QUESTION - Would a Roman Reigns-Seth Rollins heel/face switch a la Austin/Bret be advisable?

[Heyman]

QUESTION - Would a Roman Reigns-Seth Rollins heel/face switch a la Austin/Bret be advisable?


I mentioned this idea a few months ago and I'd like to expand on it. I think a Rollins/Reigns 'switcheroo' a la Austin/Bret might be worth considering.


Over the next few months, do the following:


1) Have Rollins continue to defeat his opponents at PPV's, but have each win become progressively more convincing. By doing this, it slowly but surely gets the fans behind Rollins. Have Rollins flat out beat guys with skill, speed, and wrestling ability.


2) Have Daniel Bryan enter in at #30 for the Royal Rumble, and have Bryan win the rumble.


3) Find some kind of clause/reason that somehow gets Reigns to face Bryan at the February PPV, and have Reigns go over cleanly. By doing this, it pisses off the fans and makes them hate Reigns (however - keep pushing Reigns as a face despite this - as it will make both marks and smarks assume that the WWE has anointed Reigns as 'their guy' which will add to the heat....but keep pushing Reigns as a face).


4) At Wrestlemania, have Reigns face Rollins. Do a double switch during the match. Trigger the switch by having Reigns flip off the fans during the match (fans will be cheering for Rollins and hating on Reigns well before anyways). Have Seth Rollins go over clean. The next night on RAW, Reigns cuts a promo stating that he'll never forgive the fans for their betrayal.


5) After Wrestlemania, gradually distance Rollins from the Authority (you can even start this process before Wrestlemania).


6) Eventually, Rollins splits from the Authority. During the Reigns/Rollins re-match, have the Authority help Reigns defeat Rollins to become the World heavyweight champion. Reigns than does the "handshake" with Triple H a la Austin/Vince:


What is achieved in all of this


1) Rollins becomes the legit 'heir apparent' face to John Cena. The WWE obviously wanted Reigns to be that guy, but it didn't work out. By converting Rollins into a face, you give Rollins a shot of becoming the next Cena.


2) Heel Reigns can flourish with mouthpieces by his side. The fans want to boo the hell out of Reigns anyways. By turning him heel, you can have guys like Triple H, Stephanie, or even a Paul Heyman be his heel manager.


Thoughts?

[drave]

It could work and puts both guys over, while keeping things "fresh" because of the switcheroo.

I wouldn't be surprised if they do something sorta like this.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

HAHA! Foresight being used? Doubtful

[The Condor]

It's the only thing I see ar this point that would prevent Reigns from becoming either a new version of Lex Luger or a Diesel redux.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I think the switch is worth considering. Hell, it might be worth considering at Survivor Series. Maybe we can build to Brock challenging Reigns and Triple H facing Rollins that way? Or maybe Rollins can actually be the guy to win the Rumble and challenge Reigns himself?

[NormanSmiley]

Im for the idea but not reigns beating bryan to become heel. I want reigns to double cross bryan as he is giving his I am returning speech. Put him back on the shelf

[Mr. Nerfect]

They should just do the double switch at Survivor Series. Triple H and Stephanie hold up Reigns' arms at the end of the match. Maybe J&J return to help out Reigns? Didn't you guys notice the ratings started to slide when they got taken off TV?

[Mr. Nerfect]

Reigns turns, Ambrose questions him, gets beaten down and put on the shelf. Someone like Ziggler steps up as his first challenger at TLC, and they just have a damn good match that is designed to put Reigns over as a beast.

Royal Rumble time, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose both want to win the Royal Rumble Match and earn spots in the match. Rollins wins the Rumble, but Ambrose beats Sheamus for the MITB briefcase at Fastlane and enters, making it a Triple Threat.

[Heyman]

I think the switch is worth considering. Hell, it might be worth considering at Survivor Series. Maybe we can build to Brock challenging Reigns and Triple H facing Rollins that way? Or maybe Rollins can actually be the guy to win the Rumble and challenge Reigns himself?



