Rebuilding Roman Reigns

[Zoo Enthusiast]

He should do an interview with some outlet that he fought Vince tooth and nail over the Rumble and Fastlane finishes, because he felt Daniel Bryan was more popular and that he needed more time to grow into his role.

Colt Cabana.

[Mad Dog]

Colt would be too busy talking about how he got fired from the WWE for the 300th time and he'd never get the story out.

[Strummer]

He should do an interview with some outlet that he fought Vince tooth and nail over the Rumble and Fastlane finishes, because he felt Daniel Bryan was more popular and that he needed more time to grow into his role.

He actually did an interview last week where he said that bringing him and Bryan back from injury at the same time was a bad decision and that .Bryan was the most over guy in the company. And that the rest of the boys love him

[pantherwagner]

 

Plant a bunch of stories the company is down on him and they want Braun Stroman to be the next big thing and that he's gonna beat Reigns in a program. Also, convince everyone he's dating Sasha Banks and Cena/Nikki feels threatened by the new couple.

 

Meta-booking for the win.

This made me laugh. Pretty much the easiest way to get certain segments of the crowd behind a guy is for there to be stories about how the company is holding them down. Look at how over Ziggler is despite not being very good at anything except being a Billy Gunn tribute act.

 

 

Both of these posts made me laugh. Ziggler is terrible but people still keep comparing him to Curt Hennig.

 

It's somewhat funny how the crowds are the "smartest" they have ever been, or so they think, but they can still be worked easily. Just look at HHH's reactions on NXT. This is no different than Sid in ECW back in the day.

[subatomic_elbow]

After watching lots of early Horsemen footage this weekend, I noticed something. Roman Reigns is the only current WWE Superstar that I could see fitting right into a 4 Horsemen role. He's cocky, he's athletic, he can wear a suit. A Horseman should look and act like he's smarter, prettier, and more athletic than you, like he can fuck any girl in the room and win any fight. Roman could totally fit into that role, if they wanted to form a heel stable around him.

[Johnny Sorrow]

They are rebuilding him. WrestleMania through right now has been the redemption tour. Its fucking obvious.

[Jimmy Redman]

I think the point is that it's not working, since he's still getting booed.

[jackwebb]

I'm surprised to see so many reality era type suggestions. I think they should do the same thing they did with Mark Henry a few years back. A strong focused build with decisive finishes. If we are at the point that a wrestler needs Dave Meltzer backstage stories to get over I'm ready to move on from watching.

[ezgo]

I only have a couple problems with Roman Reigns, and they're not even really problems. First off, he's just boring to me. He's not even bad in the ring anymore, but I just get bored with his matches easily. He never even pulls out new and different stuff for PPV matches, like Owens, Rollins, Cesaro, and others do. He's pretty disinteresting on the mic too; his promos are nothing to write home about. Mic skills are easily the best way to get over with the crowd, and that's why CM Punk and, to a lesser extent Ambrose have gotten over. Reigns just doesn't have that skill yet. Another reason he hasn't gotten over is that he has no relatability. Bryan, Austin and Punk, when they were faces, had this everyman quality to them that really helped them connect to crowds. I just don't really see that in Reigns. Also, when they broke up the Shield, he 100% should have gotten new entrance music and ring gear. That's an easy fix that they could do today, however.

[Matt D]

I think the point is that it's not working, since he's still getting booed.

His beer guzzling bro taunt thing was probably a mistake to introduce.

[SomethingSavage]

Not that I'm calling for it or anything, but if they were to go a new direction & have Reigns go heel?

I'd honestly like to see them blatantly copy & paste the new Baron Corbin kind of attitude onto him. Have him rip apart the indie darlings that have come in, made waves, and gotten support based on their globe-traveling and work ethic. And he could just boast about how they had to wreck their bodies to get there... while he just had to pick up the phone & make a single call to get there.

 

I don't know how they'd navigate around heels like Rollins and Owens right away, but it'd set him up for instant rivalries with Ambrose, Cesaro, Neville, etc. right away.

 

And, since I'm fantasy booking here, I'd use it as a ready-made way to plug Sami Zayn back into the thick of things on the main roster when he's cleared & ready to return. So there.

[Mad Dog]

I think a heel turn for him would be a mistake. It's obvious that they want him as a face eventually and a heel turn now probably means he went heel-face-heel-face in the course of about 5 years. If they're going to turn him heel then it needs to be a long term thing or he's going to end up like Kane and Big Show where it doesn't matter anymore.

[shoe]

 

 

 

 

Plant a bunch of stories the company is down on him and they want Braun Stroman to be the next big thing and that he's gonna beat Reigns in a program. Also, convince everyone he's dating Sasha Banks and Cena/Nikki feels threatened by the new couple.

 

Meta-booking for the win.

This made me laugh. Pretty much the easiest way to get certain segments of the crowd behind a guy is for there to be stories about how the company is holding them down. Look at how over Ziggler is despite not being very good at anything except being a Billy Gunn tribute act.

Both of these posts made me laugh. Ziggler is terrible but people still keep comparing him to Curt Hennig.

