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WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns and newly-crowned AEW World Champion CM Punk might as well be polar opposites.
Reigns is a 'WWE guy'. He fits the mold of everything Vince McMahon wants in a top star in his promotion. The Tribal Chief is a 275-pound Samoan Superman, a former college and pro football player with incredible athletic ability for a performer his size.
Roman Reigns is also a homegrown talent, having started from scratch with WWE's developmental territories.
Reigns trained at Florida Championship Wrestling and NXT. He comes from one of wrestling's royal families, and he's also a team player - constantly acting as an ambassador and spokesman for the promotion.
On the other side of the spectrum, Punk is about as anti-establishment as a top star can be. During his time with WWE, he openly complained, fought creative, bucked the system, and attempted to change the company from within. When this didn't work, he left on bad terms and stayed away from wrestling for several years.
He finally re-surfaced in All Elite Wrestling, eventually capturing their world title this weekend at Double or Nothing. The Second City Saint is now the standard-bearer for his promotion, carrying the banner for AEW with Reigns as the face of WWE.
With all due respect to Punk, who remains one of professional wrestling's most famous personalities, Reigns is still The Big Dog in sports entertainment. Here are a few reasons why Roman Reigns makes a better titleholder in WWE than CM Punk does in AEW.
#5. Physically, there's no comparing CM Punk with the WWE Universal Champion
In professional wrestling, size matters.
It's no secret that Vince McMahon likes to invest in 100% beef when it comes to his stars. While he's changed his stance on that a bit over the years, old habits die hard. Back in the 80's, if you weren't at least 250 pounds, you didn't need to worry about ever seeing the top of the card, because you never would.
Roman Reigns is built like a Greek God, and just looks like someone who is famous. If you saw him out in public - even if you didn't know he was a professional wrestler - you would know that he was at least somebody.
With all due respect, Punk looks very plain in comparison. And while he's certainly not small (6'2", 220 pounds), he pales in comparison to The Tribal Chief in terms of size and appearance. Fans want their champions to look invincible, and CM Punk doesn't fit the bill in that category.
#4. Roman Reigns is a much more sympathetic figure than CM Punk
Despite the fact that he's currently playing a heel and once used to get booed as a babyface, the WWE Universe still has a connection with The Head of the Table. His heel turn was basically his time with the promotion coming full circle, and the fans have literally seen him grow up right in front of their eyes.
Perhaps that connection was most apparent when the audience, who had been all over Roman for years, showed support for him in his battle with leukemia.
In some ways, that moment put things in perspective; Roman's health and healing was more important than anything else. The WWE Universe voiced their support for him throughout his entire ordeal.
On the flip side of the equation, Punk is often viewed as kind of a surly smart aleck. It's part of his wrestling persona, but it 's perceived differently by many viewers. He's often called arrogant or bitter on social media, thanks to his apparent lifelong grudges against Vince McMahon, Triple H and WWE in general.
Sure, Punk knows how to rub people the wrong way. But that's not necessarily what you want from a supposed babyface champion.
#3. Reigns has much more mainstream crossover appeal, especially with the WWE publicity machine behind him
Reigns has a grace and charm that makes him perfect for the talk show circuit. His recent appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon was highly-rated and hugely successful. Roman (as mentioned earlier) just looked like a star.
Although McMahon doesn't want to lose Roman any time soon, it's somewhat accepted that the champion will eventually leave WWE for Hollywood. Much like his cousin, The Rock, he's viewed as someone who can make the transition from the mat to motion pictures.
There's very little doubt that someday Reigns will follow in The Great One's footsteps and become an A-Lister in Tinsel Town. The upside for WWE is that (once again) they can say that one of their biggest names and greatest champions body-slammed the world of entertainment.
While Reigns comes off as an entertainer, Punk is simply a wrestler. He may be 'The Best in the World', but he's never shown the ability to capture a wider audience. In essence, he's a cult hero in what happens to be a very big cult. But he doesn't have the vibe of a megastar like Reigns.
Punk's only endeavors outside WWE have been minimally successful, and though he's been involved in film and television, he doesn't have the charisma to ever be the name at the top of a marquee someday.
#2. Roman Reigns has Paul Heyman
Any great champion has to be able to talk them into the building, and Punk has certainly shown the ability to deliver that type of promo. In fact, he's one of the best in recent memory.
However, the gap between the new AEW World Champion's microphone skills and Roman's has narrowed quite a bit since The Head of the Table turned heel. Now that he has 'acknowledged' his dark side, he's much better when it comes to delivering a promo.
Punk is still the better talker, but Reigns has a wild card in the equation: Paul Heyman.
As the spokesperson for The Bloodline, Heyman may be one of the few names in sports entertainment that could potentially best Punk when it comes to communicating with the crowd. That tips the scales in favor of The Big Dog.
#1. Roman Reigns has been booked much better than CM Punk
While Punk has had some quality showdowns in AEW, he's also had a lot of throwaway matches as well. While it's admirable that he wants to work with - and hopefully elevate - the younger performers in the promotion, it really killed a lot of the momentum he initially had.
Reigns, meanwhile, has been fed a steady diet of high-caliber names as challengers, and he has convincingly dispatched them all. As great as AEW's talent pool currently is, Punk hasn't taken on the level of opponents that Roman Reigns has.
They say you are only as good as the person you dance with, and unfortunately The Second City Saint hasn't tangled with the best on the roster yet.
Reigns already has a two-year headstart on Punk in terms of comparing their title runs. Punk may very well have the championship reign of a lifetime over the next several months, which would dispel a lot of this theory.
But right now? Roman Reigns still stands tall as a better titleholder and the top champion in the entire world right now.
