What has Vince's booking of Reigns done to his confidence?

[Wald]

Anyone who has caught the end of last night's Raw must have noted how odd it was that Roman Reigns, the guy whose chase of the title is supposed to be headlining Wrestlemania, was only on screen for the last two minutes and that in that time he didn't say one word or throw one punch. You can look at that as Vince protecting the guy's faults all you want but to me it only highlights a lack of confidence in Reigns that has crept in since the Royal Rumble.

It is absolutely insane that Vince doesn't trust his potential next world champion to the point that he barely has him on the go home show of your biggest PPV event and that he's too worried about the guy's verbal skills to allow him talk. I still see them just pressing ahead with Reigns winning the title, though the chorus of boos that greeted Roman in the ring last night from what wasn't a smarky crowd should really be enough to tell the company not to do it. But what do you think all of this is doing to Reigns' confidence?

It's one thing to have a section, large as it is, of the fans turn on but to have the company also lose faith in your abilities is quite another. Make no mistake about it either, Vince has lost some faith in Reigns since the Royal Rumble. Before that he was allowed cut promos in the ring, wrestle decent length matches and was basically being showcased the way a promoter should showcase his next pick for the top. Now he's being wrapped in wool to the point that I think even the casuals are wondering why in the hell should they back this guy. It has to be playing on Reigns' mind, if it isn't than I fear for the guy's long term prospects in the WWE.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Well, as I said in the Lesnar vs. Reigns thread in the WrestleMania section, I honestly find myself wondering if the generally lackluster approach to this match is indicative of Vince McMahon realizing he's made a mistake by putting Reigns in this spot, yet also realizes that it's too late to do anything about it. Vince hitched his wagon to Reigns and he simply has to ride it out because changes can't be made now. So, he's just trying to have them get through this match and hoping that the rest of the card is able to make up for it. Of course, I'm not saying that's what's happening, it's just the feeling that I get because this just doesn't FEEL like it's remotely as big of a deal as it's supposed to be. I can't recall the last time I felt so generally underwhelmed by a WrestleMania World Championship match.

I'm not saying this to blast Reigns or hate on the guy, he's only doing what he's been given by WWE's creative team and WWE's creative team can only give him what Vince allows them to. While I still believe Reigns isn't remotely ready for this spot, and the booking of him during this feud hasn't done anything to change my mind, I'm not hating on the guy for taking the opportunity he's been given. No wrestler in his right mind would turn down the opportunity to main event WrestleMania

 

[Un-Bo-Lievable Jeff]

Anyone who has caught the end of last night's Raw must have noted how odd it was that Roman Reigns, the guy whose chase of the title is supposed to be headlining Wrestlemania, was only on screen for the last two minutes and that in that time he didn't say one word or throw one punch. You can look at that as Vince protecting the guy's faults all you want but to me it only highlights a lack of confidence in Reigns that has crept in since the Royal Rumble.

It is absolutely insane that Vince doesn't trust his potential next world champion to the point that he barely has him on the go home show of your biggest PPV event and that he's too worried about the guy's verbal skills to allow him talk. I still see them just pressing ahead with Reigns winning the title, though the chorus of boos that greeted Roman in the ring last night from what wasn't a smarky crowd should really be enough to tell the company not to do it. But what do you think all of this is doing to Reigns' confidence?

It's one thing to have a section, large as it is, of the fans turn on but to have the company also lose faith in your abilities is quite another. Make no mistake about it either, Vince has lost some faith in Reigns since the Royal Rumble. Before that he was allowed cut promos in the ring, wrestle decent length matches and was basically being showcased the way a promoter should showcase his next pick for the top. Now he's being wrapped in wool to the point that I think even the casuals are wondering why in the hell should they back this guy. It has to be playing on Reigns' mind, if it isn't than I fear for the guy's long term prospects in the WWE.

I think it's clear you're not RR biggest fan, but I think you are reaching quite a bit here. Last night it was a limited appearence but as far as being wrapped in cotton wool, I don't agree. He has cut promos in the last few weeks, it's not as though he hasn't said a word on the last few Raw's. He won't be wrestling longer matches in order to show him that he goes through other people easier to justify him going against Lesnar, and he did have a pretty decent match against DB at the last PPV less than four weeks ago which was a decent length.