 

It's somewhat funny how the crowds are the "smartest" they have ever been, or so they think, but they can still be worked easily. Just look at HHH's reactions on NXT. This is no different than Sid in ECW back in the day.

I 100% agree with this if the audience was as smart as people think they'd realize Reigns has improved a ton and is worthy of a push as the top guy. Though the crowd still boos him like he's the heir apparent. He's one of the only guys believable enough to work Brock to boot.

[Slasher]

 

 

 

 

 

Plant a bunch of stories the company is down on him and they want Braun Stroman to be the next big thing and that he's gonna beat Reigns in a program. Also, convince everyone he's dating Sasha Banks and Cena/Nikki feels threatened by the new couple.

 

Meta-booking for the win.

This made me laugh. Pretty much the easiest way to get certain segments of the crowd behind a guy is for there to be stories about how the company is holding them down. Look at how over Ziggler is despite not being very good at anything except being a Billy Gunn tribute act.

Both of these posts made me laugh. Ziggler is terrible but people still keep comparing him to Curt Hennig.

 

It's somewhat funny how the crowds are the "smartest" they have ever been, or so they think, but they can still be worked easily. Just look at HHH's reactions on NXT. This is no different than Sid in ECW back in the day.

I 100% agree with this if the audience was as smart as people think they'd realize Reigns has improved a ton and is worthy of a push as the top guy. Though the crowd still boos him like he's the heir apparent. He's one of the only guys believable enough to work Brock to boot.

That is a terrible misread on the situation. Again, the fans are not upset with Reigns directly. They are upset with the WWE and have picked out Reigns as the outlet for that frustration.

 

And I am telling y'all...Sting/Luger. He'll get back on track within a year or two. This could be the Team Hell No period for him like it was for Bryan before his big singles push in 2013-2014.

[jcmmnx]

All they had to do was have him take the US title off Cena. That would've helped win over the section of the fan base that doesn't like him, and gave him more credibility. As it stands now he pretty much has to turn heel it's just not happening as a babyface.

[shoe]

 

 

 

 

Plant a bunch of stories the company is down on him and they want Braun Stroman to be the next big thing and that he's gonna beat Reigns in a program. Also, convince everyone he's dating Sasha Banks and Cena/Nikki feels threatened by the new couple.

 

Meta-booking for the win.

This made me laugh. Pretty much the easiest way to get certain segments of the crowd behind a guy is for there to be stories about how the company is holding them down. Look at how over Ziggler is despite not being very good at anything except being a Billy Gunn tribute act.

Both of these posts made me laugh. Ziggler is terrible but people still keep comparing him to Curt Hennig.

 

It's somewhat funny how the crowds are the "smartest" they have ever been, or so they think, but they can still be worked easily. Just look at HHH's reactions on NXT. This is no different than Sid in ECW back in the day.

I 100% agree with this if the audience was as smart as people think they'd realize Reigns has improved a ton and is worthy of a push as the top guy. Though the crowd still boos him like he's the heir apparent. He's one of the only guys believable enough to work Brock to boot.

That is a terrible misread on the situation. Again, the fans are not upset with Reigns directly. They are upset with the WWE and have picked out Reigns as the outlet for that frustration.

 

And I am telling y'all...Sting/Luger. He'll get back on track within a year or two. This could be the Team Hell No period for him like it was for Bryan before his big singles push in 2013-2014.

 

They are upset with the WWE. With Reigns though the fans anger is residual from the company picking him over DB at Rumble. The fans haven't been able to let go and recognize how much Reigns has grown as a performer. Plus the fans are used to booing him now.

[Jingus]

I think a heel turn for him would be a mistake. It's obvious that they want him as a face eventually and a heel turn now probably means he went heel-face-heel-face in the course of about 5 years. If they're going to turn him heel then it needs to be a long term thing or he's going to end up like Kane and Big Show where it doesn't matter anymore.

Austin, Rock, Flair, Undertaker, and countless others have also gone heel-face-heel-face within five years and still remained incredibly over.

 

The whole point of the heel turn is just to book him as a badass villain, let the crowd get the boos out of their system, and then have him beat up jabronis until the audience organically starts cheering him. Of course the WWE has a bad tendency of botching the execution of such turns and either waiting too long or not long enough, but this is all fantasy booking anyway.

[goc]

5 years is an eternity in wrestling now with guys being so over exposed. That isn't that many turns especially when you factor in that The Shield's face turn was pretty organic and not one of those forced Luger/Big Show type turns.

[Slasher]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plant a bunch of stories the company is down on him and they want Braun Stroman to be the next big thing and that he's gonna beat Reigns in a program. Also, convince everyone he's dating Sasha Banks and Cena/Nikki feels threatened by the new couple.

 

Meta-booking for the win.

This made me laugh. Pretty much the easiest way to get certain segments of the crowd behind a guy is for there to be stories about how the company is holding them down. Look at how over Ziggler is despite not being very good at anything except being a Billy Gunn tribute act.

Both of these posts made me laugh. Ziggler is terrible but people still keep comparing him to Curt Hennig.

