Rebuilding Roman Reigns

[BruiserBrody]

They need to hire a bunch of big oafs and have Reigns beat them week after week ala what The Giant and Luger did when WCW had Ron Powers/Rick Fuller/Jerry Flynn/T. Rancula/Roadblock/Ron Studd/Tombstone etc in as JTTS.

 

The whole roster would benefit from having more jabronis to pummel.

[SomethingSavage]

If they're keeping him babyface, then yeah. My thought process would be a lot closer to Loss' than anything else. Make him an ass-kicker. Have heels appear intimidated to get booked against him. Have jobbers bail out of the match, walk out, or voluntarily take count-out losses. Have punching bags like Slater, Bo, etc. show up for rematches still wearing the wounds of war - fresh bandages, braces, etc. - when they face Reigns for the second or third time.

 

Simply SELL the notion that this guy is a hard-hitting, big-time impact player. Insist that the announcers actually REMIND people of the brutality from his bout with Brock. Canonize some of that shit.

[Badlittlekitten]

I'll give it three weeks till the start of 'Goldberg' chants, tops.

[Jmare007]

Yeah, I don't see the crowd that's booing him buying into a reboot of his character. Specially if he's dominating, hell they are gonna resent him (well, WWE) even more.

 

I think they are at a point of no return with him as a face with that audience. It's either turn him heel or go the Cena route.

[SomethingSavage]

So what? Worked well enough for Ryback. The guy got over really strong doing a jobber-squashing routine.

 

And it's not about a winning or undefeated streak. It's about putting him out there, putting him over, and letting him Superman Punch the piss out of people.

 

Reigns originally got over by doing very little and being presented as the powerhouse of the Shield. No reason they can't resurrect a similar aura around him by doing the same in singles sprints and tag matches alongside Ambrose.

 

I wouldn't be totally opposed to a heel turn, but the idea of creating a bunch of bullshit news stories and "rumorz" to get the fans to give him a chance is just far too stupid for me. I'm absolutely unable to accept the notion that a strong, consistent narrative can't still work to get a guy over in this day & age.

 

If people are tuning in, then by definition that's your audience. They're already there. They're already invested to some extent. That means they already WANT to buy what you're selling. Offer them a good product, and they'll accept it. It's not fucking calculus to get from point A to point B, nor should it be as complicated as them feeling forced to "trick" or manipulate their fans into accepting the guy.

[LariatMMBOPPO]

So what? Worked well enough for Ryback. The guy got over really strong doing a jobber-squashing routine.

 

And it's not about a winning or undefeated streak. It's about putting him out there, putting him over, and letting him Superman Punch the piss out of people.

 

He was getting 'Goldberg' chants until he lost to Punk at HIAC. The crowd started warming up to him after that until his heel turn.

[W2BTD]

It's clear they want to boo him. Figuring out why is actually irrelevant. If they want to boo him, turn him heel and let them boo him. Being an ass kicker heel is a quick path to becoming a big time face. Plus, he's still really green and limited as a worker, and desperately needs a long heel run to round out his in ring anyway. This is The Rock in 1996 all over again. He needs to go heel and work two years worth of matches that arent the same formula Superman comeback match that he's been working from day one as the guy who cleaned house with The Shield. They're doing a disservice to him as a worker just as much as with his push.

[W2BTD]

Of course the heel turn will never happen, and you can see Vince's fingerprints all over the guy. Vince clearly thinks he's the next big thing, as he's been ultra protected from Day 1, and Vince loves his Superman babyfaces which explains why every Reigns match is exactly the same.

[SomethingSavage]

So you're saying Ryback wasn't over before they booked him against Punk at HIAC? And what? The idea that booking him vs. Punk at HIAC was a huge mistake that derailed his momentum is urban legend or something? Can't have it both ways.

If he wasn't over until AFTER the Punk match, then why would so many people have a problem with them running it in the first place?

 

And "Goldberg" chants aside, I don't think that really justifies NOT using a particular tactic to push or promote a guy. If that was the case, then nobody should ever rack up consecutive wins or go on a winning streak ever again. Ever. Sounds a little silly to me.

 

It's their job to make it creative and interesting enough to let it feel distinct and take on a life of its own. I'm not saying I have the utmost faith in them to do that, but throwing your hands up in the air & saying we shouldn't even bother to try because - hey, we MIGHT hear some "Goldberg" chants - is just a tad ridiculous.

