'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Roman Reigns debuted his new t-shirt on SmackDown last week. The t-shirt read 'needle mover,' which is essentially a take on Reigns being a factor in increasing ratings. It was also a low-key dig at CM Punk, as the Universal Champion had mentioned in an interview that Punk was never a needle mover like John Cena or The Rock.
Roman Reigns is undoubtedly the biggest superstar in WWE today. He has been protected to a great degree and has finally come into his own since becoming The Tribal Chief. SmackDown has been doing good numbers when it comes to ratings, and Reigns feels he is responsible for the same.
While on the subject of the Universal Champion's new t-shirt, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter recently stated that Punk was never a long-term needle mover like John Cena or The Rock in WWE:
"The line actually comes from the interview where Reigns claimed C.M. Punk wasn’t a needle mover. Obviously, at least short-term, Punk was. Long-term is more of a question but nobody moved numbers more short-term this year than Punk. But his context was that in WWE, Punk didn’t move the needle like Cena or The Rock, and that is true."
Is Roman Reigns a 'needle mover'?
Dave Meltzer noted that while Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar do help in drawing more interest to SmackDown as compared to RAW, there are multiple other factors behind the blue brand's numbers. For one, SmackDown takes place on a Friday, and it is much easier to draw crowds on the eve of a weekend than on Mondays.
"Smackdown attendance is much higher now than that of Raw and he and Lesnar are the two big stars on Smackdown, and Lesnar is only on some shows. Obviously Friday is an easier night to draw a crowd than Monday but of late the difference in attendance between the two shows has been far more than the fact more people would go to a live event on a Friday than a Monday,'' noted Meltzer.
He further stated that the 'needle' isn't moving in all positive directions with Reigns as the top WWE star right now.
