Urethra Franklin
King Koopa
When Toronto sports teams lose, Alison Brie is sad
Posts: 11,088
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Post by Urethra Franklin on Feb 27, 2015 19:57:00 GMT -5
Yes, I know every second thread around here is about Roman Reigns, but I want to take a different angle here.
I think that a vast majority of the dislike/hate/apathy towards Roman Reigns isn't so much about who he is, but who he isn't.
Roman Reigns isn't Daniel Bryan. Hell, he's not Dolph Ziggler or even Dean Ambrose, either. Because Reigns isn't one of the IWC's favourites (and I think you can make a pretty good argument that this feeling exists outside of the IWC, too) and there are preferred options available, the WWE has a struggle on its hands to convince a large portion of its audience that this is the guy.
So my question is, if you remove the likes of Bryan and Ziggler from the equation and you look at Reigns in a vacuum unto his own merits and not viewed from the lens of who he isn't, is Roman Reigns ready to main event WrestleMania?
Reigns has a great look, but is still very green in the ring and is far from comfortable on the mic. That said, he's been protected very well for the most part in terms of his matches and he has a star aura around him.
If you're to view the Reigns I've described outside the context of current WWE politics, can you make the case that he is ready for prime time?
Or is the question irrelevant if you're not considering the context of Reigns's place in the grand scheme of the WWE?
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Post by molson5 on Feb 27, 2015 20:15:06 GMT -5
I think he'll have a great match with Lesnar, and if they add in some sports entertainment shenanigans of some type, it could also be memorable. So sure.
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The Yes Man
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Post by The Yes Man on Feb 27, 2015 20:17:52 GMT -5
Nope.
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Post by mysterydriver on Feb 27, 2015 20:24:42 GMT -5
Honestly, no. It's why I've began checking out for the most part. I've watched a little bit of Smackdown, just because a couple spoilers sounded fun (Axelmania) but I've watched a combined half hour of WWE programming over the last two weeks because Reigns is not the main driving force that could get me to stick around for these shows...and if he's 'ready' then he would be.
Of course, that's just for one person...but still no. He's not ready.
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Post by Kevin Hamilton on Feb 27, 2015 20:28:04 GMT -5
No.
I'm a fan, but nothing he's done or any way he's been booked back since before say the last six months or so has warranted him being in that spot.
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metylerca
King Koopa
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Posts: 12,477
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Post by metylerca on Feb 27, 2015 20:38:29 GMT -5
I'm not sure. Character wise? Not even close. He doesn't have enough of the audience with him on this. As a worker? Sure, why not? I don't see his moveset improving year to year. There's always the hope the WWE production machine makes him look like a million bucks and at least makes the WrestleMania match and pomp and circumstance look special.
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Post by angryfan on Feb 27, 2015 20:56:43 GMT -5
I honestly see him as the underpants gnome of the WWE.
Step 1 - Look intimidating Step 2 - ? Step 3 - SMASHPUNCHSPEAR...PROFIT!
Yes Hogan had "posedown, hulk up, win", but between posedown and hulk up there was selling, there was babyface in peril, there was...something to make someone care. Reigns for the entirety of the Shield run had Rollins/Ambrose to supply step 2, and as such never ever had to develop that.
I'm not saying he can't, I'm not saying he won't, I'm just saying he ain't got that right now and he desperately needs it. He's facing Brock "I eat small children for a snack" Lesnar, the man who murks everything he sees. If Reigns can't do "face in peril", do we get Brock the gian wussbag, or just two guys who no sell everything and no one ever has or needs a hope spot?
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2015 21:04:15 GMT -5
I don't think he can comprehensively work a match of significant length without being carried by substantially better wrestlers. I also suspect that his routine will get old, even for people who like him, just because there isn't a whole lot to it.
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Abadebe
Don Corleone
Man of the Hour
Posts: 1,467
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Post by Abadebe on Feb 27, 2015 21:05:58 GMT -5
It's been said a million times, but Reigns facing Rusev for the US title would be a lot more appropriate at this stage. Plus I'd wager there wouldn't be any of the backlash if they had gone with that, then built up Reigns to win the title at WM 32 or 33.
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Post by CATCH_US IS the Conversation on Feb 27, 2015 21:12:59 GMT -5
No. It's not as simple as "we hate him because he's not one of our IWC favorites". Taking Ambrose, Bryan and Ziggler out of the picture doesn't take away the fact that he's green as shit and about to be crowned the standard bearer of all pro wrestling.
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Mozenrath
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Post by Mozenrath on Feb 27, 2015 21:13:31 GMT -5
I think he's more ready than I initially thought. A lot of his shortcomings have been against people who really aren't exactly great fits for him (Big Show's Show, and Kane's winding down). Against Bryan, I think he looked a lot less unprepared, and Brock's such a spectacle that I think it should probably be fine. You don't have to get too creative to do a Brock match, he's such a monster but also rather versatile.