I wouldn't do the switch at Survivor Series. Why? Because - by converting Rollins too soon, he'd become a lukewarm babyface at best (i.e. think - Orton 2004 after Summerslam, Lesnar 2002 after Summerslam).


Continue to build Rollins up as a heel, but transition him from being a cowardly chicken shit heel to a guy that flat out dominates opponents using skill, speed, and wrestling ability. The win over Kane at HIAC was a good starting point. If you do things slowly and gradually, the fans will eventually be screaming for a face turn (think - The Rock 99').

[Heyman]

Im for the idea but not reigns beating bryan to become heel. I want reigns to double cross bryan as he is giving his I am returning speech. Put him back on the shelf



Not a bad idea, but I'd rather see things play out a little more organically/realistically I guess.


I don't think it's in Reigns' character to all of a sudden attack Daniel Bryan just out of the blue. But again - I haven't really been watching the programming and so I wouldn't know.


My gut feeling is this: If you have Bryan win the Rumble (fans go nuts), only to have RR win the #1 contender spot from Bryan at the Feb PPV, Reigns would get NUCLEAR heat.....and the heat would be even WORSE if the WWE continued to push Reigns as the "clean cut baby face" between February and Wrestlemania (think - Batista 2014 after he won the rumble) since marks and smarks would perceive this as a misguided backstage political move.


Reigns heat would be so unbelievably nuclear come Wrestlemania, that the fans would cheer the hell out of Rollins by default. That's when you do the switch. ;)

[Simple Fan]

I like it. Face Reigns is horrible in his current spot and I feel he'd be best as a heel. Rollins issuper talented and could be a great baby face. Then you have Ambrose who is a great tweener and could play either one.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I wouldn't do the switch at Survivor Series. Why? Because - by converting Rollins too soon, he'd become a lukewarm babyface at best (i.e. think - Orton 2004 after Summerslam, Lesnar 2002 after Summerslam).


Continue to build Rollins up as a heel, but transition him from being a cowardly chicken shit heel to a guy that flat out dominates opponents using skill, speed, and wrestling ability. The win over Kane at HIAC was a good starting point. If you do things slowly and gradually, the fans will eventually be screaming for a face turn (think - The Rock 99').

I see your concerns. I think if you were running Rollins chasing Reigns, then you could do the switch and put Rollins against guys like Triple H and, yes, even Big Show to keep him hot until the Rumble.

[The CyNick]

I think a double switch is possible, I just think it will be sooner than you laid out.

Survivor Series is the home of the screwjob, so I could see them going with Reigns as champion and aligning with The Authority.

Two things I noticed on RAW. First they made a point of changing Rollins attitude, like he wants to face the next guy, not trying to weasel out of it. Second was the Reigns Ambrose backstage promo. Ambrose went through the list of times Reigns has come up short and failed. This in my mind is either meant to be the catalyst for the Reigns heel turn to guarantee he wins the title, it it was meant for Ambrose to screw over Reigns.

Either way Survivor Series is usually when they start to set the table for Mania, so I think they will want something big to happen. I just don't know if they want to give up on Reigns as a top babyface. He got some really nice reactions the last couple weeks. Maybe the right move is just have Reigns go over clean.

[Maluco]

I think this is the way to go for a number of reasons. Roman should be a silent badass and I think an eventual slow burn and turn against the authority would get the fans back on side.

Rollins wrestles like a face, he is awesome and so easy to like in the ring. He is all energy, high-flying and would be very easy to get behind.

I think it was ABT in another thread who brought up the idea that Reigns turning against Rollins shouldn't automatically make him face because Rollins has still been a dick.

The key thing here would be sympathy. Rollins continuing to improve, getting clean wins on his own and looking strong. When the turn comes, it should be full Austin, ruthless and violent creating all the sympathy in the world for Rollins. Put him on the shelf. Sympathy is the key to an effective double turn.

Make it clear that Reigns took the easy way out after not getting it done the first time. He didn't want to work for it
He is good looking, athletic, the true future and shouldn't need to work too hard for it.

