Quote:
Originally Posted by Frank Drebin
Remember when Roman was the 2nd to last guy in the Rumble against Batista? He was an underdog and the crowd was going wild for him. If they only could have called an audible then, I think we would have a totally different situation for Reigns now.
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No way. People were just pissed off because they weren't getting Bryan. Reigns going against Orton would have been riddled with "Daniel Bryan" chants and he'd have still flopped.
The WWE constantly piss all over kayfabe. They constantly remind you that this shit doesn't matter and that it's all performance art. How can they be surprised when someone is picked out, seemingly arbitrarily, and groomed to be universally loved? It's an absolutely insane idea. Vince simultaneously wants to disown pro-wrestling, all the while he wants pro-wrestling techniques to get Roman over as a top guy.
There's an aesthetic problem with Reigns. They have him dressed up like a kid playing army man. Rollins and Ambrose evolved their look when they moved on. The WWE has clung to that Shield aesthetic in a desperate and hollow attempt to try and keep him over. It didn't work. It won't ever work. Few things are certain in this world, but there is no way crowds are just going to turn around on the guy without any change from him. His entrance is nauseating. He has about three different logos and motifs flashing on the screen, all of them clashing and in juxtaposition to each other. It's like seven different billboards spliced together and it's an affront that just makes you sick of the guy before he even does anything.
His booking has been spotty. You can understand why they've done certain things with him. They've done everything they would do with classical babyfaces that would work when
people believed in the guy. The 2015 Royal Rumble would have been brilliant if people liked Reigns and put stock in Kane and Big Show in 2015. But they don't on both counts. And lately they've been trying to get him "over" by pointing out that he got his ass kicked and is looking sad.
His scripts suck and the guy has got no babyface instincts. Apparently it was his idea to get carted off like a little bitch in the 2016 Rumble. You can see him trying to act when he's out there, like he's trying to remember what a cool babyface looks like all the time. Ironically, if you turned him heel he'd instantly be awesome.
I don't believe they're cutting bait on Reigns. I imagine that they've just worked out that since belts don't matter anymore, they can still put him on posters and call him the biggest star and no one will ask any questions like good obedient viewers. I was saying a while ago that I would not be surprised if Brock retained the belt -- it's only Vince's stubbornness that makes you think he would have gone with him.
They'll go with Braun short-term. And that will suck, because it's Braun, and he's worse than Reigns, and when someone else gets that push it will be as nauseating as it was with Reigns, and people will start whinging. I wish they'd just end this fucking stupid roster split and put everybody back on the one roster and have Styles beat Brock. If they need separate rosters, I'd go with Joe beating Reigns at Backlash and then beating Brock at MITB. Then I'd nominate Lashley. I'd take Roode. I'd love for Bryan to come over. But they'll go with Braun. Be careful what you wished for...
I was just thinking yesterday that I'd be quite happy for a Roman Reigns that has failed to win the belt, couldn't beat Joe and couldn't win MITB to turn heel on Rollins and go after the IC Title. I think that feud could be really good with both guys in their natural alignment. But I think they'll probably have Reigns stay babyface and just keep buzzing him around the belt whenever they want.