I don't think you have raised anything that hasn't been said before but with your own opinion of RR, you are more intense about them.

 

[Just Zay'n]

What about the other side of the coin? They didn't really hype Lesnar either, aside from the usual Heyman promo. So I'd say that the match itself wasn't given much focus on Raw, not just Reigns.

I actually liked the segment though, Reigns ripping the title off of him and giving him that death stare made a pretty big statement, as though he was saying "I'll rip that title off you on Sunday." Direct and to the point.

 

[Wald]

I think it's clear you're not RR biggest fan, but I think you are reaching quite a bit here. Last night it was a limited appearence but as far as being wrapped in cotton wool, I don't agree. He has cut promos in the last few weeks, it's not as though he hasn't said a word on the last few Raw's. He won't be wrestling longer matches in order to show him that he goes through other people easier to justify him going against Lesnar, and he did have a pretty decent match against DB at the last PPV less than four weeks ago which was a decent length.

I don't think you have raised anything that hasn't been said before but with your own opinion of RR, you are more intense about them.

I actually quite like Roman Reigns and have been vocal on this forum about how Creative is to blame for what has happened to him. Not everyone is a 'hater'.

I honestly can not ever recall a title contender being given so little to do to hype a PPV as Reigns has had. It's not like the guy is super over and he has done the heavy lifting in promoting the match/himself, he really did need a strong performance last night to try to turn some of the crowd in his direction but instead he wasn't allowed talk, got two minutes of TV time and ended with some ridiculous tug of war. I genuinely think Vince has lost faith in him.

 

[FromGlasgow]

It would depend what match goes on last which I think would be a good indication to the amount of faith they have in Roman Reigns as I still think Wrestlemania should be built around the world title match headlining the show its what ideally everyone works towards over the year. Ive barely seen Roman Reigns actually wrestle a singles match I hadn't even seen the guy wrestle on any independants so its the first time in history the potential world champion is a complete mystery to me, I probably seen more David Arquette singles matches before he won world title than Roman Reigns singles matches granted I haven't had time in past couple of months to watch RAW or Smackdown, Think theres at least 30 guys on the roster I would personally rather see in that match but its not going to change now so may as well make the best of it.

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

Whether they were protecting Reigns or not, it was an incredibly weak segment and the tug of war just looked dumb. My personal opinion is that the WWE will mitigate some of the negative reactions that could crop up by having Rollins cash in on Reigns after he's pinned Lesnar.

 

[laodaron]

I can tell that after last night, the Lesnar Reigns fight is my second most anticipated match for Wrestlemania. First is the HHH Sting battle.

I was critical of the booking, and I STILL would have had them actually fight it out and get physical, but watching them, arm to arm struggling, I got pretty pumped for the fight.

 

[Prince Vee]

The confrontation between A Beast and The Power House should've been a real carnage and explosions but instead it turns out of lame as f**k. Okay I don't compliant Roman Reigns. He's doing what he had been scripted to.

This confrontation certainly made both these superstars looks utterly weak. A Normal Brock Lesnar would've tried to tear his opponent limb to limb to get under their skin! Remember what he had done to Undertaker at the Go home show of WM 30?

Well I don't clearly see why they're doing this. I mean the creative team. On the last two occasions of Monday night Raw it's either been the Seth/Randy feud or Hunter/Sting feud been opening and closing the segments. Must be probably Vince must've got disappointed with Roman and the fans reaction. Like Jack Hammer said Vince must've realized it's his wrong decision but it's been too late so he just gonna things happen just as the way it goes!

 

[kumarjtk]

its not lack luster. they just protect both to avoid injury in brawl. both start and end segment don't have brawl or any fight bcoz both are important match. even they made a match without undertaker.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Anyone who has caught the end of last night's Raw must have noted how odd it was that Roman Reigns, the guy whose chase of the title is supposed to be headlining Wrestlemania, was only on screen for the last two minutes and that in that time he didn't say one word or throw one punch.

I can certainly understand your interpretation, but when it comes to the final face-to-face segments before the biggest event of the year, the usual "rules" are often thrown out the window.

Sometimes, physical contact is necessary.....as when Cena and Rusev got into it. Cena was the one to charge the ring, yet wound up humbled by Rusev. That's fine; this is all a battle for truth, justice & the American way and called for some physical action.