 

It's somewhat funny how the crowds are the "smartest" they have ever been, or so they think, but they can still be worked easily. Just look at HHH's reactions on NXT. This is no different than Sid in ECW back in the day.

I 100% agree with this if the audience was as smart as people think they'd realize Reigns has improved a ton and is worthy of a push as the top guy. Though the crowd still boos him like he's the heir apparent. He's one of the only guys believable enough to work Brock to boot.

That is a terrible misread on the situation. Again, the fans are not upset with Reigns directly. They are upset with the WWE and have picked out Reigns as the outlet for that frustration.

 

And I am telling y'all...Sting/Luger. He'll get back on track within a year or two. This could be the Team Hell No period for him like it was for Bryan before his big singles push in 2013-2014.

They are upset with the WWE. With Reigns though the fans anger is residual from the company picking him over DB at Rumble. The fans haven't been able to let go and recognize how much Reigns has grown as a performer. Plus the fans are used to booing him now.

That is the thing though. I think they know how much he has improved. That was never the issue. Everything the fans have disliked about him is boiled down to the booking of the character and the push he has received. He was popular in the Shield and his workrate was never the issue then. Yes I know he could hide in the tag team and trios but he played his part very effectively and if they booked him to be the same asskicker he was with the Shield and not a Cena-lite, he would have gotten more of the benefit of doubt but not much more because it was never about him to begin with.

[Jmare007]

He sells too much and they have worked way too hard to make him seem vulnerable. He's very good at it, but he isn't aggressive enough as a result. He's being booked to overcome obstacles after an extended struggle instead of plowing through anyone who dares step in his way. The way they're booking him now, a Rollins-Reigns match might work on the right day, but a Brock-Reigns rematch would just be a repeat of the first one in terms of winning over the people. It's time for him to stop working 50-50 with guys like Bray Wyatt and start kicking some ass. It would help if his opponents showed at least a little fear of him too.

 

That sounds great on paper but the audience that boos him is gonna see that as an indication that WWE is "pushing him (even further) down our throats" and keep resenting him, maybe even more.

 

At this point I'm not sure some fans boo him because it's the new troll/fun/cool thing to do or because no matter what they do with him, he's always gonna be seen as WWE's next golden boy after what happened early in the year, so he's gonna get boos as a constant "fuck you" to the company regardless of his position on the card.

 

I thought that if he kept having good to great matches as he's been having and kept improving on the mic and as character - as he's been doing since February - the crowd would eventually give up and realize how good he is and stop booing. But at this point I have to think I was dead wrong.

 

The best way to go would be what Jingus said. It would be interesting to see if they go that route because that was what they refused to do with Cena in the mid-00's.

 

[shoe]

Well this is the culture WWE has developed. I feel bad for Reigns because he's turned into a fantastic wrestler in the last year.

[Slasher]

The extreme and counterproductive solution is to have him lose every feud he is involved in for six months to a year and the fans realize he has been depushed severely. That could turn him into a sympathetic figure. Then rip off a Mark Henry circa Hall of Pain run type resurgence.

 

Edit- of course the critical component of this is he needs to keep proving himself a good wrestler. If he regress to say, Heidenreich level terrible it won't work.

[Loss]

They are nearly doing the anti-push now and it's not working.

[Slasher]

Nah. Nearly isn't enough. They have to basically strip down everything about him that resembles a main eventer. Don't put him in programs with big names. He would be booked on Smackdown and Main Events mostly. He jobs on Raw to a guy like Wade Barrett. He is even forced to do NXT stuff. Basically reboot him from the completely bottom up. Don't do the backstage rumors but make it clear to the fans he isn't a priority anymore. Obviously that might not work but by then you'll know if its really a lost cause or not.

 

I am not seriously advocating the idea by the way, but it is something that could take the edge off the fans' resentment for his push and could possibly turn him into an underdog in his own way. Especially if he works hard and makes people around him look good. He is still quite young in WWE years that they could punt him down the card and really rebuild him...then by the time he is ready for the main event again he would still only be like 32 or 33 years old and you get a decade of him on top again. This is essentially what you talked about before...WWE manipulating the fans into wanting it.

[Jmare007]

Nah. Nearly isn't enough. They have to basically strip down everything about him that resembles a main eventer. Don't put him in programs with big names. He would be booked on Smackdown and Main Events mostly. He jobs on Raw to a guy like Wade Barrett. He is even forced to do NXT stuff. Basically reboot him from the completely bottom up. Don't do the backstage rumors but make it clear to the fans he isn't a priority anymore. Obviously that might not work but by then you'll know if its really a lost cause or not.

 

I am not seriously advocating the idea by the way, but it is something that could take the edge off the fans' resentment for his push and could possibly turn him into an underdog in his own way. Especially if he works hard and makes people around him look good. He is still quite young in WWE years that they could punt him down the card and really rebuild him...then by the time he is ready for the main event again he would still only be like 32 or 33 years old and you get a decade of him on top again. This is essentially what you talked about before...WWE manipulating the fans into wanting it.

 

So much can go wrong going that route, I don't see any scenario were WWE actually goes for it (on purpose at least). A heel turn is way less risky.