Have Rollins come back after a month or so with Reigns about to do the same thing to someone else. Hits the ring, hits the high flying moves, sends the Authority scampering. I think that's the way to go and it would be great TV

[Mr. Nerfect]

It would have been awesome if Rollins had been showing the same cocky, confident character over the past few months as opposed to suddenly changing in the lead-up to this match though...

Reigns winning the fans back a little bit is actually a good thing before a heel turn. Just go back to Survivor Series '98 to see the evidence of that.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Something I was thinking about the other day: How hard must Reigns work to maintain his physique? I mean, look at his brother. I've heard Booker T say it about The Usos on commentary, and I heard someone suggest that Reigns still has the Shield outfit for a reason. Do you think that at some point, Reigns is going to balloon? I'm not saying that as a bad thing, but the Roman Reigns they are trying to portray might only work as a short-term aesthetic anyway.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I don't believe the company wants to give up on him as a top face, but I think as a top heel they'll see the benefit in a short-term fix until they can try again.

[The Condor]

Something I was thinking about the other day: How hard must Reigns work to maintain his physique? I mean, look at his brother. I've heard Booker T say it about The Usos on commentary, and I heard someone suggest that Reigns still has the Shield outfit for a reason. Do you think that at some point, Reigns is going to balloon? I'm not saying that as a bad thing, but the Roman Reigns they are trying to portray might only work as a short-term aesthetic anyway.

Honestly, the "guy" of the company never was ripped or had a six pack until Lex, Shawn and Bret, they were always just big bear-like guys like Bruno, Hogan, Diesel and Yoko. Even Macho wore a shirt for his second title run, and the only exception to this was Warrior.

As long as he is big, looks credible and can perform at a decent level, I don't think a doughy look is a dealbreaker.

[Emperor Smeat]

Its possible but doubt it work on the level that Austin-Bret did. Mostly its going to require a lot of work by Creative to do the real building needed for both guys and their feud. Rollins alone needs a lot of work done to fix how badly he's been booked for months. A double switch won't really work if it doesn't happen right around the same time.

If the idea is for Reigns to be more of tweener like Austin was, putting him over Bryan won't work. The crowd would just despise the WWE again like this year. Rollins would be getting cheers at Mania not because the crowd legit cares for him but because they don't want WWE's hand pick star to win just like the past 2 Rumbles.

Same for Rollins still being with the Authority or going over Reigns clean once Reigns fully turns. The face turn needs to happen right there.

Better would be for Reigns to win the belt at Survivor Series and then grow more delusional/cocky over time. Rollins gets dumped like Orton by the Authority while the Authority gets closer to Reigns or hand picks Sheamus since he has the MitB case.

Rollins wins the Rumble, Reigns faces Bryan at the Feb. ppv to add more fuel to his heel run, and then either have Rollins or Reigns go over at Mania. Rollins could go over and then get cashed in by Sheamus or Reigns goes over but with Authority help. Reigns and Sheamus could have some sort of uneasy alliance where Sheamus is willing to help Reigns out but has no problems being champ himself to keep the belt with the Authority if Reigns is about to lose it.

[Ruien]

Roman still has a legit shot at being the top draw as a babyface. They have built him up beautifully since MAnia and it would be a waste to turn him heel now. Let him ride this momentum all the way to the top. He should get screwed on this title shot though albut win the title at sometime before Mania.

[Stickman]

I dunno man, I am having a hard time accepting Reignsas a top star. The guy needsto pick up his mic game to have any hope.

[Wishbone]

Reigns going heel could be a great thing for him. As a heel he could go all out with the silent badass persona that he's actually good at. As long as they didn't book him as a cowardly heel the way they did Rollins he'd be fine, and it might even help make people take him more seriously.

Rollins going face would also be a good thing. There's a video where this guy books Seth Rollins turning face up to Wrestlemania, and I think it was pretty much perfect. I'll leave it here for anyone that wants to check it out.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bHyeE87V3Qk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

There's also a part two to that video btw.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I can't watch the video right now, but it sounds intriguing.