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Jiren
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Post by Jiren on Feb 27, 2015 21:38:43 GMT -5
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fw91
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Post by fw91 on Feb 27, 2015 21:47:42 GMT -5
circumstances sway opinions. A year and a half ago (Survivor series 13, rumble 14 performances) people were saying that he was ready/be a star and they were cool with it. Fast-forward and now he is hated. He lacks to connect to the fans on his own but he has more or less been the same guy. To me him not being Bryan/Ambrose/Ziggler etc. IS part of the problem, but not the whole of it. If they gave any of those guys anything of good substance during mania season, then everything would be okay. Sure those 3 guys will be ok and be heavily featured once mania season cools off. But the guys who Vince really has stock in get meaningful/featured mania programs.
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Post by Some Guy on Feb 27, 2015 21:50:42 GMT -5
circumstances sway opinions. A year and a half ago (Survivor series 13, rumble 14 performances) people were saying that he was ready/be a star and they were cool with it. Fast-forward and now he is hated. He lacks to connect to the fans on his own but he has more or less been the same guy. To me him not being Bryan/Ambrose/Ziggler etc. IS part of the problem, but not the whole of it. If they gave any of those guys anything of good substance during mania season, then everything would be okay. Sure those 3 guys will be ok and be heavily featured once mania season cools off. But the guys who Vince really has stock in get meaningful/featured mania programs. In my defense, I thought it was ridiculous for him to eliminate all 4 people with the EXACT SAME MOVE at Survivor Series. Usually multiple eliminations have varied means of doing so, not endless spears and basically nothing else. As for the question...no. He isn't over enough to compensate for being mediocre at best in the ring. People compare him to Batista in 2005, but Bats was MUCH more over.
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Post by The Dark Order Inferno on Feb 27, 2015 21:54:08 GMT -5
He's average in every respect but look and pedigree, he doesn't have the crowd support he should embarking on such a major push so yeah, he's not ready. He needed a year to show the crowd who Roman Reigns is and what he can do and to find his voice, but the WWE decided they could just bypass this by having him break records then beat Brock when it just doesn't work that way. They've never been able to make a guy a draw against the will of the paying audience in the past so I have no idea why they think it's going to work this time around.
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Post by molson5 on Feb 28, 2015 0:14:05 GMT -5
I guess I'm in the minority. Though I'm not sure exactly what "ready" means in this context. I prefer when guys get their first title wins on the way up, rather than when they're already on top. I thought HBK and Austin got their first World Titles way too late. I just saw Bryan end Mania standing tall last year, I don't need to see the same thing again. He's already a big star, and he'll be great in the multi-man ladder match. I don't need Bryan to be in the very last match to appreciate him, I like great workers in the midcards of my shows too - and he's a guy they can always plop in any main event if they need him. I'm curious/intrigued by how Reigns will work with Lesnar, and them I'm sure the inevitable post-Mania Reigns/Rollins matches will be great, and then we'll see where he is. I think he's slowly winning over people and that's kind of fun to see - he didn't get close to Batista-level hate post Rumble.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 28, 2015 0:28:17 GMT -5
circumstances sway opinions. A year and a half ago (Survivor series 13, rumble 14 performances) people were saying that he was ready/be a star and they were cool with it. Fast-forward and now he is hated. He lacks to connect to the fans on his own but he has more or less been the same guy. To me him not being Bryan/Ambrose/Ziggler etc. IS part of the problem, but not the whole of it. If they gave any of those guys anything of good substance during mania season, then everything would be okay. Sure those 3 guys will be ok and be heavily featured once mania season cools off. But the guys who Vince really has stock in get meaningful/featured mania programs. A year and a half ago when I was game for a Reigns super-push, it was before he stunk up the joint with Bray on Raw, managed to have boring matches with Rollins and Bryan, and showed he can't cut a promo to save his life.
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Post by Gravedigger's Biscuits on Feb 28, 2015 0:31:53 GMT -5
No.
He's not talented enough. Which is also the reason I dislike him.
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Post by Hobby Drifter on Feb 28, 2015 0:39:35 GMT -5
No. He hasn't *done* anything to merit being the headliner of Wrestlemania.
In fact, unless I'm missing something, the only reason his push even BEGAN was because of the reaction he got at the Rumble last year. And he only got THAT reaction because fans didn't want to see Batista win.
Wow. Think about that for a second. Reigns only got that Superman push because of how badly the LAST guy they gave it to was received.
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Post by CATCH_US IS the Conversation on Feb 28, 2015 3:28:33 GMT -5
No. He hasn't *done* anything to merit being the headliner of Wrestlemania. In fact, unless I'm missing something, the only reason his push even BEGAN was because of the reaction he got at the Rumble last year. And he only got THAT reaction because fans didn't want to see Batista win. Wow. Think about that for a second. Reigns only got that Superman push because of how badly the LAST guy they gave it to was received. Reigns was ALWAYS going to be pushed. Even in he Shield it was apparent that he was going to be the next guy. Otherwise he likely wouldn't have been the runner up to Batista to begin with.
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