5 things Roman Reigns should do to not get booed again by WWE fans

There was a time when Roman Reigns was one of the most hated characters in all of WWE, despite being a babyface. Soon after The Shield split, Reigns was pushed to the top of the card and was being groomed as the one who would dethrone Brock Lesnar.

Fans weren't thrilled with Reigns being shoved down their throats and booed Reigns out of the building when he won the Royal Rumble match in 2015, despite The Rock being on his side. Three years later, things stayed the same.

Roman Reigns was diagnosed with leukemia in 2018 and received a big babyface pop after his miraculous return on the road to WrestleMania 35. Months later, Reigns is still getting a pretty positive reaction from the WWE Universe, and he recently stated that he doesn't mind if the fans boo him again somewhere down the line, as they have paid money to see him and voice their opinion.

Nevertheless, no Superstar wants to portray a babyface character and get booed. Let's take a look at 5 things Roman Reigns needs to keep in mind if he wants to make sure the fans don't boo him again.

Former WWE writer buries Judgment Day HERE

Also read: Roman Reigns on what would be his reaction if fans start booing him again

#5 Stay away from anything remotely related to Sufferin' Succotash

One of the biggest problems fans had with Roman Reigns back in 2014-16 was the fact that he wasn't that good on the mic, while his Shield counterparts Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose managed to hold their own. Another major issue with his character was that the WWE creative gave him a bunch of promos on several occasions, which are now widely regarded as some of the promos which are better left forgotten.

Be it the 'Sufferin' Succotash' promo against Rollins, or Reigns telling a bedtime story featuring The Big Show, fans soon got tired of these cheesy promos, which contributed towards the WWE Universe's dislike of Reigns. The Big Dog needs to make sure to reject these kinds of promos if they are presented to him by creative, as they do nothing but harm his character further.

#4 Drop the Superman persona

The character of a super-powered hero who could make a comeback after enduring the worst beatings is something that worked way back in the 80s when Hulk Hogan was on top. As time changed, fans began hating the idea of such a character, and hence it resulted in John Cena getting booed for the better part of his career. His transformation from a cool heel to a generic babyface didn't sit well with the fans.

Also read: 5 incredible things Triple H has done to improve WWE

The same thing happened with Reigns, who was the anti-hero Shield member and was loved by the fans at first, but soon garnered hate after getting pushed to the Moon post the Shield implosion. Roman Reigns needs to make sure his character looks and feels believable to the fans. The Superman persona would have worked around 4 decades ago, but it just won't get over in 2019 with today's generation.

#3 Expand his moveset

Roman Reigns used to get heavily cheered during his Shield days, and his limited move-set didn't come to the fans' notice at the time. Soon after The Shield imploded, Reigns went his own way and fans suddenly realized that he had a limited move-set, contrary to his former teammates, who were incredibly versatile in the squared circle. This, and the fact that WWE wanted the fans to hail him as their new hero wasn't something that thrilled them.

Also read: 5 current feuds we have already seen in the past

A great idea for Reigns here would be to add several new moves to his repertoire. One of the most polarizing Superstars in WWE history, John Cena was hounded by the fans for his "5 moves of doom". Reigns adding a variety of new moves to his set would be a big plus for him going forward and would help him improve as a wrestler.

#2 Bring in shades of an anti-hero in his character

Until the mid-90s, pro-wrestling used to be all about clear-cut babyfaces and heels. When Hogan turned heel at Bash at the Beach 1996, it completely changed the landscape of the industry and gave birth to the Attitude Era. The major highlight of this era was the emergence of anti-heroes, a character trait that was well received by the fans. Stone Cold and DX are just two of several examples of how a simple change in character turns wrestlers into megastars.

Also read: 5 moments when fans genuinely liked Vince McMahon

Roman Reigns is a traditional babyface at the moment. One major upgrade that would make sure the fans don't boo him, is for Reigns to turn into an anti-hero. This is a character who is kind of a lone wolf, doesn't care what anyone thinks of him (no matter if they're heels or babyfaces), and is way more interesting than a bland traditional babyface.

#1 Not hog the title picture

This should be on the top of Reigns' list!

As soon as The Shield came to an end, Reigns was pushed heavily. He went on to become a mainstay on the Raw title picture and headlined the next 4 WrestleMania events against the likes of Brock Lesnar, The Undertaker, and Triple H. It soon got tiresome and seemed as if Reigns would never get out of the main event scene.

Also read: 5 babyfaces who broke character and praised heels

Ever since his big return earlier this year, Reigns has been kept away from the title picture, and this was hands down the best thing that happened to him. It's a given that WWE will insert him into the title picture somewhere down the line, but what needs to be taken care of is that he shouldn't hog it on a regular basis similar to what happened over the past 4 years.

Edited by Anirban