a match that you know isn't going to happen?

Yeah, it might have been cool to see them go. But the point of the Rumble is to set up Mania. Clearly, Triple H and Reigns is the plan, and Brock and Bray is going to be on the card. So you have to establish both of those (although, to be fair, they have long established H and Reigns)

Instead, the whole production dragged much of the time while Roman was out of our sight. As Brock single-handedly fought off the Wyatt guys, wrestlers like Jericho and Ambrose lie in corners of the ring for large chunks of time, writhing in pain........with Roman finally re-emerging, charged up as if nothing had happened to him......only to see him eliminated before surprise entrant Triple H could even get at Roman.

If they did Roman and H as the final two, then you and I both know that Roman was gonna get boo'ed. At the least, people cheered Dean against H, but there was a clear babyface pop for Triple H when he eliminated Roman. Unless you want the 2015 Rumble again, then you have to get Reigns out, and find a babyface people will cheer for against H (see; Ambrose)

Is Roman going to take the whole schmear back from Trips at WM32..... or did they make him look so weak (and almost foolish) last night as a precursor to telling the fans that something new is in store for us, and it doesn't involve Roman Reigns at the top?

I'd expect that nothing will veer them off the course they want. I will say that Roman should have probably thrown out more people. But unless you wanted that really negative reaction of last year, this was the only way to really book him in the Rumble.

 

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

Roman sitting out on the match was really stupid, yes. But it wasn't all that bad.

Roman didn't face Brock because they wanted to make them look strong. They didn't want Roman in Suplex City and didn't want Brock to be able to suplex Roman.

How I would book it.
LON still beats down Roman. Roman leaves with a stretcher. The LON stay besides the ring in order to guard it. Roman should have bled here, in order to sell the beating more. I know it's PG, but sometimes blood is necessary.

15 minutes after the beatdown, Roman returns with a steel chair and beats the hell out of LON and re-enters the match with stitches. He and Brock exchange brutal shots. Then they take out the Wyatts together. Sheamus enters to keep Reigns occupied while Lesnar is eliminated by the Wyatts. After his elimantion Lesnar hunts down the rest of the family (except Bray) to backstage.

Mainwhile, Roman sells the brutal beatdown by the LON and Lesnar. HHH enters and the rest is history.

 

[enviousdominous]

My best guess as to why they kept Roman away for a period of time was a combination of wanting to validate The League of Nations and their ability to feel gainfully employed that night, and not wanting Roman to have to share the ring with so many big names for the entire time.

It defies logic even when I tell it to myself, I really can't explain why I would have done the same thing if I was directing the action that night.

If AJ is stealing what they wanted to be Roman's thunder, then have AJ and Roman duke it out. Let them build tenacity against each other and trade spots until eventually one gets eliminated or they up and decide to work together. AJ could have been used to make Roman look better, but it seemed like they weren't willing to try that.

Roman has potential, he's proven that time and time again. It confuses me to no end that when HHH was pressed for an explanation for Roman's heat he said something like "It's the writers, we just had bad writing." It sounded to me like HHH was passing the blame for something that he should have had direct control over.

That whole League of Nations thing seemed more for the League of Nations and less for a plausible reason for Roman to leave and come back. It was so stupid; EVERYONE knew that Roman would be coming back. There was no shock, there was no pop. Nobody cared when Roman came back because they saw that one coming a mile away, everyone was anticipating that long before it actually happened. To leave and come back when people are already dogging you out for taking naps during the last Royal Rumble was an epic fail on part of WWE Creative. Whoever is deciding the path of Roman's career, they just need to stop. Why would you put Roman in the number one spot, and then give him a twenty minute break!?

For better or worse; Roman Reigns is in the top spot and he's probably not leaving anytime soon. We'll get used to him, and he'll have his fan bases, but they are doing the exact opposite of what they need to do with him if they really want to turn those boos into cheers.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I have to admit that I thought the same thing and genuinely considered creating a similar thread to this.