Sting facing down Triple H didn't. They held weapons in an attempt to intimidate the other, but no one got hurt......because that's the way the writers penned it, as ordered by WWE management.

The Trips-Sting encounter was closer to what was planned for the Reigns-Lesnar showdown. They were going to face off in non-violent fashion. They wanted to show that Reigns has the size and build to stand there with Brock Lesnar and not look like he would be over-matched before we even get to Sunday. Can you imagine Brock standing in the ring nose-to-nose with Daniel Bryan?

No, I say the segment was designed to show we would be seeing a battle of two equals; a pair of guys who are ready to inflict great damage on the other......yet had no inclination to get into it before Sunday. I don't buy the premise that it was done this way because of a lack of confidence in Roman Reigns.

Roman Reigns doesn't need to out-talk Brock Lesnar......who, himself isn't exactly Paul Heyman on the mic. What Roman needs to do is fight.....and at WM31, he'll prove himself capable of that......or not.

If anyone found this face-off to be understated, realize that it was done that way on purpose. I found it very effective.

 

[SoulTrain4]

It was a ridiculous segment. He should have at least attacked Heyman. Reigns has been neutered out here, that match does not deserve to go on last. The ladder match or Sting vs HHH should close.

 

[DB-Fan]

Wow, I thought that was one of the worst go-home before Mania segments of all time. It was just horrible. A couple of things stood out to me. Lesner, unshaven and all, seemed somewhat disinterested. He made a couple of faces during Heyman's promo that were a bit strange as well. Almost like he either wasn't sure how to react, or just didn't care as much as he should. Then Reigns comes down to a more boos than I've heard in a while, which was really shocking. I kinda thought WWE had avoided that pitfall and done at least an acceptable job of getting Reigns to a place where decent pops could be expected. And especially there in California, I never expected him to have anything but a huge pop last night and... it just didn't happen. Wow! That was sad and might point to really bad things this coming Sunday.

If Vince & Co. don't have an emergency plan B, like having Rollins cash in, and they honestly think Reigns winning will garner a nice pop, they are seriously delusional. This thing is shaping up to be the mother of all stink-bombs when it's all said and done.

Atrocious ending to Raw is an understatement!!!

 

[Navi]

I rushed home from work last night to see the last half hour of the show, and I can honestly say I've never been more disappointed. For a main event Wrestlemania match, they have dropped the ball on this. Don't even know what to make of it anymore.

Reigns is still getting booed and Lesnar (the guy who broke the streak, and almost knocked Cena's head off} is getting cheered. But what bothers me the most is this. Paul Heyman has come out in the last few weeks and talked endlessly about Lesnar being champion.

He's talked about how there is no one that can take the belt from him, how he will leave WWE still holding the belt and how he is such a beast that if they try to take it from him, Lesnar will go beserk. So what happen's, Reigns comes out takes the belt, the one thing Heyman promised wouldn't happen. Instead of Lesnar snapping and grabbing Reigns, he grabs the belt and a tug of war ensues. Really that's it, that's what we've been waiting for forever.

With the limited dates that Lesnar works, most of them have been a gigantic waste of time and money on the part of the WWE. For their first face to face in months, something more should have occurred, considering the match is less than a week away. They've done nothing to build up Reigns to beat this unstoppable monster, who by the looks of things isn't that unstoppable. You can just take the belt and nothing will happen to you.

The main event looks like crap and yes they can only work what's been given to them, but it's still crap none the less. Someone at creative should have a good slap around the head to smarten them up.

 

[laodaron]

How someone can look at the struggle of Reigns and Lesnar, the battle they're about to embark on, and not understand how powerful of a main event it's going to be blows me away. Also, the blatant dishonesty and shitty attitude of someone who claims that Lesnars appearances are wasted or a waste of time astounds me.

If you don't like Pro-Wretsling/Sports Entertainment, then stop watching. This is how it's been since before the AE. Pretending that you're so much more enlightened than creative, Vince, HHH, and the entirety of pro-wrestling history because you happen to think you know what backstage politics are like and comment on a web forum appears to be more of a mental illness than an opinion.

