Sometimes, being the egotistical and confrontational individual that he is, Vince McMahon genuinely likes to pi** off the WWE fans.
Like when Triple H went over Sting cleanly at WrestleMania 31, in the Icon’s first ever WWE match, or when Daniel Bryan was eliminated early from the Royal Rumble in 2015 after making a return from his injury layoff.
Now, there’s no rational explanation behind either scenario apart from the Boss willing it so. It didn’t matter that socking it to WCW once again was like flogging a dead snake or that the fans were white hot for Daniel Bryan to win the Rumble and go on to main event WrestleMania.
Trending
New Champs in WWE! More RIGHT HERE
Vince McMahon does what Vince McMahon wants, sense or no sense.
Sometimes, however, the shoe is truly on the other foot.
As we know pretty well by now, the fans too have a habit of making their voices heard whenever they feel that the nature of the product isn’t in alignment with their whims. And make no mistake about it, fan opinion is a powerful tool in pro wrestling.
But with great power, forgive the cliche, comes great responsibility. Only, we don’t exercise that power as wisely as we ought to, do we?
Case in point, Roman Reigns.
Yes, he’s Vince McMahon’s handpicked golden boy, and yes, it still held a modicum of sense to boo him out of the arena when everyone realised that he was being shoved down our throats as the guy instead of Daniel Bryan.
News flash. That was more than 2 years ago. And Daniel Bryan has long since retired too. What hasn’t changed, however, is the fact that Reigns still gets booed out of the arena.
Is Roman Reigns eternally condemned to the butt end of our vitriol because, in our eyes, he shall forever deserve it...or has it just become fashionable to disrupt the WWE’s best-laid plans?
Luckily for me, I’m spared the trouble of figuring that one out because I happily fall within the minority that is quite content to see him in the spot that he currently occupies – as the face of the WWE.
And just why that is, you’re about to find out.
#1 He’s got a great look
Let’s get the most obvious reason out of the way first.
Roman Reigns totally has the look that Vince McMahon goes for in all of his top guys. Hulk Hogan had it, Stone Cold had it, The Rock had it, Brock Lesnar had it and so did John Cena. Of course, the Rock, Lesnar and Cena still have it.
And considering that the WWE is a global phenomenon today, they need a marketable face – one that would appeal to all manner of consumers from different countries – to lead their charge.
As unhappy as some of you may be about the fact that a person’s look plays a part in their standing in a pro wrestling promotion, it’s an irrefutable truth that we have to contend with given how much the WWE has grown as a brand.
It’s nothing personal. It’s strictly business.
Also read: An open letter to ‘The Big Dog’ Roman Reigns
#2 He’s a consummate company man
Let it be known that no one can be a through and through company man like John Cena.
The best anyone can do, then, is vie for the consolation prize.
That certainly rules out Stone Cold because he infamously ‘took his ball and went home’ when he was asked to do the job. It’s probably not the Rock because he didn’t stick around long enough in the WWE, making the transition to Hollywood at the very first opportunity. It’s certainly not Hulk Hogan because he was arguably the most selfish top-guy that pro wrestling has ever seen, and I’d laugh anyone suggesting Brock Lesnar’s name out of the door.
But in his young career thus far, Roman Reigns has proven that he’s an uncomplaining company man. He didn’t kick up a fuss like Hogan damn sure would have when he learned, during the course of the event no less, that he wouldn’t be winning the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 31.
He “owned it” when he was busted for a Wellness Policy violation and put over his colleagues compliantly to atone for his sins. And you certainly can’t question that he puts his heart and soul into every match that he wrestles either.
Speaking of which...
#3 He puts on great matches
Roman Reigns is a pretty darn good worker. He’s definitely not in the AJ Styles or Kenny Omega cadre, but you can’t deny that he knows how to put on entertaining matches.
He’s practically wrestled all of the roster by now and to be honest, I can actually remember how good the majority of his matches against them were; against Bray Wyatt, Daniel Bryan, Brock Lesnar, AJ Styles (though, even a broomstick would have a decent match against him) and most definitely Seth Rollins.
You can throw shade on the man for not being the most eloquent on the microphone. Sure. But you can’t point the finger at him for being a sub-standard worker in the ring.
For the longest time, people trolled John Cena and his ‘five moves of doom’. But despite eliciting nuclear heat pretty much everywhere he goes, isn’t it incredibly telling that you don’t generally hear people complaining about Reigns in the same way?
#4 Working around his flaws
Okay, so even the most hardcore of Roman Reigns fans among you would agree that his microphone skills don’t set the world on fire.
Of late, however, if you’d cared to notice, he doesn’t seem to need them as much.
Perhaps WWE Creative wisened up and decided that it’s a lost cause or, much more likely, he’s learned to adapt and say more by saying less. For instance, that post-WrestleMania Raw one-liner...”This is my yard now” * mic drop*... was an absolute killer.
He’s not exactly a heel, although the feelers are certainly there, but he’s definitely not the clean cut babyface who needs to make affirming speeches every week either. In other words, he’s morphed his character to fit the mould of the ‘silent muscle’ and still be as over as he is. (FYI, getting thunderously booed still does count as being over)
Long story short, adaptation is a trait of great pro wrestlers – something his former Shield brothers, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins, would do well to learn.
#5 He’s got “it!”
Finally, we arrive at the most weighty and least definable point of this article – the “it” factor.
What is “it”, you then ask.
“It” is what makes you sing along with Shinsuke Nakamura’s entrance theme, long after it has stopped playing and he’s in the ring. “It” is what keep your hands pumping, chanting “Yes!” repeatedly, all the way into the streets well after WrestleMania clocks out. “It” is what has you going apesh*t for a wordless, silent staredown between Triple H and the Undertaker.
“It” is also what makes Roman Reigns – love him or hate him – un-ignorable, making you tune in, week after week, at least to watch him lose.
In an industry that functions so much in the grey, “it” is why Roman Reigns stands out from the rest of the bottle.
And I, for one, am happy to see him there.
Send us news tips at [email protected]