Given that Roman Reigns didn't have the ultra dominant night many of us were expecting, I found myself wondering if it was remotely possible that this was the start of moving Reigns out of the main event spot. I mean, Reigns does have a rematch and there's still the Fastlane ppv before WrestleMania, so it's logical to think that's when said rematch will happen instead of waiting 2.5 months down the road.

One reason I was considering this possibility was due to Reigns not being much of a draw. Looking at some of Raw's numbers during the time Reigns was getting his big push beginning really in the fall, Raw had some of the worst ratings in its history. While Monday Night Football always takes a toll, the numbers were just abysmal for Raw and Reigns was essentially the centerpiece during this timeframe. Whenever Reigns has been in the main event spot on Raw, the numbers for the third hour have taken a nosedive; while a drop off during hour 3 is pretty common, they're not usually as significant. If hour 1 drew an average of say 3,800,000, hour 2 drew something like 3,695,000 then hour 3 would drop somewhere to the 3,200,000 range and viewer fatigue is too easy an explanation for each and every week.

However, I don't think WWE is done with Reigns and I think Vince is going to insist on pushing forward with him. I just don't see Reigns not having his big WrestleMania moment by capturing the title from Triple H. It just doesn't strike me as being in Vince's nature to give up on something he massively wants until/unless he has absolutely no other choice and that's an extraordinarily rare thing.

 

[YatesA]

They have to go through with it, Triple H winning is indicative of that, don't want another Punk2.0 and I know this isn't the same as Punk was over, Reigns isn't but this isn't the time to pull the plug, a Reigns heel turn should at least be explored first and if even that doesn't work out then he puts over a babyface and move on from there.

 

[OYDK]

Yeah, I think they're still full-steam ahead in regards to Roman Reigns. He's now a 2 time World Champion and it feels like he hasn't held the title once to be honest... once he wins it at Mania (assuming HHH carries it into Mania) he should be in store for a pretty long title reign and that's where the real scrutiny will begin. I'm of the opinion that this has been the plan from the moment Reigns took out HHH at Survivor Series. They knew he was going to win the title the next night, they knew he was going to lose it at the Rumble, and I'm assuming it's locked in that he'll win it again at Mania. It seems that this has always been the plan.

As for all the other stuff, it seems like WWE was just trying to protect Reigns. It would have been difficult for somebody like Roman to enter at number one and go for an entire hour +. As has been mentioned, even Austin got a break when he entered at one. I guess he didn't meet Brock because they were finished teasing the match? I don't know, I just think Brock as a whole was handled like shit last night. Reigns punks him out on Raw, Wyatt punks him out at the Rumble, and Lesnar just walks out. I totally expected him to come in and, if nothing else, destroy Bray.

 

[CyberPunk]

Boy, wouldn't WWE want to know what it will take to get Reigns over? And for once, I refuse to blame creative. This is all on Vince/management.

I understand why they want Reigns to succeed so badly. He has the looks, he has the size, and most importantly, he looks marketable. Inside Shield, he was over as well. Then what happened? Simple. Word shouldn't have gotten out. They pushed him, and pushed him hard. They were ready to sacrifice everyone to get Reigns over. He went up against the who's who on the roster and came up short only when they realized that people haven't accepted him. And why should they? Reigns' story is told wrong.

People accept a character/story when there is a tinge of reality mixed. Reigns' story has no reality. First off, in many people's mind, Reigns hasn't paid his dues. Secondly, his skills are not on par with someone who can be the 'man' or 'face' of WWE. I mean look at every past 'face' of WWE. From Hogan to Stone Cold to Rock to John Cena, all of them proved themselves before being given the ball. Reigns has been given the ball way before he proved he can hang with the best. Can he do it? I don't know if WWE knows that at this point. So, what's the solution?

