What’s the story?
WWE superstar Roman Reigns was recently on ESPN’s Cheap Heat podcast where he spoke about whether he would like to undergo a ‘heel’ turn and also gave his opinion on where The Shield ranks among the popular factions in pro-wrestling history.
In case you didn’t know…
Ever since Reigns began his singles run after the dissolution of The Shield in 2014, he has been portrayed as a ‘babyface’ character. However, he has somehow been unable to find a lot of support from the WWE Universe and has often been booed by a large section of the crowd from the very beginning. The negative reactions of the crowd towards ‘The Big Dog’ have been so extreme that he was recently named the ‘Most Hated Wrestler of the Year’ for 2016 by Pro Wrestling Illustrated.
The heart of the matter
When asked about his thoughts on a ‘heel’ turn, Roman Reigns explained that if he were to be the bad guy, the only reaction that he would get from the crowd is a ‘boo’. On the other hand, his current status sees him draw all kinds of reactions from the crowd and that’s exactly how he wants it to be. Here’s what the 3-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion stated:
“The one thing I like about my situation and if I think I were to commit to one, 'I'm a bad guy now - I'm pissed and I'm going to try to take everybody out' then it's only one, like, 'boo'. Do you know what I mean? But when I'm out there, there's all kinds of noise. There [are] all kinds of chants. It's pandemonium, man. That's how I like it.”
On where The Shield ranks among the best ever pro-wrestling factions, Reigns claimed that they are certainly in the top five. According to him, what set them apart from the others is the fact that he, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose were virtually unknown names at that point and they still managed to establish themselves.
However, Roman did have regrets about ‘The Shield’ being dissolved much earlier. In his view, they could easily have had a nice ‘babyface’ run but it was perhaps not meant to be that way. Reigns had this to say:
“I think we're definitely in the top five. The difference between The Shield and everybody else is we didn't have names. Seth and Dean, they were kind of indie darlings, so they had a little bit of an internet buzz, but as far as casual fans and mass media, nobody knew who they were.
Nobody knew who I was. I didn't have any [professional] wrestling following, so for us to come in and make a name for ourselves, I think that speaks a lot. I still, to this day, feel like we broke up too early. I really do. I think we had a really nice babyface run in us, but it just is what it is.”
What next?
Of late, the fan reaction towards Roman Reigns seems to have changed for the better and one can hear a lot of people cheering for him during his appearances on Raw every week. Things may only improve for ‘The Big Dog’ if he is able to capture the WWE Universal Championship in his match against current champion Kevin Owens at the Royal Rumble this Sunday.
Sportskeeda’s Take
Roman Reigns is unquestionably one of the top guys in the WWE at present and his stocks have been rising with every passing day. If he continues to progress in this fashion, Reigns can surely establish himself as one of the best in the business in the years to come.
Send us news tips at [email protected]
Do you love to play crosswords, Wordle or other exciting games? We'd like to connect with you. Fill the form here!
