One professes hustle, loyalty, and respect, and the other describes himself as ‘The Guy.' One is the leader of the Cenation, while the other has a Roman Empire. For as many differences as John Cena and Roman Reigns have, they have the distinction of being the two most polarising figures in WWE.
In recent years, Cena hasn't wrestled as actively as in the past because of various commitments outside the ring. However, from around 2005 until today, he has received his share of both cheers and jeers. In a much shorter time frame, Roman Reigns has faced a similar response from the WWE Universe.
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After debuting with The Shield, Reigns was a detested heel like the rest of the faction, then beloved by fans upon the group's face turn. However, after the splitting of the group, and several booking decisions that have made him appear in a different light, Reigns has faced a mixed chorus of jeers and cheers.
We don't believe Reigns will be like Cena, as their characters are different, however similar the reasons for the response they receive may be. Here are five reasons why Roman Reigns won't be like John Cena.
#5 The fans won't look past his booking
John Cena has often used the line ‘Don't bring a knife to a gun fight'. For as much criticism as he has received for being ‘indestructible,' he can verbally spar with anyone and has always possessed this skill. He also works tirelessly in the ring, doing everything he can to make himself the most engaging and hard-working talent on the roster. His booking has clearly made him a fan favourite for kids around the world.
For Roman Reigns, his look and skills are clearly evident. While he may not possess a vast array of moves, that doesn't mean he isn't capable of doing different things. Cena appears to have been given some freedom to add different nuances to his move set, which is a freedom that Reigns may not have.
His moves need to appear big, and the intent is getting a major reaction upon impact. The problem is, some fans can't get past his booking to see how tireless he works to make himself the best second-generation talent today. That may change, but that doesn't appear to be the case right now.
#4 He doesn't endear himself to his detractors
Each wrestler has a certain way about them, whether it's how they walk, how they talk or the mannerisms they show. There is something about them that fans either like or hate. In the case of Roman Reigns, there just appears to be something about him that gets a specific demographic irate.
Reigns walks to the ring with a sense of confidence about him, which some may misconstrue and believe to be arrogance.
Contrast that to how Cena always plays to the crowd during his entrance, whether he is being cheered or booed. When Reigns faced off against Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania and was smiling after each punch, kick, and F5 he took, it generated more boos for him than cheers. We don't know for sure what the actual intentions of his mannerisms may be, but he may simply be showing that he is willing to take someone's best shot and keep going.
#3 Roman Reigns isn’t the public figure John Cena has been
Beyond how hard he works in the ring, Cena has a certain quality about him that allows him to diversify his activities outside the ring. As many have seen, during his time away from the ring Cena has been actively involved in a number of side projects that have featured roles on both the big and small screen.
Cena had been a part of Total Divas and has also hosted the program ‘American Grit', and filmed movies both for WWE Studios and several major studios.
It has been a labour of love for him, as each time he returns, he brings a great deal of passion, and it becomes apparent just how popular he is both inside WWE bubble, and outside of it. Cena also does an extraordinary amount of charitable work. While Reigns also gives his time to a number of charitable functions, Cena is among the most requested figures for charities, especially the Make a Wish foundation.
To this point anyway, Reigns has not crossed over to popular culture outside wrestling, while as a public figure, Cena is among the most recognisable sports personalities in the world.
#2 There is a booking tightrope that is being done with him
Reigns does not present himself in promos the same way as the ‘Leader of the Cenation’ does. Among John Cena's strengths is his ability to articulate how it is okay for fans to cheer and boo as much and as often as they want; it sometimes appears as though he even encourages it.
For Reigns, the jeers can at times be so overwhelming that it is difficult for him to convey what he wants. He has frequently said, “I'm not a bad guy, I'm not a good guy, I'm THE GUY.” Though that does show how effectively he works and commits each week.
This isn't to say that if Reigns approached promos the way Cena does that his reaction would be the same. It appears management will weave Reigns in and out of main event storylines at their discretion, for fear of oversaturating the programming with Reigns week after week.
As it stands, he is booked to be a face, and the company probably wants to keep it that way for a little while.
#1 He loses more often than Cena
According to the wrestling database Cagematch, throughout his career, Roman Reigns has won 67.1 % of the matches. The data, as of July 8th, 2017, indicates that during his time with the promotion, Reigns has been in a total of 765 matches, and has won 520 of those matches while losing 225 and 30 matches have ended in a draw.
While he won a higher percentage of his career matches in 2016, this past year has seen Reigns lose more matches. In comparison, Cena has won an astounding 78.8 % of his matches.
Whether it is on television or on a pay-per-view, Reigns isn't indestructible, and there isn't always a happy ending for him and his feuds. He has faced the wrath of Braun Strowman, frequently appearing badly beaten even in victory.
He has lost to Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, Samoa Joe, Braun Strowman, Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho on more than one occasion. While he has feuded for the Universal Championship, the same could be said for the likes of Seth Rollins, Goldberg and Brock Lesnar. Fans can anticipate Reigns getting knocked down, but that doesn't mean he needs to stay down.
