#2 Fans don’t want him
Trending
For all of his weak promos, and for all of his matches in which he looked less than stellar, Roman has actually done a lot of things right. He’s loyal to his friends, he’s always fought hard despite how much everyone’s hated on him, and he’s never lost sight of what’s important to him.
He’s the babyface that should be over, but he’s not. The fact is that fans just don’t want him. No matter what he does, nothing changes and it looks as though it never will. Even if he came out, cut a promo like Dusty Rhodes and worked a match like Daniel Bryan, he still would not be able to get over.
Fans feel like he’s been shoved down their throats, and that’s always been the case. The truth is a budding main event Superstar needs time on camera, and time to fully connect with the live crowd.
Of course, the top guy will always get the most attention, and everyone knows that. Everyone knows how the game is played.
But Roman has never been cut any slack. His presence has never been a welcome one, and fans turn on him every time he’s on TV. They believe he gets far too much consideration, and they feel that he doesn’t deserve an ounce of it.
They look at Roman and see a hard sell, someone that hasn’t earned anything he’s ever been given in the business.
They see someone they don’t want. This perception may never change, and if that is indeed the case, then Roman will never be able to truly get over. Fans made their decision about him a long time ago, and they are just not willing to change their minds now.
#1 He’s not real
This is the trickiest part of Roman’s situation and the one that is the hardest to fix. Not wanting him is bad enough, but when fans can see through him to this extreme, then all bets are off. Reigns is in big trouble here.
Roman is just not real. Even if he’s not allowed to be himself in promos, and even if he’s forced to read someone else’s words, none of that matters because the fans don’t feel him as a person. They see a phony persona begging for their acceptance, and they’re not buying it.
This is not to suggest that Roman is a shallow figure that doesn’t want to be the best as he claims, but there’s just something about him. Reigns just doesn’t seem like the hard working, regular guy with good intentions.
He seems like the entitled second generation star that believes he deserves the spot he has. He says he has heart, and WWE constantly reminds everyone of that, but no one seems to really believe it.
Maybe it’s the combination of so many bad promos, and so many bad booking moves, but at his core, Roman is just not believable.
His mic work can improve. His booking can get better. What if fans don’t trust him, and see through him like right now? Then he does not stand a chance. Reigns is not The Guy; he’s a guy trying to convince everyone of it.
The problem is no one believes him; they probably never will.
Tom Clark can regularly be found on Sportskeeda. His podcast, Tom Clark’s Main Event, is available on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Android, Windows Phone and online here
