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John Cena is, without question, one of the most successful pro wrestlers the world has ever seen.
When it comes to championships, Cena has won them all. Being in the main event at Wrestlemania? He's done that many times over. How about mainstream media acceptance? Cena is behind only Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson on that account.
John Cena often says he is the 'measuring stick' by which all other sports entertainers are judged. Going by that criteria, we can compare his career to that of a WWE Superstar just hitting his wrestling prime, Roman Reigns.
Here are five reasons Roman Reigns is the next John Cena, and five things that might hold him back from reaching that level.
Why he is the next John Cena: Reigns is wrestling royalty
Legacies carry a lot of water in the world of pro wrestling. Currently, there are numerous second and third generation acts performing in the ring, including Cody Rhodes, Curtis Axel, and Natalya Neidhardt.
Roman Reigns is in that exclusive club as a member of the famous Anoi'a family, which boasts the Rock, Nia Jax, and Rikishi among its members.
Wrestling is in Roman's blood, in a way that it never was in John Cena, which will help him reach the loftiest heights in the sport.
Why he isn't: Not a natural talker like Cena
When it comes to pro wrestling, it's important to be able to express yourself on the microphone. In fact, it might be MORE important than how well you can actually perform in the ring.
John Cena's in-ring skills are adequate, but he will never be considered a great ring technician. Fortunately, he made up for this shortcoming by being one of the smoothest, most natural speakers the world of pro wrestling has ever seen.
Roman Reigns isn't terrible on the microphone, but he definitely comes across as someone repeating scripted lines. While he has improved his game in this regard somewhat, he is still light years behind Cena. Without the ability to enrapture the crowd or the television audience with a gift of gab, he may struggle to achieve the career heights enjoyed by John Cena.
Why he is the next John Cena: that incredible physique
Mic skills aside, most of the time the first impression a wrestler makes on the fans is going to be a visual one.
John Cena has always done well in this regard. He looks great, obviously far beyond what most men achieve in their lifetime.
Roman Reigns has just as much muscular development as Cena, and cuts in imposing figure in his black tactical uniform. The Big Dog looks like someone who could punch you into next week, which is just what you want from a world champion wrestler.
Why he isn't: Roman is forever in the Shield's shadow
When the Shield split the first time, it was obvious that all three men would be successful on their own, but Reigns seemed to stumble.
Perhaps one of the reasons for this is the fact that Ambrose and Rollins were allowed to evolve into more complete characters. Ambrose became the Lunatic Fringe, while Rollins was the 'chosen one' who sold out to corporate interests.
Roman, on the other hand, kept the Shield uniform, entrance, and music for a long time after the group's split. These days he is back to being the big guy in the Shield who superman punches people. This is not a compelling enough character to be the next John Cena.
Why he is the next John Cena: women and children love him
While the main demographic for pro wrestling remains the coveted males in the16-32 bracket, there are a lot more women and children watching today than in years past.
The women and children in the audience simply adore Roman Reigns. The kids love him because of his powerhouse physique and never-give-up attitude, while the women, well ...he really fills out his ring gear well.
There's another man who falls into this category, and his name is John Cena. Roman is on track with this portion of the audience to become the next Cena.
Why he isn't: the response from the men
While John Cena also gets mostly boos from the adult men in the audience, his supporters are at least as vocal as his critics... and he was doing the 'yay-boo' thing first.
Roman Reigns has unfortunately failed to resonate with the vast majority of the adult male audience. This results in some awkward situations where Roman is clearly meant to be the babyface, and the announce team is treating him as such, but the crowd still seems hostile.
We've already seen the 'yay-boo' gimmick done to death with Cena, so now that Reigns is in the same spot, it's just become tedious and distracts from his in-ring work.
Why he is the next John Cena: success doesn't lie
Roman Reigns is on track to be the next John Cena just by virtue of his numerous championship reigns.
Reigns is only the 9th man in history to be a Grand Slam champion in the WWE, collecting silverware at a prolific rate.
Great men don't seek the spotlight; they have it thrust upon them, and Roman's broad shoulders can certainly handle the burden of fame.
Why he isn't: he's not his cousin The Rock and he never will be
Roman Reigns is a lot of things, but one thing he isn't is The Rock.
While both men are of Samoan ancestry and are both blessed with incredible physiques, Reigns simply lacks his cousin's charisma and gift of the gab. Just look at the Rock's many classic moments on the microphone. Now, look at Roman's. One man's list is significantly higher than the other one, and it's not the man who does the spear.
If Reigns is to ascend to the heights of Cena-level stardom, he needs Rock-level charisma --and he doesn't have it.
Why he is the next John Cena: dedication to wrestling
While Roman only hit the big time several years ago, his career stretches back almost ten years.
After a brief stint with the Canadian Football League, Roman entered WWE's developmental system. He worked his way up from Florida Championship Wrestling and NXT before making his main roster debut by attacking Ryback during a match for the WWE championship.
The rest is history, as they say. Roman Reigns is dedicated to his career as a professional wrestler in exactly the same way John Cena was dedicated to his own.
Why he isn't: fans are tired of 'Superman' characters
Bill Goldberg seemed unstoppable at one point, chewing through the entire WCW locker room on his quest for greatness. It worked great in 1998, but when it was tried in 2016 with Ryback, the effort fell flat on its place.
This is because pro wrestling has changed, the audience has changed, and society has changed. No longer are people interested in seeing someone who never loses as Cena did for much of his career, and Roman seems to be following suit.
One of the most popular stars in WWE right now is Johnny Gargano. Gargano isn't booked to be unstoppable but rather is portrayed as a feisty underdog who manages to win more often than not because he is so skilled in the ring.
Contrast this with Cena and Roman, who are often portrayed as being nigh-unstoppable. If it weren't for Braun Strowman making Roman seem more human, the big Samoan Shield member would be even more irritating to certain segments of the fans than he is now.
The fans are tired of the superhuman gimmick, and would rather see real people overcoming challenges not because they can't be hurt, but because they are clever, dedicated, or skilled. Because WWE is so intent on making Roman seem unstoppable, he will never get over as much as Cena. The fans tired of John Cena being Superman, and they've already tired of Roman in the same role.
Conclusion:
Roman Reigns may or may not achieve the same career heights of John Cena. He certainly has all the tools to do so, but there are enough things holding him back that the fickle sports entertainment audience might turn their backs on him. Only time will tell if Roman Reigns truly is the next John Cena.
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