The Roman Reigns Fear Factor

[saintpat]

The more I see the reactions pile up (and go farther down the road of self-described "hate"), the more to me it sounds like fear.

Why are people so afraid of Roman Reigns getting a shot? What happened to the "anybody but Cena" and "WWE needs to create new stars" sentiment? What is it about Roman that makes so many abandon those lines of thinking and instead want him eradicated before ... he has a chance to get over?

It borders on the irrational.

Think about it.

1) If Roman isn't ready – if he's god-awful on the mic, if he's hiding a doughboy physique under that vest, if he can't have a good singles match, if he has no charisma and can't develop a character that people care about – then what's the worst-case scenario here?

He falls on his face. He doesn't move the needle at WrestleMania, he gets crowned champion and ratings drop and nobody buys his merch and people let their subscriptions to the Network expire and ... WWE gives up and moves on.

It's happened before. Miz went from main eventing WM to barely being on TV to being a midcarder. Tons of monster types have been given massive pushes (Ryback, Koslov, Umaga to name a few) and then faded away when they didn't get over. Orton went from Golden Boy to bouncing between the upper midcard and being in the lesser guy in the main event.

So why is the possibility of that outcome – if you're confident Roman can't cut it – worth pages upon pages of "hate" threads and a "#cancelwwenetwork" movement and hoped-for takeovers of live events where you want people to boo Roman out of the building?

Seems a little ... insecure ... if you really think the guy is so bad.

Why didn't the Miz get that treatment, or Orton ... or Kevin Nash when he crashed CM Punk's coming-out party?

Hmmm.

Could it be because ...

2) If Roman does rise to the occasion, if the casuals and non-IWC fans get behind him and watch Raw and subscribe to the Network and buy his merch to usher in the new Face of WWE ... then he's going to be around for a long time?

Because maybe, just maybe, VKM has put his money on the right horse, and Roman can follow Cena as The Guy.

If that happens, what's so horrible about that? Cena will gradually move on to a more elder statesman role – still occasionally in the main event but no longer the star the whole WWE Universe revolves around, and the company will have a whole new set of fresh matches in the main event with Roman facing off against Bryan, Rollins, Wyatt, Ambrose, Rusev, Orton and so on and so on for a long to come.

Or is it ...

3) This is really about Daniel Bryan after all.

Could there be a fear among Bryan's hardcore supporters that the indy darling might get beat out by, and not measure up to, the WWE "creation" that is Roman Reigns?

Is there a fear that Bryan will fall by the wayside BECAUSE Roman might be the real thing?

If not, is it fear that Bryan doesn't have the staying power to be ready to grab Vince's brass ring when Roman inevitably fails? Because if you don't "belee dat" Roman is going to succeed, then surely you think Bryan's next chance (after having some time to get back into prime shape after being out injured for so long) is just around the corner.

Nature abhors a vacuum, and if Roman is a flop then that vacuum will be beckoning Bryan (or someone else) to fill it. Surely he's more than just a "Yes (chant) man." He's a guy who can maintain the interest of the masses for a few more months waiting for the Roman candle to turn out, right?

So, I ask, what is it you fear? Fear usually comes down to one of two things: Fear of losing what you have, or fear of not getting what you want. Which is it?

If you think Roman ain't the real deal, why is him getting a push a big deal? It's not like he's the first "undeserving" guy to get a push, and he won't be the last.

Of if you think he might be the guy with the IT factor, who takes over the top spot, why does that threaten you? Isn't that what the entire IWC has been screaming for, someone to move Cena out of the top spot?

And if not, isn't this just a mob mentality version of "I'm angry because they're not pushing my guy?" If that's the case, why not just say so instead of trying to make it like there's more to it than that?

[Next Level was WRONG]

I don't want Roman to fail and have the WWE stupidly blame him and give up on him, though. I like him. But that's whats going to happen at Wrestlemania. They should either have put the title on him six months ago when he had momentum or wait until they can do it without possibly killing the crowd.

[Fake Jesus]

Personally I just bloody hate Reigns and don't want him near by TV screens.

