Roman Reigns is an unique monster

Roman Reigns is an unique monster.

Before you all start screaming at me that he isn’t unique, let me explain how he is unique in his own way if you bear with me for a while. Though it is not WWE’s intention to create Reigns this way, several factors had influenced in this unholy creation of a monster Reigns.

What makes him unique?

Roman Reigns is an unique monster because very few have the ability to turn the crowd that is booing him into cheering him. Converting a cheer to boo or a boo to cheer takes a lot of time and effort. It takes careful planning, methodical execution and a perfect platform to do it. But for Roman Reigns, he doesn’t need it. He can turn a crowd that is booing him to cheer him on spur or even in the middle of a match.

In fact, he has done that not once but on three separate occasions. And the most craziest part of this is that he doesn’t consciously do it. In fact, the fans cheered for him on their own accord. WWE has trying to get those cheers so hard that they begin to think it was their work, but no it is Roman alone doing it. On all three occasions, the situation was not ideal, but Roman was following a script that he was comfortable with.

The three instances that indicated what fans like about Reigns

The first occasion was on TLC PPV. Of course you remember it, Reigns snapped and destroyed Triple H and League of Nations all on his own. Though WWE has ideally created the situation, it was Roman who garnered the fans’ love for him. As Steve Austin said in his podcast, fans identified something that night and the fans loved it. They don’t want him to be a cheesy, smiling babyface. They want him to be the destroyer, and I have to say Roman is capable of it,

As a proof, the fans went nuts when Roman captured the title the next night on Raw. He defied The Authority, Superman Punched Mr. McMahon – a proverbial heel, defied the odds and captured the title against all odds. It is an ideal formula for creating an anti-authority babyface. But, this is where WWE was wrong. The fans didn’t cheer him for being anti-authority, they cheered because he destroyed.

The same came back to fore in the middle of his fight with Styles at Payback. The fans were admittedly cheering for Styles and booing Reigns. Of course, with such an over babyface like Styles what else can you expect. But, in the middle of the match something changed. The fans were cheering both competitors on. Whether it is because of the fact that the match was great or the dawn of new era was showcased, no one would know it for sure.

Also Read: Why fans boo Roman Reigns?

But by cheering both men on, they showed one thing clearly. They are ready to get behind Roman if he gives what they want. But what do they want from Roman Reigns? Surely, WWE doesn’t have any idea.

But, the next night made it clear what they wanted from Reigns. When Roman saw AJ hit his cousins with a chair, he snapped once more and the crowd ate it up. He then went on to destroy AJ Styles without mercy and strangely enough there were mixed cheers instead of boos. Come on, someone is destroying the biggest babyface the company has to offer and it should definitely fill the arena with boos, not mixed cheers.

The next Raw showcased it even better. As AJ tried to take out Roman, Roman snapped again and threw (literally) AJ over the announce table to the announcers’ chairs. He then showcased a character trait akin to an angered animal. The crowd was hot for it. So we can assume from this reactions what the crowd wants from Roman.

They want him to beat the living hell out of an opponent. They want him to dominate his opponent much like Brock Lesnar. They want him to Superman Punch them out of the arena and break their bones. In short, they want Roman to destroy everything in front of him. Fans respect Reigns, but are not endeared to him. They want him to be the Samoan Badass who kicks the living hell out of everyone.

Why he is not an ideal Cena material?

Moreover,without a doubt Reigns is a polarizing figure much like John Cena in WWE. WWE is trying to project Reigns as the second coming of John Cena. But, that is where the similarities between them end. Reigns is lot more different than John Cena whether WWE realizes it or not.

Take John Cena for example, his movesets are limited and he is a powerhouse much like Reigns. But, a typical John Cena’s match will have him gain control early of the match and then fall to some dirty underhanded tricks. Then he will take a beating of epic proportions and survive through it. At last, he will mount a comeback from near death and take out his opposition in a typical five move fashion. But, he is believable in doing that.

Also Read: Analysis of WrestleMania booking decisions

Well to say, a typical heroic character’s struggle. Starting out good, falling for underhanded methods, surviving difficult times and at last overcoming odds to beat the opposition. Commendable in real life and that is why John Cena is like by most of the WWE fan base. His on-screen character lives through the Hustle, Royalty, Respect motto perfectly. The glamor of being such a hero makes him an ideal idol in the eyes of youngsters.

Though many won’t agree to this, Daniel Bryan was something similar to Cena. He can endure huge amount of punishments and somehow in the end win the match. His technical repertory and wrestling style makes it believable. And believability is what that makes both John Cena and Daniel Bryan tremendous faces.

But, Reigns can’t do it. No one can imagine Reigns slogging through a match and taking punishments. It doesn’t suit his character or looks. It is not believable at all. That is why fans boo him if WWE project him as second coming of John Cena. That makes him not as holy as a face needs to be.

What can WWE do with him?

Roman Reigns has tremendous potential, but WWE has to use it

Now that we have clearly established why Reigns can’t be a proverbial face, we can look at the other side – being a heel. But can Reigns be a good heel? Nah, not a very good one atleast. He has shown he can be a passable heel in the past in NXT and mostly it was Dean and Seth carrying him around in The Shield. He doesn’t have the necessary promo skills to come off as a tremendous heel.

But what he has is a menacing presence. A presence neither Seth Rollins nor Dean Ambrose have. And the mean streak he possess makes a good combination with his menacing presence. Combine these with his physical strength, you have a monster heel something akin to Brock Lesnar.

So, can we turn him into a heel outright? The obvious answer would be an yes, but as I pointed out earlier his promo skills are not that great and a manager like Paul Heyman could turn thins around in no time, but it will hinder his growth to stand out on his own.

Also Read: Analysis of Payback booking decisions

WWE could do something different here. They can take this destroying monster and package him into a tweener. WWE is trying to do it but not in the right sense. They are creating a tweener who is trying to garner the respect of others, instead of trying to create a tweener who makes others tremble.

Though this might seem a little akin, the difference is the tweener who is looking to create fear will not care about respect. He will destroy without cause or without thinking about the repercussions. His sole aim will be to create fear in his opponent. Seems familiar? Yes, Baron Corbin.

Unlike Corbin, he has the support of fans who want to see him as that. And if Roman Reigns does this alone much like Corbin, he will catapult to a whole new level. He won’t be Cena, he won’t be Austin and he won’t be Triple H. He will be something unique and with his star power could well be another icon.

If he becomes the one man wrecking crew, WWE can sure play around with it and make something worthwhile out of it. Other fringe benefit of this will be that the fans will love to hate him or even cheer him corresponding to whom he is booked against. This distinction will set him apart as WWE can book him without fear or worry against both heels and faces.