[Slasher]

There is a big difference in introducing Ryback as a squash match monster and rebooting a character that already existed in midst of his run on the main roster to be a squash monster. The people would rightfully see through it as a transparent attempt to push Reigns harder against their wishes. I don't mind if they rebooted him that way but it needs to come as a result of a significant event like an injury that takes him out for a few months and returning as a refocused monster that destroys all that wronged him or something like that. Simply waking up one morning and deciding to be dominant isn't a good story to tell.

[goc]

"Still really green and limited" is a criticism completely divorced from reality unless it simply means doesn't do enough MOVEZ~!

[SomethingSavage]

Well, no kidding.

 

I never pitched a specific angle or premise to have him start being an ass-kicker again. But it's hardly THAT difficult to come up with something. You don't need to sit back and hope the guy gets injured in order to "reheat" him that way. Just have a heel do something dastardly to him or his friends, have it light a fire underneath his ass, and you're off to the races.

 

When did it become about "fooling" the fans? A good, cohesive, and consistent narrative doesn't need a bunch of misleading tricks to get going. A lot of this shit sounds like the worst possible aspect of die-hard fandom.

[goc]

Well that's the point. The worst aspects of some people who consider themselves die-hard fans is they are more influenced by backstage drama and bullshit rumors than what is actually happening on screen. Just like the people still talk about Roman Reigns being "shoved down our throats!" when he's had maybe 1/3rd of the TV time that Rollins has had since WrestleMania.

[W2BTD]

"Still really green and limited" is a criticism completely divorced from reality unless it simply means doesn't do enough MOVEZ~!

 

Not true. He does two things well. He sells, and he makes a fiery three move comeback that happens to be over (and it damn well should be, since he's been doing in in every match since he debuted). He's less than five years into his career. How can you argue that he isn't limited? Where is this wide variety of match styles that he has excelled in? He sells, sells, sells, apron dropkick, superman punch, spear. That's every Roman Reigns match. Ever. And that is very clearly by design because he's still green. Anything else would expose him. Go watch the Rollins match from RAW in January (the worst mach of the year until the Sasha/Nikki Bella match a few weeks ago). Go watch the bad singles matches vs Wyatt from January (particularly the one from Smackdown). They quickly realized how green he was, and all of his matches have been the same simple formula ever since.

 

A heel turn would do him wonders. I think he can be a good worker. Right now he's a very carefully protected one. That isn't doing him any favors.

[W2BTD]

Well that's the point. The worst aspects of some people who consider themselves die-hard fans is they are more influenced by backstage drama and bullshit rumors than what is actually happening on screen. Just like the people still talk about Roman Reigns being "shoved down our throats!" when he's had maybe 1/3rd of the TV time that Rollins has had since WrestleMania.

 

It is how you are presented in that TV time. Reigns is the most protected act in the company. Fans aren't stupid. They see through these things, and many of them (not all, but many vocal ones) aren't ready for this guy on top.

[Slasher]

Well, no kidding.

 

I never pitched a specific angle or premise to have him start being an ass-kicker again. But it's hardly THAT difficult to come up with something. You don't need to sit back and hope the guy gets injured in order to "reheat" him that way. Just have a heel do something dastardly to him or his friends, have it light a fire underneath his ass, and you're off to the races.

 

When did it become about "fooling" the fans? A good, cohesive, and consistent narrative doesn't need a bunch of misleading tricks to get going. A lot of this shit sounds like the worst possible aspect of die-hard fandom.

You don't have to wait for him to get injured. You do know it can be worked, right? It can just be a storyline. Tell Reigns to take a vacation and write him off for a bit. It's not like his merchandise is a big seller or that he is a ratings draw or anything like that so you can sacrifice a few months for the sake of the storyline.

 

It doesn't even have to be an injury either. But I fail to see a good storyline that enables them to re-write the character after already establishing him as what he is currently. Their best chance to do it was right after Mania where they sell on the idea Reigns took Lesnar's best shots and kept coming at him. Now that opportunity has passed and they are either going tp have to wait for another to fall in their laps or they have to create one. As things stand, I have zero faith in them that they can do the latter.

[Jimmy James]

Of course the heel turn will never happen, and you can see Vince's fingerprints all over the guy. Vince clearly thinks he's the next big thing, as he's been ultra protected from Day 1, and Vince loves his Superman babyfaces which explains why every Reigns match is exactly the same.