The more I think about it, the more I think the Reigns heel turn should happen at Survivor Series. I think things become too transparent later on, and the "Reigns gets screwed" story will also get that *groan* from the WWE audience. They know where it's going, and the longer The Authority protect Seth Rollins, the less impact his eventual face turn will have.

The chips have been laid down now. "We haven't made it easy for you." Something about Triple H and Stephanie McMahon screwing Seth just as he has gotten cozy seems right. Maybe they secretly always wanted Seth to fail, and now that he's succeeding on his own, they feel he needs to be knocked down? Maybe they just see more appeal in Roman Reigns, who has a "Why not?" attitude when it comes to joining The Authority. He's been screwed by Seth, he's been targeted by cults, he's risen above, but to end the trials he gives The Authority what they want -- their next big star. Fuck you, Seth.

Where to from there? I like the idea of Ambrose being confused and a little pissed off and getting beaten down and put on the shelf. I don't really fancy the idea of him being in the immediate aftermath between Reigns and Rollins given his violent history with Rollins. I don't really fancy the idea of him turning heel alongside Reigns either. Plus, the shock heel turn would be reinforced by a brutal beat-down of a close friend.

Rollins gets his rematch? I kind of like the idea of the WWE nixing it, but they've built themselves into a corner with all of this. It also doesn't fit the Reigns or Authority characters' perspectives on Rollins to really fear him if they're pulling the rug out from under him. He needs to step up. I think Rollins challenging Reigns in a TLC rematch makes the most sense. There, Rollins looks like he has things won, but something radical happens to screw him out of it. Maybe it's a cavalcade of guys run in to try and stop him, Rollins takes them all out with some chairs and high-flying, but then Triple H himself gets involved.

Royal Rumble can either see Rollins vs. Triple H or Rollins placed #1 in the Rumble. Maybe you have Ambrose back in here, but maybe you hold him off? Rollins can win the Rumble, prove he deserves his fucking shot, then you build to the Triple Threat at Mania with Ambrose also in the mix. Rollins vs. Triple H happens at Fastlane, with the proviso that if Triple H wins, Rollins forfeits his title shot.

[Ruien]

Where is Cynick at for some common sense. You are going to trade in everything g Reigns has been built up with for a 1 dimension silent badass character? GTFO.

[Sixx]

It'd be hard to cheer for a guy with this kind of hair.

[The CyNick]

Where is Cynick at for some common sense. You are going to trade in everything g Reigns has been built up with for a 1 dimension silent badass character? GTFO.

I'm honestly on the fence with Reigns. That promo a couple weeks ago really scared me. The thing about WWE is they like their top babys to talk. If Reigns is given a mic at the top of the hour every week it could be a problem.

I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I think I'm on board with Noid's last post. That said, I do agree with you that all this time has been spent building Roman as the next #1 babyface, and you don't really have someone else ready to fill his shoes.

Who knows maybe Rollins is that guy. It's hard to tell because a lot of energy has been spent making him a scumbag heel. A lot depends on if Daniel Bryan can still go. Bryan could obviously be the top babyface.

It's a tough call, Im still flip flopping as I write this. You know what, I change my mind. I'm going with Roman just winning the belt at Survivor Series as a face. He then beats Lesnar clean at Mania. Hopefully he improves on the stick by then.

[Nicky Fives]

I don't see Rollins being a successful face, but the switcheroo would definitely benefit Reigns and definitely Ambrose, as he would be Reigns' obvious first feud after a Rollins rematch....

[Swiss Ultimate]

QUESTION - Would a Roman Reigns-Seth Rollins heel/face switch a la Austin/Bret be advisable?


I mentioned this idea a few months ago and I'd like to expand on it. I think a Rollins/Reigns 'switcheroo' a la Austin/Bret might be worth considering.


Over the next few months, do the following:


1) Have Rollins continue to defeat his opponents at PPV's, but have each win become progressively more convincing. By doing this, it slowly but surely gets the fans behind Rollins. Have Rollins flat out beat guys with skill, speed, and wrestling ability.


2) Have Daniel Bryan enter in at #30 for the Royal Rumble, and have Bryan win the rumble.