In my mind, the best thing they can do for him is turn him heel. And no, it's not 'everyone should turn heel' thing. It's simply embracing reality. People already know Vince wants him as the top dog. It's easier to show that on screen than trying to fool people into believing Roman is an underdog. A Daniel Bryan or CM Punk worked as underdog because people perceived them as people WWE wouldn't get behind. Reigns is not that man. Make him the authority's champion. Join hands with them. It'll be way easier for people to accept that than 'All vs one' BS they keep on trying to feed. As a heel he'll have more freedom to expand his character and will have Stephanie or Triple H to carry it on the mic while he improves.

If they continue down this path, Roman Reigns is guaranteed to continue getting booed.

 

[Aquaman6686]

Last night was a complete and total failure in terms of trying to get Roman Reigns over as a face. A babyface champion doesn't walk out of a title defense and then come back at the end of the match. If Reigns had been wheeled out on the stretcher, that might have worked. If he'd struggled back into the ring and continued to fight, that might have worked. But willingly walking to the back like a coward and then coming back at the very end of the match, that's a heel move.

 

[Kodo Sawaki]

Second, what in the name of heaven was the reason for keeping him in the back room 'injured' for half the match? If anything, wasn't he supposed to be out there the whole time, valiantly trying to save his title against overwhelming odds? Jeez!

In WWEs logic McMahon and LoN should help Reigns get cheered. They took him down, he gets time to rest and he gets back later with cheers. Trouble is it backfired because it is WWEs logic, not "common smarky crowd" logic. So he even got booes because "thats why".

In my opinion both sides are wrong. WWE for trying too hard with a guy who just needs room to show how bad ass he is. We could see that on Royal Rumble 2014 and it was good. Irony is that it was only year where they didnt try that hard with Reigns and he acctually got cheered. Other irony is that he was heel and Batista was face who won that match with chorus of booes. Man do WWE has a problem with Rumble crowds.

"Smarky fans" are also wrong. Here you have a guy who is finally ready for the spot where he is. Not only that he was consistently good whole year with his matches but now he almost has no competition for no1 spot because all others who are remotly close to that spot are injured or named Brock Lesnar and show up couple of times a year. And they still shited on him last night. Could understanded it last year but not now.

Is Roman going to take the whole schmear back from Trips at WM32..... or did they make him look so weak (and almost foolish) last night as a precursor to telling the fans that something new is in store for us, and it doesn't involve Roman Reigns at the top?

Nah, story is as it is. There is no point in HHH and Authority taking the title off Roman if he doesnt overcome the odds at the grandest stage of them all. Throw his cousin Rock in there as backup to Reigns and he should be just fine till then.

 

[Jeff Deliverer of Mail]

What happened last night was the best Royal Rumble match WWE has had in years. Especially with an injury riddled roster. Here's the highlights...

A.J Styles surprise early entrance ( terrible entrance music)

Zero legends. Going with all current roster and some part timers like Y2J and Brock.

Brock getting the best entrance pop of the night.

Kevin Owens eliminates A.J Styles and Sammy Zayn eliminates Kevin Owens for possible WM feuds.

Wyatt Family destroy all for awhile, Brock vs Wyatt Family for possible WM feud.

Neville gets one of the most violent elimination clotheslines ever from Harper. Looked like he really died from it. If we never see Neville again you'll know why.

Triple H eliminates Roman Reigns for the biggest pop of the night.

Triple H is the new champion. Ambrose doesn't turn heel ( there was a big thought there when it was coming down to a handful of wrestlers )

 

[Mustang Sally]

In my mind, the best thing they can do for him is turn him heel. And no, it's not 'everyone should turn heel' thing. It's simply embracing reality. People already know Vince wants him as the top dog. It's easier to show that on screen than trying to fool people into believing Roman is an underdog. A Daniel Bryan or CM Punk worked as underdog because people perceived them as people WWE wouldn't get behind. Reigns is not that man. Make him the authority's champion. Join hands with them. It'll be way easier for people to accept that than 'All vs one' BS they keep on trying to feed. As a heel he'll have more freedom to expand his character and will have Stephanie or Triple H to carry it on the mic while he improves.

If they continue down this path, Roman Reigns is guaranteed to continue getting booed.

