What's the story?
In an interview with CBS Sports' In This Corner, Roman Reigns spoke about a multitude of subjects, including fan criticism, separating his character from real life and more. Perhaps, the most notable part of the interview was when he spoke about crying for pro wrestling.
In case you didn't know...
Roman Reigns is the current top star of WWE and has been pushed by WWE heavily as a singles star for over three years now. As you probably know, the consistent push as a babyface has led to major fan rejection, an effect which still lasts today.
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Despite WWE's consistent attempts at getting fans to like him, they have been squandered. However, for many reasons, one being that they haven't lost money from the experiment, they continue to push him. Since then, he featured in the main event in three straight WrestleManias. He is now looking to set to headline his 4th straight 'Mania in 2018 against Brock Lesnar.
The heart of the matter
It's no secret that Reigns has been criticized by fans for his in-ring work, and when asked about it, he had the following to say(H/T WrestlingInc):
No, [negativity about his in-ring work] doesn't bother me because, like you said, you have to believe in yourself and I know that kind of sounds corny, but it's true, do you know what I mean, especially when you have people telling you this and that, and critiquing you, and telling you what you're not good at and what you probably shouldn't be doing.
But I know the time I put in. I know the sweat, the blood, even the tears. I've cried over this stuff. Do you know what I mean? As a grown man, I've cried over wrestling before. I'm man enough to say it.
Reigns has always been outspoken about WWE being in his blood and his dedication to the company. Despite his criticism, there's no denying that being portrayed as the top star of WWE gives him a chip on the shoulder to be the best that he can be.
What's next?
Roman Reigns is now involved in a feud with The Miz and it seems like a Shield reunion is currently in the works. That should be an exciting angle heading into TLC.
As for his long-term plans, Roman Reigns is still the chosen one to knock Brock Lesnar off his throne next year at WrestleMania 34 and become Universal Champion.
Author's Take
There is more than just one side to the argument of the Roman Reigns push. There are fans criticise him for lacking the charisma, personality, ring work (which is completely untrue) and other factors that superstars require to be the face of WWE.
However, the other side of the argument is that the push is the company's (and more importantly, Vince McMahon's) choice. They've invested a lot of time and money into him and they will do everything they can to get him over with the fans. Also, WWE has not lost any money with the experiment, so it looks like they don't have any motivation to stop and go with another superstar.
However, it can't be denied that "the Big Dog" gives in everything that he has to the company and will continue to do until the day he retires.
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