From the WWE Rumour Mill: The John Cena-Roman Reigns promo on Raw was almost entirely scripted

What’s the story?

Dave Meltzer has reported on F4WOnline.com that the controversial contract signing segment between Roman Reigns and John Cena on last night’s Raw was almost entirely scripted.

The background

For those that missed it, last night’s Monday Night Raw included a segment between John Cena and Roman Reigns where they both signed a contract to make their upcoming match at No Mercy official.

During the contract signing, both men verbally insulted each other and, at times, the jibes got very personal.

This led many to speculate that this was a ‘shoot’ promo of sorts, but the Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer has revealed that the majority of this segment was written for the Superstars.

The heart of the matter

F4WOnline is reporting that WWE’s creative team scripted Reigns and Cena’s promos, or at least gave prior approval to both men’s insults before Raw went on the air.

Even if this is true, the segment was still fascinating to watch because it felt real. Whether Cena and Reigns had been told to say what they did or not, you could see that they both believed what they were saying and there appears to be at least a little animosity between the two Superstars.

The only part where it felt scripted was when Reigns forgot his lines and hesitated, although Cena immediately called him out on it, which only added to the hostility.

The heated promo, which you can view below, was littered with personal jibes that broke the fourth wall and certainly felt like a 'shoot' at times, even if it wasn't.

What’s next?

John Cena and Roman Reigns are set to do battle at No Mercy on September 24th at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

Author's take

If this promo was indeed scripted, then you have to give WWE and their creative team credit for writing something that felt so real that it at least made viewers question whether what they were watching was real.

Credit also has to go to Reigns and Cena who delivered this in a convincing style. This segment created a buzz on social media and has created more hype for the upcoming match than it had prior to this promo, so in that respect, it was a resounding success for WWE.

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