3) Find some kind of clause/reason that somehow gets Reigns to face Bryan at the February PPV, and have Reigns go over cleanly. By doing this, it pisses off the fans and makes them hate Reigns (however - keep pushing Reigns as a face despite this - as it will make both marks and smarks assume that the WWE has anointed Reigns as 'their guy' which will add to the heat....but keep pushing Reigns as a face).


4) At Wrestlemania, have Reigns face Rollins. Do a double switch during the match. Trigger the switch by having Reigns flip off the fans during the match (fans will be cheering for Rollins and hating on Reigns well before anyways). Have Seth Rollins go over clean. The next night on RAW, Reigns cuts a promo stating that he'll never forgive the fans for their betrayal.


5) After Wrestlemania, gradually distance Rollins from the Authority (you can even start this process before Wrestlemania).


6) Eventually, Rollins splits from the Authority. During the Reigns/Rollins re-match, have the Authority help Reigns defeat Rollins to become the World heavyweight champion. Reigns than does the "handshake" with Triple H a la Austin/Vince:


What is achieved in all of this


1) Rollins becomes the legit 'heir apparent' face to John Cena. The WWE obviously wanted Reigns to be that guy, but it didn't work out. By converting Rollins into a face, you give Rollins a shot of becoming the next Cena.


2) Heel Reigns can flourish with mouthpieces by his side. The fans want to boo the hell out of Reigns anyways. By turning him heel, you can have guys like Triple H, Stephanie, or even a Paul Heyman be his heel manager.


Thoughts?

Can't we just keep Cena for another decade?

[Heisenberg]

The only thing that would make Roman Reigns even more cooler than he is would be to have holographic Yokozuna and holographic Umanga advising his every move.

[The CyNick]

I miss Umanga

[broverboard]

Personally, I like the idea of HHH screwing Rollins out of the title at Survivor Series. Post match Rollins can confront HHH before Reigns takes him down from behind and gives him a massive beatdown. Ambrose comes out asking Reigns what he's done after past issues with the authority so Reigns and HHH take out Ambrose which would be guaranteed to generate heat.

You could end up with some interesting options from there including Rollins vs HHH, Reigns vs Ambrose, Ambrose vs HHH, Shield 3-way or even Reigns vs The Rock as The Rock disagrees with the path Reigns has gone down for the gold.

Reigns eventually breaking away from the Authority could be a huge face turn moment.

[The CyNick]

Yeah I think you would want to stretch that out though.

Reigns winning the championship with help from The Authority and laying a beating on Rollins would be enough. Then you have on RAW where Ambrose confronts Reigns and he too takes a beatdown.

I like idea of trying tying Rock into it. You could also bring The Usos into it with the family ties. There were rumours of Rock getting involved before Mania, would be great if he put over Reigns in December or more likely at the Rumble.

[Damian Rey]

If Reigns is in fact anointed as the Authority's new hand picked face of the company, I'd love of they instituted a rule that, to protect Roman and do what's best for business, he will only be contractually obligated to defend the title at the company's cornerstone events, such as the Rumble, Mania, Summer Slam, etc. Keeps some heat on him and extends builds for guys trying to get into the main event.

[Mr. Nerfect]

The only thing that would make Roman Reigns even more cooler than he is would be to have holographic Yokozuna and holographic Umanga advising his every move.

Star Wars is coming out soon. Put Reigns is robes while you're at it.

[Mr. Nerfect]

It'd be hard to cheer for a guy with this kind of hair.

http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/c6e884ff2a66c9fdf889f0106278dca0?width=650

[#1-norm-fan]

Holograms are the future, man. Fuck trying to get guys over and build NEW stars. Bring back all the legends in their prime via hologram.

[Sixx]

This man is an icon and so is his mullet.

[#1-norm-fan]

Actually, I take that back. Hologram Andre the Giant would have about 6 months before he's lost all credibility after jobbing to hologram Barbarian and hologram Bad News Brown on Raw between sudden, random 1 month pushes.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Hologram Andre would turn face and heel three times over the course of two months.