Bryan-Reigns, Lesnar-Reigns, and Show-Reigns were all very good matches for completely different reasons. John Cena these days is far more guilty of always wrestling the same match.

[dexstar]

What if they kept him face, and pushed him as a Deus Ex Machina solo "Hound of Justice". Like, he wouldn't be directly challenging Seth Rollins for the title, but instead showing up in different places on the card to help guys the crowd is into - I'm thinking guys like Dolph - when the odds go against them. Music hits, he comes out, is the badass equalizer, moves on to a different situation on his one man crusade. And then eventually he actually goes after the champ on his own for whatever reason. Basically like a full-time version of this Sting "Vigilante" gimmick they are working.

 

I don't know if that's necessarily a good idea or not, just trying to figure a way they can keep him a face, keep him an asskicker, but placed into situations where the music and the ass-kicker routine gets the "THIS IS AWESOME" idiots to cheer him.

[Parties]

Regardless of whether he's a face or heel, three things come to mind.

1. Win matches.

2. Raise hell.

3. Let him cut better promos (i.e. stop giving him horrible scripts).

Even two out of those three would get the job done. I get that it's a PG era and you can't go out there and be '99 Austin, but they need to give Reigns a killer instinct. He had it two years ago, he can have it again. Have him be the chaotic badass who defies the Authority. Or make him a genuine heel. The problem is not with Reigns or his talent. It's that they don't want anyone to get too over, especially at the expense of HHH/Steph/”the brand”.

 

This idea that losing matches would make him “sympathetic” or get people to forget Bryan was laughable bullshit when it first came out, and all the moreso now. The idea proposed here of going on a yearlong losing streak is truly horrible. It's a fool's errand to book for smarks or try to guess what trolls will boo/cheer. Nor do you need to bother with all that if you're booking faces and heels in the most elementary ways. We've been over this before, but the issue is not that Reigns isn't over. It's that no one is over.

[Slasher]

Regardless of whether he's a face or heel, three things come to mind.

• Win matches.

• Raise hell.

• Let him cut better promos (i.e. stop giving him horrible scripts).

Even two out of those three would get the job done. I get that it's a PG era and you can't go out there and be '99 Austin, but they need to give Reigns a killer instinct. He had it two years ago, he can have it again. Have him be the chaotic badass who defies the Authority. Or make him a genuine heel. The problem is not with Reigns or his talent. It's that they don't want anyone to get too over, especially at the expense of HHH/Steph/the brand.

 

This idea that losing matches would make him sympathetic or get people to forget Bryan was laughable bullshit when it first came out, and all the moreso now. The idea proposed here of going on a yearlong losing streak is truly horrible. It's a fool's errand to book for smarks or try to guess what trolls will boo/cheer. Nor do you need to bother with all that if you're booking faces and heels in the most elementary ways. We've been over this before, but the issue is not that Reigns isn't over. It's that no one is over.

And the solution to push a guy the audience don't want to see pushed even harder isn't as horrible? Besides a heel turn, how does that help him? They aren't going to change their minds just because it takes him 5 minutes to beat Big Show instead of 15. Come on man.

[The Chief]

He needs to use the powerbomb as a finisher. Everybody loves powerbombs.

[Slasher]

He needs to use the powerbomb as a finisher. Everybody loves powerbombs.

Well not necessarily a powerbomb but it's a good point that he needs to get a different finisher or a different signature move. The Superman Punch and the Spear requires the same set up and does feel redundant even though they are different moves.

[Grimmas]

I still think a long IC Title reign would be the best idea.

[Wade Garrett]

Clean victory over Cena in Dallas is what should happen. A clean victory over a semi-heel Rock wouldn't hurt either. Depending how they handle Lesnar in terms of this Taker bs? That rematch is a no brainer.

 

He doesn't really need rebuilding. The majority of fans have short term memories. A lot go hot and cold in terms of who and what they want.

[Jingus]

The majority of fans have short term memories. A lot go hot and cold in terms of who and what they want.

Holy crap, Vince posts on PWO!

 

I think one major mistake they've made with the guy is how much he sells. At some point, the office decided to push "he can take one hell of a beating!" as his primary in-ring characteristic. And he's not like a Hogan type who sells well enough to really get the crowd fully behind him. So it either makes him look like a chump if he gets beaten and beaten and beaten and then loses the match, or inspires one of those "oh bullshit, there's no way that guy should've won!" fan reactions if he takes a similar beating and then just shrugs it off and wins.