Getting Roman Reigns over with the audience is arguably the most pertinent and irksome issue that Vince McMahon has been wrestling with for the past year or so, with no end in sight even now.
Names such as Daniel Bryan, The Rock, Triple H, Stephanie McMahon and Vince himself, have all attempted to put him over in one way or another, only to be inevitably be stonewalled by the audience reaction.
However, his Wellness Policy violation has meant that the WWE had a valid reason to take the foot off the pedal to reconsider and recalibrate their approach with the Samoan badass.
On the flipside, WWE have not lost faith in the former WWE Champion and have pushed him right back into the Universal Title scene, which comes on the heels of him possibly ending Undertaker’s career at WrestleMania 33.
On that note, here are 5 methods that the WWE can employ to try and get Roman Reigns over with the WWE Universe.
#5 Get him a manager
Even his most ardent fans would attest that Roman Reigns’ microphone skills fall woefully short of the mark, and in the WWE today, it is near impossible for a Superstar to be over with the audience unless he or she can hold their own verbally.
Fans can point to a character like the Undertaker, citing an example of a Superstar that is over despite offering precious little by way of verbal communication, but the fact is that the Undertaker has been over for well over 2 decades now.
Also, Reigns plays the silent muscle role impeccably and I’d even go as far as to claim that his no-nonsense demeanour would be enhanced if only he didn’t dilute it with his less-than-convincing gift of gab.
Solution? Get him a manager.
With Brock Lesnar possibly leaving WWE after WrestleMania 34 after his contract expires, having a 51-year-old Paul Heyman as Reigns’ moutpiece would be a great move on WWE’s part.
#4 Re-form the Shield
Sometimes the WWE has the option to tweak a Superstar’s persona to make him more palettable, but sometimes, they just have to clamp down on their bit and press the reset button.
Reforming the Shield may be viable now as Dean Ambrose on RAW, but with Seth Rollins also a babyface, perhaps a reunion is not too far off in the future. And it would also be the equivalent of pressing the reset button in Reigns’ case.
As part of the Shield, he just had to play the part of an enforcer, while Rollins and Ambrose did most of the talking for him. This doesn’t even have to be a long term solution but instead, just a temporary shot in the arm to get the audience behind him once again.
With Ambrose and Rollins already on the same page, expect Reigns to join in and get the band back together sooner rather than later.
#3 Put a mid-card title on him
Much like how John Cena required a substantial run with the US Title to be embraced more wholeheartedly by the WWE Universe, shunting Reigns into the mid card again and alleviating the pressure of carrying the show on his shoulders, could do him a world of good.
He can catalyse a change in how the audience view him, from an ‘undeseving’ candidate to be the next top guy into a fighting champion; someone who puts his title on the line each week and defends it. While his US title run was decent, it didn’t do much as he didn’t do what Cena did and that is to defend it on a weekly basis.
That way the focus would be on his in-ring work – and crib as some might at the rocket to the moon that had been strapped on to his back – it is hard to contend that Reigns isn’t a solid worker in the ring.
On a side note, Reigns vs. The Miz sounds fresh and exciting and it’s something WWE should consider sometime down the line.
#2 Change of gimmick
This one is a tad wholesale perhaps, but Reigns has been stigmatized to an extent by the fact that he’s the only one who hasn’t completely shed the Shield gimmick yet. From the entrance music to the protective vest that he still dons, it seems like the WWE wants to continue marketing him as the ‘Big dog’ character that he played when he was part of the faction.
The only problem with that is that the Shield was a three man team, of which the ‘enforcer’ that Reigns played was, but a part.
Without Ambrose and Rollins by his side – who have both changed up their gimmicks completely – Reigns’ packaging that still bears resemblance to his Shield days and yet, attempts to create a niche for itself as the next top babyface in the company, doesn’t do quite enough to convince.
And convincing the audience to connect with and believe in a character, is of foremost importance for a WWE Superstar in getting over.
#1 Turn him heel
This has been suggested so widely across the spectrum of fans, that it beguiles as to how the WWE has adamantly refused to consider it thus far.
Yes, Vince McMahon views Reigns as John Cena’s successor, but when every attempt to get him over has failed, logic dictates that it is only a matter of time before the powers-that-be decide to throw up a Hail Mary and turn him heel.
And that may be exactly what his character needs to express itself; to breathe without suffering the shackles of having to follow in the footsteps of a peerless Superstar like John Cena.
Much like how the Rock needed a heel turn to get him over with the fans when the Blue Chipper shtick fell flat, Roman Reigns needs the licence to express the aggression and bad-assery that seems to come naturally to him, without having be mindful of toeing the boundaries of being babyface.
In the quasi-kayfabe world of the WWE today, ironically, turning him heel may be the most efficient way of getting him over with the audience after all.
