The argument could be made that all the hate towards Roman Reigns is misdirected. It must be conceded that he’s a little too James Bond when what the WWE calls for is Austin Powers, but it’s not his fault completely.
The booking is what is making it seem like he’s being force-fed to the WWE Universe. With the Show of Shows just a couple of days away, the WWE needs to crystallize his rumoured and desperately-needed heel turn soon or risk capsizing their Titanic. WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi couldn’t have made it simpler (quote courtesy of allwrestlingnews.com):
“I feel that, in due time, you’re gonna see Roman Reigns become Roman Empire. Let’s take it back to John Cena and Rock back in the day, when people felt like they was just shoved down their throats. Eventually, they earned the people’s respect, and the next thing you know, they were just loved by the whole world.”
“To me, you don’t want to go against the WWE Universe. You never want to do that. To me, what works is to go with the flow. If you have me so much like that, had it been me, I’d tell Vince, switch me heel right now. Let’s give it to these people. I’d be the baddest frickin’ heel that they’d ever see. And in due time, you would hate me so much, when I do turn babyface, guess what, [you’d love me]. It’s a very simple fix.”
