The Power of the Pin: The long, strange trip of Roman Reigns

By Ryan K Boman
Modified Aug 26, 2020 21:46 IST
Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns

The ten years that Roman Reigns has been a part of the WWE may be the most unusual journey ever.

Originally signed to the developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling, in 2010, Roman Reigns was immediately tabbed as a future Superstar, due to his size, look, and family heritage. And with those expectations, Roman definitely had a lot of pressure on him to succeed.

After all, Roman Reigns was a former football star at Georgia Tech, the son of the legendary Wild Samoan Sika, and the cousin of some guy named The Rock. Talk about big shoes to fill.

And, when he debuted on the main roster as a member of The Shield, everything seemed to be going well. The faction was wildly popular, and Roman established his reputation as the 'powerhouse' of the group. It appeared to almost every observer that he would go on to succeed as a singles star and eventually be the face of WWE.

But, somewhere down the line, things didn't quite go that way.

Despite a decade of multiple World Title wins and being marketed at an almost 'superhero' like level, a vast population of the audience turned on the big man.

The roller coaster ride that Roman Reigns has been on is littered with stops and starts, a lot of boos from fans who were designed to love him, and one of the silliest, scripted promos in history.

Then came the announcement in October 2018 that he was stepping away from wrestling because he was battling leukemia.

It's almost as if this man, who seemed destined for greatness, has been cursed. Whether it was bad booking, bad scripts, or bad luck, his career in WWE has never seemed to be the 'Roman Empire' that it was supposed to be. While he should have easily achieved the status of his movie star cousin or John Cena (for whatever reason), it never really happened. And, while there's no denying all his accomplishments, it always seemed like something was missing. Like, he never really ascended to the throne.

As The Grateful Dead once sang? What a long, strange trip it's been.

Is this Roman Reigns 2.0?

But, that may have all changed on Sunday night, as SummerSlam 2020 could be the most crucial night of Roman Reigns' career. Returning with a vengeance, he showed a mean streak we haven't seen since his days as the heavy hitter of The Shield.

This is the Roman Reigns we want. And, he's the Roman Reigns that WWE needs now. That bad*ss that we all saw so many years ago.

And it could finally be the evolution of his character that puts him on the mountaintop. The fantastic reaction he has received when laying out The Fiend and Braun Strowman should be a signal to the Creative team that they are on the right track with this move.

This new, edgier side of Roman Reigns fits him better than any role he has ever had in the promotion. If they portray him as the 'bad cop' of WWE, he could toe the line between heel and babyface, and basically write a whole new chapter in his career.

With the years of dedication that The Big Dog has put in, he deserves the one huge run that's always been missing. And while we can't be sure where this whole thing is headed? It's great to see him evolve in this way.

So, in the meantime? Sit back, relax, and Let It Reign.

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