Damien Barling: Is Roman Reigns a Dead Man?
Lets be clear, as I've written about in the past, I am not a Roman Reigns hater. I think the dude is really talented, has a great non-scripted personality, and has "the look" to be WWE's top star. I'm also a realist. The more they've tried to get this guy over, the less over he has become. This isn't a love-to-hate situation like it is John Cena. Booing John Cena is part of the show. Fans do it for fun. But they love him. More importantly, they respect him.
The fans don't love Roman Reigns. The fans don't respect Roman Reigns. Thats not Roman Reigns fault. It's WWE's.
Roman Reigns got over by being a silent badass. He spoke when necessary but said few words. He beat people up. The Shield got over because they beat people up. The audience loved them. The Shield beat up Evolution. The crowd loved them even more. Seth Rollins turned heel and joined The Authority. Thats were everything fell apart for Roman Reigns.
They knew Roman Reigns was "the guy." Just like they knew Stone Cold Steve Austin was the guy. With Austin, they allowed him to continue to be the guy the crowd loved. With Reigns, the tried to make him John Cena. He started to smile more, tell jokes, and read cheesy scripted promos that destroyed any memory of being The Shield badass.
Remember the year Batista won the Royal Rumble? The crowd hated it! They wanted Daniel Bryan. Daniel Bryan wasn't there. So they cheered Roman Reigns.
Twelve months later, after making it crystal clear, the upcoming Wrestlemania 31 in Santa Clara was going to be Roman Reigns big coronation, the crowd couldn't cheer Roman anymore. He was the most hated guy at the Rumble. So hated, the closing show rub from The Rock did nothing but get The Rock booed. He was the most hated guy at Levi's Stadium. So hated, the year long coronation was but on hold in favor of a surprise Money in the Bank cash in from Seth Rollins to close the show.
Time after time, they've tried. At one point, in Philadelphia, the same city he was unmercifully booed at the Royal Rumble, he won the WWE title, shortly after punching Vince McMahon, to a massive ovation. That didn't last long. They pushed their luck too many times with Reigns and the audience couldn't deal with it anymore.
That brings us to Wrestlemania 33 on April 2 and his match against The Undertaker. Taker is the most beloved character currently in the WWE. There's a certain feeling that each time he wrestles it might be the last. Instead of the match up most wanted against John Cena, they chose to pair Taker with Roman Reigns. There's only one way out of this match.
Roman Reigns has to embrace the "dark side" and turn heel. He needs to destroy The Undertaker, even if its after the match. He has to leave The Deadman laying. He has to take the audiences most believed figure on the biggest stage - and destroy him. Blood and all. Theres no other way. Reigns will easily be booed louder then anyone their. If Reigns beats Undertaker the crowd will hate it. If The Undertaker beats Reigns and they shake hands when its over, the crowd will hate it.
With the main event of Mania being a 49 year old Goldberg defending the world title against the rarely seen Brock Lesnar - in a match that shouldn't lost any longer then 5-7 mins, this Mania is in desperate need of a "moment".
This Wrestlemania has to be Roman Reigns moment. His Bash at the Beach moment. His Mega-Powers explode moment. His throw Marty Jannetty through The Barber Shop window moment.
If The Undertaker beats him the crowd will erupt. Reigns goes into hug Taker then… BOOM!!!! Beatdown. The crowd may be so excited he finally did it they'll pop for it. Continue the beatdown. Chairs. Blood. Until the crowd hates you all over again. Send legends out there to break it up. This has to be Reigns moment. If not, Reigns is a dead. As is the WWE's product until the rumored Wrestlemania 34 main event of Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns.