I agree; turning him heel is what they have to do. I've been one of the people who disagrees with many folks' preference that everyone would be better off as a heel, but Reigns....and John Cena....are two who should be......without losing any more time.

For Roman, remembering how over he was as a bad Shield boy, it's easy to envision now how he could change the opinions of thousands by going bad. For one thing, he'd be able to do with his actions what he can't seem to do with his mouth. He's better at it this way.....plain & simple.

After he exploded at everyone in the ring while beating Sheamus, I thought we were getting the full treatment of what Roman was to be from now on.....no more smiling, no more bantering lightly with people on the mic......no more allies, period. Instead, he 'softened' again after disposing of Sheamus.

Turn him bad. If he has to talk at all, let him tell the fans what he thinks of them for booing him; in fact, that can be the vehicle he uses to become a mega-heel, just as Cena should do.

Reigns as a heel world champion? Hell, yeah.

 

[Eyrothath]

I don't think the problem is Reigns, the problem is WWE creative not using their talent right, I think have Reigns had some proper gimmicks to throw out there (think People's Champ 2.0) then he would be fine..

 

[Hyorinmaru]

I don't know, I can see it go either way.

With everyone in NXT that are coming up soon and with AJ Styles debuting last night they may just cut their losses. Reigns is already a 2x champion in just a few months and we're looking at a 3rd in a few more. If they were to stop his push he's done more than a lot of the roster as is.

On the other hand I can also see the WWE big wigs giving us all the middle finger and shoving Reigns down everyone's throat despite of everything.

What I want to happen is that they stop whatever they're doing with Reigns. He's not the fan favorite they want him to be and I hope they realize soon. Reigns would be so much better as a heel.

 

[DirtyD79]

I want to think that the outcome of the Royal Rumble was an attempt to push him as an underdog even more. The problem is he had the audience booing him out of the damn building after comin' back from that ass whoopin' he got earlier in the match and then the audience cheered when Triple H won the title off of him. They were cheering for Triple H of all people! Now maybe you can chalk it up to The Rumble being a smark crowd but he's been getting the hell booed out of him pretty much all of last year. Hell they even tried to have The Rock give him a rub and the fans still booed him despite the Rock's endorsement.

All that said, I just don't think Vince is gonna give up on pushing Roman Reigns. If for no other reason than because Vince McMahon would much rather be right than successful and feels "Dammit you fans will cheer for who I tell you to cheer for!" I'm sure he wants Roman Reigns to win the title back at Wrestlemania to a massive standing ovation and won't take no for an answer.

 

[justavictim82]

What is happening with Reigns is a systematic and stubborn attempt by Vince to create a top guy while not letting it happen organically. They can push Roman to the moon and he will not get anywhere. Yes he has a good look but looks only get you so far unless your are Nikki or Brie Bella. It is past time to tone back with Reigns but at this point it may be too late. Reigns went from the 3rd wheel of the Shield to RR winner to WWE champion in 20 months. Most of that time he never really faced adversity nor did he really have to overcome a lot and shot up the card. He still can't talk, has zero ring psychology and lacks a lot of polish that his contemporaries at the top of the card have. He has only been wrestling for just over 5 years. Reigns will have his day but it should not be right here right now.

 

[Azane]

Roman Reigns could legitimately be the best wrestler in history, but if he's getting pushed without paying dues, I'm not going to respect him, nor care for him.

The Push attempts are super transparent, WWE is throwing away it's entire future on pushing him, There's so many superstars that have been crushed by the Samoan Boo Machine, that the Middle card is pretty much the old undercard.

He also can't even work a full match, the smoke and mirror attempt to give him 30 minutes of rest in the Royal Rumble just made me hate him more. Watching superman punch x12, was just ridiculous, DO MORE THAN 2 MOVES, Cena started FINALLY getting over, once he went away from the 5 moves of doom and expanded his arsenal to include wrestling moves, Try it!