[El Cokehead del Knife Fight]

Hey saintpat, you are aware that all of your posts in this section come across like "wah wah wah, why do people like Daniel Bryan"

[freeze Austin]

Roman Reigns vs. Joe Rogan at Wrestlemania 32, BOOK IT!

[Deleted]

I see OP is not a fan of the paragraph

[saintpat]

Jan 31, 2015 19:29:40 GMT -5 El Cokehead del Knife Fight said:

Hey saintpat, you are aware that all of your posts in this section come across like "wah wah wah, why do people like Daniel Bryan"

I like Daniel Bryan. I just wonder if there's some insecurity behind the Roman hate.

[carp (SPC, Itoh Respect Army)]

Jan 31, 2015 19:31:53 GMT -5 saintpat said:

Jan 31, 2015 19:29:40 GMT -5 El Cokehead del Knife Fight said:

Hey saintpat, you are aware that all of your posts in this section come across like "wah wah wah, why do people like Daniel Bryan"

I like Daniel Bryan. I just wonder if there's some insecurity behind the Roman hate.

Or maybe people just don't like him, jesus christ.

[Kevin Hamilton]

How many Reigns threads do we need?

[Andy Martin]

Jan 31, 2015 19:30:59 GMT -5 freeze Austin said:

Roman Reigns vs. Joe Rogan at Wrestlemania 32, BOOK IT!

Loser has to eat Bull testicles?

[carp (SPC, Itoh Respect Army)]

PS when you use phrases like "indy darling" you give yourself away. Yes, yes, those masses of hipster elitists and their hive mind which hates muscular people, who dominate the fanbase and try to control the product despite being a tiny, weirdo group of nerds whose opinions are totally different from that of the mainstream fan. You are strong and steadfast to reject the majority minority opinion and go think for yourself by adamantly defending the status quo.

[Mochi Lone Wolf]

Yes, people are insecure because they have different pro wrestling tastes. You got them. Freud would be happy.


Hope you enjoy what little time you have left on this forum.

[saintpat]

Jan 31, 2015 19:43:46 GMT -5 carp (SPC, Itoh Respect Army) said:

PS when you use phrases like "indy darling" you give yourself away. Yes, yes, those masses of hipster elitists and their hive mind which hates muscular people, who dominate the fanbase and try to control the product despite being a tiny, weirdo group of nerds whose opinions are totally different from that of the mainstream fan. You are strong and steadfast to reject the majority minority opinion and go think for yourself by adamantly defending the status quo.

You read a lot into one phrase.

Interestingly, few some willing to answer some of basic points I brought up: if you don't think Reigns is the real deal, why get so worked up over someone who if he's that bad couldn't possibly last at the top?

[Stu]

There sure are a lot of comments that are catching the attention of mods. Ease up, folks

[This Player Hating Mothman]

What happened to the "anybody but Cena" and "WWE needs to create new stars" sentiment?

"We want new stars" has never been a matter of "literally anyone who isn't Cena please".

1) If Roman isn't ready – if he's god-awful on the mic, if he's hiding a doughboy physique under that vest, if he can't have a good singles match, if he has no charisma and can't develop a character that people care about – then what's the worst-case scenario here?

That the next like year of stories bores the shit out of me? There's no more brand split; if the main event storyline is something I can drum up zero interest or excitement for, especially at Wrestlemania time where they're actually putting effort into everything, then it's pretty much a matter of just not watching WWE, or dragging my feet along with the product and doing nothing. Royal Rumble marks the beginning eight-month season of WWE actively trying. Reigns goes on to Mania and wins, and presumably will hold at least through until Summerslam, and then after Summerslam they go back into their slump. If their most exciting part of the year is a bust for my interest, then there is a clear downside and negative effect on my enjoyment of the product. Forget WWE's business in a vacuum; I care about my personal investment in the show, and there's a lot to suffer in there.

Could there be a fear among Bryan's hardcore supporters that the indy darling might get beat out by, and not measure up to, the WWE "creation" that is Roman Reigns?

Y'know, you can scapegoat Bryan as the groundswell of the sentiment, but despite the arena having had the life sucked out of them they still popped for several guys. Several guys who people have been saying for the past few months were totally approvable non-Bryan winners that they could have gotten behind.