 

[Navi]

How someone can look at the struggle of Reigns and Lesnar, the battle they're about to embark on, and not understand how powerful of a main event it's going to be blows me away. Also, the blatant dishonesty and shitty attitude of someone who claims that Lesnars appearances are wasted or a waste of time astounds me.

If you don't like Pro-Wretsling/Sports Entertainment, then stop watching. This is how it's been since before the AE. Pretending that you're so much more enlightened than creative, Vince, HHH, and the entirety of pro-wrestling history because you happen to think you know what backstage politics are like and comment on a web forum appears to be more of a mental illness than an opinion.

You don't have to jump on almost every single post I make to spew vitriol quite honestly. No where did I say that I am more enlightened than anyone inside or outside the WWE, what I am posting is just my opinion as a fan and a paying customer.

If my opinions, which are just that a opinion, not fact, bother you so much, then don't read my posts and block me on the forum. This is an open forum where everyone including you are entitled to express your thoughts on the subject at hand. Nowhere in the FAQ's does it say that everyone has to agree with you, or get your permission to post a thought that is different from your's.

You come across as a prick, so kindly fuck off.

 

[laodaron]

You don't have to jump on almost every single post I make to spew vitriol quite honestly. No where did I say that I am more enlightened than anyone inside or outside the WWE, what I am posting is just my opinion as a fan and a paying customer.

If my opinions, which are just that a opinion, not fact, bother you so much, then don't read my posts and block me on the forum. This is an open forum where everyone including you are entitled to express your thoughts on the subject at hand. Nowhere in the FAQ's does it say that everyone has to agree with you, or get your permission to post a thought that is different from your's.

You come across as a prick, so kindly fuck off.

And yet, I didn't do anything that you don't do regularly on these forums, only I did it with tremendously less crying than you. I can disagree with your stupid opinions without you getting so mad you have to quote me and then use words you don't understand. In addition, you DO claim to be more enlightened when you say things like Creative needs a slap on the head, Brock's dates have been a waste of time, and that Vince McMahon should literally be murdered because of a satirical WWE post that you didn't comprehend.

Now to avoid spam, I highly doubt that anyone in the WWE actually thinks there's anything wrong with Roman's booking. I can' imagine any average or casual fans thinking there's anything wrong with it, either. And judging by the improvement every week that I see Reigns showing, I odn't think his confidence is being shaken, either.

 

[SoulTrain4]

There's something wrong with Roman's booking and the segment last night wasn't good.

Ifs as if they haven't figured out what kind of babyface he is yet. They don't know if they want jokey Reigns or serious badass Reigns or underdog "believe in me" Reigns.

They literally changing it up weekly.

Reigns especially lost his nuts because Heyman was going borderline racist rants referring to his family as criminals and cannibals and he did nothing, he barely even acknowledged that, what was the purpose of all that? What was the purpose if Roman killing Mark Henry if he is going to bitch up in front of Lesnar??

I don't get it. I just don't understand it. Sure he snatched the belt from Brock, which garnered a reaction, and seemed to initiate some aggression then nothing, just a waste of time.

Again, this match needs to be placed right after sundown, it doesn't deserve to main event. Everyone not named Paul Heyman should be ashamed of this entire angle, the only hope is that they have a decent-good match.

 

[Supreme Knowledge]

This wrestlemania is shaping up to be a great episode of Raw. The build overall has been bad. Reigns isn't ready as everyone already knows, but it's not really his fault, Vince and co are putting him in a bad position, I feel for the guy. The fact still remains that Reigns just has no charisma, he just doesn't. It's really just a wait and see thing at this moment.....the most interesting thing about this WM is not the match, but seeing what the outcome is.

 

[blueskyy]

Roman Reigns' booking was fine until two weeks ago... he should have confronted Lesnar, but he didn't...

This week, they should have gone with a mini brawl, but instead they ended RAW in a gayish fashion, two grown men playing tug of war with the belt...

They have already protected Reigns in ALL the promos that he's in, at least make an attempt to impress the fans by showcasing some of his strengths (figuratively and literally speaking), right? None of the bookings in the last two weeks make any sense. Roman Reigns is booked like he's afraid of Brock Lesnar, Brock Lesnar is booked like he is in full compliant mode...

