The Roman Reigns Project
Roman Reigns is already one of the most polarizing superstars in WWE always eliciting some type of reaction from the fans. Most of the reactions aren't positive though and that's a big problem for WWE who are trying to portray Reigns as the new face of the company and the eventual successor to John Cena. Reigns is one of the hardest workers in WWE and is very good in the ring but if he cannot connect with the fans all this effort put into him will be for naught. In this article I'll be going over the main reasons Reigns isn't getting over with the fans and what the company can do to fix the problem.
Theme/Attire Change
In 2012 one of the most impressive factions ever seen in WWE was formed known as the Shield. Consisting of Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and presumptive leader Dean Ambrose, The Shield burst onto the scene during the 2012 Survivor Series PPV and never looked back. Their debut match against Kane, Daniel Bryan and Ryback at the TLC PPV was a textbook performance and exactly how you put over a team with the fans in 20 minutes. For a long stretch they were the most popular thing in WWE until the team disbanded in 2014. The 3 popular Superstars went their separate ways and started their individual singles careers. Rollins and Ambrose went on to adopt new characters to try and separate themselves from the historic group, yet WWE took a different approach with Reigns. The industry thought it was a good decision to let Reigns keep the Shield gimmick with reinforced vest, Shield entrance theme and even the catch phrase "Believe That". The team was so over with the fans that the company had thought that Reigns would maintain the same popularity if they didn't do away with the Shield completely. Three years later and Reigns is still hanging onto the Shield theme. He switches up color accents in his vest now and then (how creative) but for the most part it's been the same stale attire and he needs something new and fresh sooner rather than later. WWE needs to ditch The Shield theme altogether and give Reigns new entrance music as well as just the intro immediately draws ire from the fans. Both Rollins and Ambrose have gone on to acquire new entrance themes along with new attires (Rollins' cross-fit attire/Ambrose jeans/wife beater) and there is no reason that Reigns shouldn't have his own at this point. Reigns could also benefit from a new finisher but then again he hits that spear about as good as anyone. WWE seemed to be headed in the direction of a character change when they put an end to Reigns entering the arena from the crowd (another Shield staple) but that was only a safety precaution put in place by WWE due to recent fan attacks on the superstars. Reigns is in need of major theme overhaul and WWE has to realize that the Shield, as great as they were, are a thing of the past.
Link to highlights of The Shield debut match: https://youtu.be/ATelQ5mcYl4
Character Development
WWE has made many questionable calls with how they want to present Roman Reigns to the viewing audience. Reigns' character with the Shield was the silent Samoan muscle. He didn't talk much, just beat up and threw around whoever was in front of him and that is what the fans loved about him. Reigns thrived in that role with the faction and that, in my opinion, is the best way to showcase his strengths. However, when the trio broke up WWE decided to go in a different direction with the Anoa'i family descendant. WWE thought it was a good idea to let Reigns try and portray his character through speaking more in promos. Let's just say that out of all of Reigns' skills, his mic work isn't the best of them. He often struggles to get his point across, stumbles overs his words and hardly shows any true emotion during his promos. It's almost as if Vince McMahon himself hands Reigns a flashcard of what to say and tells him to go out there and read it word for word. He sounds that bland and monotone when he speaks. Fans are dying to see the same fire that he shows during his matches in his promos but Reigns just never brings it out. The company continues to force Reigns to deliver corny comedic jokes that fans couldn't possibly care any less to hear. The woeful promos began early in his singles career during his feud with The Big Show when he told the story of "Roman and The Beanstalk" and they didn't get any better. Who can forget (even though I'm sure we'd all like to) Reigns' cringe-worthy line of calling out Vince's "grapefruits" now being "shriveled up prunes" or when he accused Sheamus of only having "tator tots" during his feud with the Authority in December of 2015. If WWE is going to stick to trying to get Reigns over on the mic improvement needs to be made in both material and Roman's delivery. Mic skills and promos are another way for fans to get behind a certain superstar if they are good at it and it is pretty blatant at this point that Reigns just isn't strong in that category. He seems to be deprived of that same engaging personality that his legendary cousin, "the most electrifying man in all of sport entertainment" The Rock, possesses. Reigns would undoubtedly benefit from a manager to speak for him, much like how Paul Heyman does for "The Beast Incarnate" Brock Lesnar. Reigns would be be able to retain his Shield image and revert back to his silent destroyer ways, which would do wonders for his popularity with the fans.
Link to highlights of Roman Reigns' promos: https://youtu.be/EafkJ1WL-Z0
Booking
The way Roman Reigns has been booked has been through no fault of this own, that is solely on Vince McMahon and the WWE Creative writers. While the The Shield were together many fans were speculating on who would be the one to eventually turn their back on the group and split them up. Many believed it would either be the deranged Ambrose or the quiet Reigns. Of course WWE threw us the curve ball and had Seth Rollins turn his back on the popular faction and align himself with The Authority, leaving Reigns and Ambrose as the sympathetic babyfaces wanting revenge. In my opinion this was mistake number one. Rollins has the more face move-set with his high flying arsenal whereas someone like Reigns can utilize his strength move-set to garner more heat. Reigns comes off arrogant at times and would absolutely thrive as a cocky "all about me" heel. I mean just imagine the heat Reigns would get if he locked and loaded that Superman Punch as a heel. The Creative team almost got what they wanted when they inserted Roman into the tired "overcome the Authority" story and had Reigns win the WWE World Heavyweight Title in 2015. Fans seemed to be behind him but the support didn't last long as you can only tell the Daniel Bryan story so many times. Fans have been clamoring for a Roman Reigns heel turn for years now and it doesn't seem like we're getting any closer to seeing one. It is well documented that Vince McMahon is high on Roman Reigns and sees him as the successor to John Cena (and cash cow) which means that Vince will keep him as a face for merchandise and sales purposes. This was all but proven when Roman Reigns was suspended during the summer of 2016 for violating the WWE Wellness Policy and the company was literally handed a golden opportunity to have Reigns come back as a heel with all the heat in the world. Alas, WWE put Reigns in the underdog role and had him come back as the "persevere against all odds" face. Sounds like a certain "Never Give Up" superstar we all know and (kind of) love. WWE officials aren't stupid though and they know what the fans want as they've teased a Roman Reigns heel turn on many occasions. He played somewhat of a tweener role in his feud with the beloved newcomer AJ Styles. There was another instance I can remember where Reigns was being drowned in boos from the crowd during a segment with Rollins and Ambrose before their WWE Title match at Battleground and Reigns literally told the crowd to shut up. That is the true Roman Reigns everyone wants to see. Mistake number 2 with how Reigns has been booked is how protected he's been since his singles run. WWE strapped the rocket to his back and shot him up to the very top of the card right away, forcing an underdeveloped Reigns on everyone. Since 2014, he has won a total of 446 matches out of a possible 522, resulting in an astonishing 85% win percentage for Reigns. To put that in perspective, John Cena sits just behind him at 84% winning 295 matches out of a possible 350 in that same span. Add that along with a Royal Rumble win (Philly booed him out of Wells Fargo Center), two WrestleMania main event appearances in a row and 3 World Title reigns and we now have an over-saturation of Reigns with no build up whatsoever. Regardless of what type of reaction Reigns receives, we will undoubtedly continue to see him in the main title picture as the "One vs. All" underdog (with an 85% win percentage) for months to come. WWE refuses to see it any other way and in their eyes "any reaction is a good reaction".
Link to Roman Reigns winning Royal Rumble: https://youtu.be/ZaNXhm6la7U