[quotte]Is there a fear that Bryan will fall by the wayside BECAUSE Roman might be the real thing?[/quote]Bryan has already fallen by the wayside in management's eyes, but the thing is, it shouldn't be an if because at this moment right now, Daniel Bryan is the real thing. He has been for over a year. It makes no sense to try and claim people are afraid this will hurt Bryan's overness, because Bryan's overness wasn't dashed by eight months away from injury. Bryan's overness is why Rey Mysterio got booed at #30 and his elimination got cheered. Bryan's overness is why the subsequent entrant into the rumble this year didn't even get a crowd chant countdown, and you'd better believe that's an accomplishment in disappointment, especially for a smarky crowd who want nothing more than to "get themselves over".

If not, is it fear that Bryan doesn't have the staying power to be ready to grab Vince's brass ring when Roman inevitably fails?

Again, the fear isn't that he hasn't grabbed it. If the brass ring thing had even a shred of truth to it he'd have been wearing it for the past year. The fear is that we're getting nothing but contempt for liking someone Vince doesn't see as a star. The guy who management had their feet dragged into making look like a million dollars last year got eliminated in such an anticlimactic way he should have been wearing blue and talking about how much fun he has.

More than the fact he lost, is the fact he was presented as a chump. It wasn't treated like a big deal, it had no umph or climax or point to it. He was just bumped off the apron. Even after going into Wrestlemania of the heels of a huge "I'm not retiring, I'm getting back the title I never lost" promo. That earned him literally no build or purpose. The assumption that we should sit on our hands and wait for Bryan to come in once Reigns flops is a faulty one because pushing Bryan has never been a voluntary decision and they've made it clear on-screen.

And if not, isn't this just a mob mentality version of "I'm angry because they're not pushing my guy?" If that's the case, why not just say so instead of trying to make it like there's more to it than that?

Replace "my guy" with "any of a bunch of other guys", and you've got it. But that's where the two go hand-in-hand. Reigns being pushed beyond his capabilities, ahead of people like Ziggler who have been given few opportunities and yet managed to make the most out of them and get the crowd behind them. Another case of someone the office put into a situation that made them look like a star with no follow-up plan. Or Ambrose. Or hell, even Rollins. Rollins looked like a million dollars at the Royal Rumble in that triple threat, and it made me really want to see him put his body on the line in crazy, self-desctructive ways to put Lesnar down like Cena couldn't. Let him turn into the new Jeff Hardy overnight, instead of presenting him as a slimy, chickenshit goober who managed to lose a 3-on-1 tables match.

For over a year now, the imperative has been to make Roman Reigns look strong, above everything else. The other two Shield guys are better performers and both more over, but Reigns is being given the accolades and the fast track to success, and they haven't thought to slow him down or take care with him at all. Everyone's seen it coming from miles away, but they haven't reconsidered or slowed down in the face of him kind of floundering, and then getting injured at the critical time where he needed to hone himself as a singles performer.

Instead of "you smarks should let Reigns fail like you think he will", maybe the criticism should be directed at an office who's killing the guy they're planning everything around? They're putting someone who isn't ready into the big time and doing it at the blatant expense of the guys we're cheering for. They know this, so they out The Rock to soften the blow. They're going full steam ahead and it's going to f*** the guy's career hard. He shouldn't have to fail. They should just delay their plans, push some other guys to be in the main event, doing things and having short runs, so that their top guy for the next forever is ready when he goes. I'd be fine with that. Dude could one day be ready for the position they're grooming him for, but they need to not let another guy crash and burn like this, with Vince-penned fairy tale promos and major, flaw-exposing overpushes.

But no, much better to wrap everything up in an inflammatory accusation and try to psychoanalyze an entire group of people based on their single, shared opinion that Reigns isn't ready. Very constructive.

[saintpat]

Jan 31, 2015 19:47:29 GMT -5 Mochi Lone Wolf said:

Yes, people are insecure because they have different pro wrestling tastes. You got them. Freud would be happy.


Hope you enjoy what little time you have left on this forum.

I'll do my best.

[Deleted]

Yeah, we're done here everybody.

Next time, how about you stop being dicks to each other?