It's ok though, Roman Reigns, the 3 time Champion, will draw a sub 4 Million Viewer RAW the night after Wrestlemania, and WWE will keep pointing to WWE subscription numbers (While calling their fans buying ppvs "Idiots" - Jerry Lawler) as to a new model for PPV Draws, instead of acknowledging that People subbing to the WWE Network, DONT EVEN BOTHER WATCHING PPVS WHEN ROMAN HEADLINES THEM.

 

[Navi]

As I watched the Rumble last night, I couldn't help but be taken back to last year's once the booing started. And it pretty much started right from the beginning.

I was on the LD thread here, and couldn't believe that Roman Reigns was getting booed by his home state fans in Orlando. It just all seemed surreal. I said it on that thread after the Rumble was over and I'll say it again here.

For some reason fans are fine with Reigns when he's not holding the title, when he is they don't like it, so subsequently they would rather cheer for other people. They want Ambrose to be the champ, I can understand that as he's my fav, but why not Reigns, my second fav.

Daniel Bryan won the title two years ago and his popularity increased or at least didn't go down. If Ambrose has won last night his would have remained the same, Reigns wins and he's a shithead. If they continue to push the guy, they will only do more damage, and I don't think he can sustain anymore.

When they started pushing him over a year ago, I said if this didn't go well it could damage him, and he would have a problem finding his way back, mainly because he isn't that experienced. I'm afraid that has come to pass. Most other wrestlers would go with the crowd and turn it to their advantage, Reigns has this uncomfortable habit of either looking confused or ignoring it. It shows a disconnect and fans are feel it. Again that's his inexperience showing.

What they should do with him now, is just leave him alone for awhile. Stop this major push, start focusing on other wrestler's on the roster and quit making everyone else take a back seat. That's another thing which is annoying fans, if their comments are anything to go by. Book him well, he doesn't have to win all the time. Let him flourish on his own and let the fans come to him by themselves. In other words his popularity has to be organic, this forced push will never work, fans will not buy into it anymore.

If it doesn't work and fans don't see him as the WWE wants them too, then move on. Find other wrestlers to build and put effort into. I wouldn't say this past year has been a waste of time, but if you look at the Rumble last year, and the fans reaction to Reigns then, and then compare it to this year's, is there really a lot of difference. Vince complains that other are grabbing the brass ring, but when all your focus is on one person, why should anyone else even bother.

 

[Sexcellence of Sexecution]

Here's what should have happened.

Reigns enters number one in the Rumble and survives to the end. Triple H comes out as the surprise 30th entrant like they actually did. The final three are Reigns, Triple H, and Dean Ambrose, who of course had a grueling Last Man Standing Match earlier that night. Ambrose shocks the world by eliminating Triple H, so the Rumble goes down to the "brothers in arms," Reigns and Ambrose. Reigns ultimately wins the match, but obviously gets booed out of the building because he was getting heat anyways, and because he beat a real fan favourite in Dean Ambrose. Reigns holds up the World Title to close the Rumble and the crowd shits all over him. That's your best case scenario.

Triple H is livid that was eliminated at the Rumble, and he announces that he will challenge Reigns one-on-one for the World Title at Fastlane. During the match, Triple H tries to use the freaking sledgehammer, but Dean Ambrose makes the save and pulls the sledgehammer of of his hands. Triple H gets speared and pinned by Reigns. Reigns stands tall holding the World Title again. Suddenly the lights go out...

We hear a loud GONG.

The Undertaker appears in the ring and stares down Reigns. He points to the Wrestlemania sign and does the throat slash thing as Fastlane closes...

At Wrestlemania 32, the Undertaker puts his career on the line for one last shot at the WWE World Title. So the main event, in the Undertaker's home state, is Career vs. Title, Undertaker vs. Roman Reigns. Meanwhile, Triple H will battle Dean Ambrose in a No Holds Barred Match.

Ambrose beats Triple H in the No Holds Barred Match to put him over strongly as a babyface. Then in the main event, Undertaker has it won until Triple H comes down and slides a sledgehammer in to Roman Reigns. Reigns decks Undertaker with the sledgehammer and hits a spear to win the match and end the Undertaker's career. Reigns turns heel and aligns with Triple H to end the show at Wrestlemania. The last image we see is Triple H standing alongside Reigns as Reigns holds up the World Title and sledgehammer. The Undertaker lies at their feet.