One thing that I can tell you with confidence right now is Roman Reigns is going to walk out of Wrestlemania the champion, I can almost guarantee you that. With this kind of booking, the element of surprise to the outcome of the match is gone, if the match failed to deliver at Wrestlemania, I'm sure we would just hear more boos.

If not for the two excellent matches between Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler, there would be no saving grace to RAW and Smackdown these past weeks.

 

[kadroan]

Anyone who has caught the end of last night's Raw must have noted how odd it was that Roman Reigns, the guy whose chase of the title is supposed to be headlining Wrestlemania, was only on screen for the last two minutes and that in that time he didn't say one word or throw one punch. You can look at that as Vince protecting the guy's faults all you want but to me it only highlights a lack of confidence in Reigns that has crept in since the Royal Rumble.

It is absolutely insane that Vince doesn't trust his potential next world champion to the point that he barely has him on the go home show of your biggest PPV event and that he's too worried about the guy's verbal skills to allow him talk. I still see them just pressing ahead with Reigns winning the title, though the chorus of boos that greeted Roman in the ring last night from what wasn't a smarky crowd should really be enough to tell the company not to do it. But what do you think all of this is doing to Reigns' confidence?

It's one thing to have a section, large as it is, of the fans turn on but to have the company also lose faith in your abilities is quite another. Make no mistake about it either, Vince has lost some faith in Reigns since the Royal Rumble. Before that he was allowed cut promos in the ring, wrestle decent length matches and was basically being showcased the way a promoter should showcase his next pick for the top. Now he's being wrapped in wool to the point that I think even the casuals are wondering why in the hell should they back this guy. It has to be playing on Reigns' mind, if it isn't than I fear for the guy's long term prospects in the WWE.

I think they're just not trying to overexpose him. I believe they're still confident in him and vice versa. Look at how Bray was booked in 2013 when he first debuted, he had that mystique. He didn't wrestle that often but when he did, it was a big deal. I think it's the same with Reigns. With so much WWE programming and the crowd responses being inconsistent, they just may want to give fans something to look forward to rather than shoving Reigns down our throats.

 

[JoeMallard]

And yet, I didn't do anything that you don't do regularly on these forums, only I did it with tremendously less crying than you. I can disagree with your stupid opinions without you getting so mad you have to quote me and then use words you don't understand. In addition, you DO claim to be more enlightened when you say things like Creative needs a slap on the head, Brock's dates have been a waste of time, and that Vince McMahon should literally be murdered because of a satirical WWE post that you didn't comprehend.

Now to avoid spam, I highly doubt that anyone in the WWE actually thinks there's anything wrong with Roman's booking. I can' imagine any average or casual fans thinking there's anything wrong with it, either. And judging by the improvement every week that I see Reigns showing, I odn't think his confidence is being shaken, either.

It's hard to tell when most of the casuals are under 13 and over 40.

 

[laodaron]

It's hard to tell when most of the casuals are under 13 and over 40.

You and I would disagree on that demographic, but, it's probably close. I'd say that most casuals are before 18 and after 27. It's usually in the angsty asshole stage of the 20s that someone decides to be a hardcore wrestling fan.

 

[multiverseman.com]

Now to avoid spam, I highly doubt that anyone in the WWE actually thinks there's anything wrong with Roman's booking. I can' imagine any average or casual fans thinking there's anything wrong with it, either. And judging by the improvement every week that I see Reigns showing, I odn't think his confidence is being shaken, either.

I'm glad you're being positive, but I think the situation is more dire than you care to admit. First of all, all this casual fan vs. smart fan nonsense is a total fallacy. It's an argument the wrestling industry tells itself to excuse poor booking. Telling your most passionate fans they're the least important is nonsense.

With RR, the writing is on the wall. It's just a matter of when it sinks in and they decide to do something about it.

 

[laodaron]

I'm glad you're being positive, but I think the situation is more dire than you care to admit. First of all, all this casual fan vs. smart fan nonsense is a total fallacy. It's an argument the wrestling industry tells itself to excuse poor booking. Telling your most passionate fans they're the least important is nonsense.

With RR, the writing is on the wall. It's just a matter of when it sinks in and they decide to do something about it.

This is your fault for thinking that the hardcore fans are the most passionate. They're just the biggest whiners.

Casual fans just want to enjoy a product. Hardcore fans want to run a product.