That would be taking a risk, but I think it would pay off big time and Reigns would be a massive heel. The fans want to boo Reigns. Let them. But don't make him a cool heel. If they were to have followed that plan, he wouldn't be a cool heel. He would be legitimately hated which is perfect. Plus you would have Ambrose perfectly positioned to challenge him as a mega babyface, and of course you have the big money Lesnar vs. heel Reigns match down the line.

 

[HORRORHOLIC]

I like Reigns, I just don't know why WWE has to try so hard to get someone over when there are guys like Ambrose, Ziggler etc... who already are. The get a better reaction and it's genuine!

 

[MartialHorror]

Roman Reigns suffered from some awful booking at the Rumble, as he missed the event when difficulty was at its maximum (Lesnar, Wyatt Family, Show, Kane, etc). It's a shame as it seemed like the company was on the right track with his presentation, but they dropped the ball again...

 

[Rosco999]

I have to admit i feel some sympathy for Roman Reigns (RR) as he was picked for the title after Seth Rollins injury, i think that feud would have played out more and maybe gave RR a bit more time to be accepted.

But in fairness to WWE Daniel Bryan, John Cena, Randy Orton and Seth Rollins are all injured and it leaves a choice of a few top guys and yes perhaps pushing RR was not the best choice but you have to have a bit of sympathy i mean he didn't ask for it and he should be enjoying his time in the spotlight, Instead he's being booed for not being "the fan's choice".

Ultimately i think the best course of action would be to give Bray Wyatt the title and have him n his family dominate all challengers, for me he is the best all round package at the moment and possibly build up to a clash between him n Finn Balor once he hits the main roster, just an idea though.

In summary yes they are trying too hard to put RR over but Vince is stubborn and he will stick with it til he decides its time to change.

 

[Navi]

I love Reigns but let's be honest here. Everyone keeps saying turn him heel and let the boo's work for him, but seriously, he doesn't have a heel moveset, and he can't carry the match, which is what most heels do. Plus his demeanor doesn't scream heel. He's very soft spoken and comes across as a really nice guy, not heelish behavior at all. I just don't think he would make a good one. He was fine in the Shield but he had Ambrose and Rollins to play off and follow their lead, on his own, it wouldn't work for him.

Yea he can get mad, but think back to when the Shield broke up and Ambrose was livid and who did he go after, Rollins. Reigns went into a dead end feud with Orton. He should have showed the same fighting spirit Ambrose did but he didn't and I think it hurt him. It seemed like he just didn't care.

Plus I'm not sure the fans want him as a heel, they want to cheer him but just not as WHC champion for some strange reason. He got a good reaction on RAW last night, so much different from the Rumble. Different crowd, but then he wasn't holding the title was he? If he had been the reaction might have been different.

It's all very weird to say the least.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

Turn him bad. If he has to talk at all, let him tell the fans what he thinks of them for booing him; in fact, that can be the vehicle he uses to become a mega-heel, just as Cena should do.

Reigns as a heel world champion? Hell, yeah.

With HHH as Champion now, it doesn't seem like that's on the horizon but I would love Roman Reigns to do what John Cena hasn't, and turn on the crowd that keeps booing him and showing him no respect. He must be getting a bit fed up with working his ass off and doing everything WWE ask him to do, and STILL not being able to get the cheers they want for him.

Let him use his real pent-up frustration and let loose on the fans. We'd see genuine emotion from Roman rather than the scripted promos we're getting these days. Reigns was over as a cool, bad ass heel in The Shield and he would be again as a heel.

It's clear to all the fans that Roman is Vince's "chosen one" even if the storyline on screen is trying to tell us the total opposite. Embrace it, make him the new Corporate Champion, suited up with shades on swaggering to the ring knowing that he's got the billionaire owner of the company backing him up. It would be awesome.