Can WWE Save Roman Reigns?

[Gus Richlen Was Wrong]

Something I've been mulling on for a while now, and decided to put my thoughts in video form. Apologies for the terrible lighting.

[Allie Kitsune]

Honestly? The first step would be if Michael Cole would just STFU and stop shilling him so relentlessly.

[Rican]

I didn't even know he was sick.

[Gus Richlen Was Wrong]

Jan 1, 2018 23:47:03 GMT -5 Allie Kitsune said:

Honestly? The first step would be if Michael Cole would just STFU and stop shilling him so relentlessly.

That is one of the points I made. Problem is WWE is likely never getting rid of him for whatever reason. But this is a major part of why I watch the show on mute, because of how bad he is in general.

[EoE: Well There's Your Problem]

Jan 1, 2018 23:50:13 GMT -5 Gus Richlen Was Wrong said:

Jan 1, 2018 23:47:03 GMT -5 Allie Kitsune said:

Honestly? The first step would be if Michael Cole would just STFU and stop shilling him so relentlessly.

That is one of the points I made. Problem is WWE is likely never getting rid of him for whatever reason. But this is a major part of why I watch the show on mute, because of how bad he is in general.

You know what Cole reminds me of?



The South Park movie trailer voice guy. Dude’s doing his job fine enough, he just sounds so phony and disingenuous.

[Sponsored by Groose Wipes]

"What do you mean can the WWE save THE BIG DOG Roman Reigns!? Roman is THE BIG DOG and this is HIS YARD! Roman will save the WWE and beat THE BEAST at the biggest event of the year, Wrestlemania!!! THE BIG DOG HUNNNNNTS!"

[häšhtå.gdālėÿ]

He probably just needs to win more.

[TWERKIN' MAGGLE]

Just keep doing what you're doing, guys.

[EoE: Well There's Your Problem]

Jan 2, 2018 0:01:01 GMT -5 häšhtå.gdālėÿ said:

He probably just needs to win more.

Honestly, results are irrelevant. As long as WWE keep bigging someone up around them (and not do that for others), it’ll keep up the perception of dominance/burial. It’s why Reigns can have a win/loss hovering around 50/50 for most of 2017 but still be seen as this undefeatable object, while Finn Balor can have more wins and less losses, but have his career essentially be seen as being on life support because of ONE bad loss.

[Yacht Persona]

Roman Reigns is a mid-carder pushed as a main event talent. After going back and watching old wrestling videos with true blue main event talent like Rock, Austin, Hogan, and Savage, it's blatantly obvious how far behind Roman is from all of them.

[-Lithium-]

As long as the senile idiot is running things, I doubt it...

[alexwrightspackage]

I kinda feel like he needs to shut up, literally. He was awesome as the intense, silent monster of The Shield, no lame jokes, catchphrases and weak insults. Would never happen, but he needs a mouthpiece like Paul Heyman.

Kayfabe-wise, Paul turning on Brock to back a now-silent-assassin Roman could turn him heel and help him get heat for sunsetting Brock's career the way they wish Roman retiring Taker did.

Or they can embrace reality and have Steph make him the corporate champion.

[cabbageboy]

Corporate champ would be the better way to go. The problem with putting him with Heyman is that Heyman himself is the definition of anti-establishment so putting Reigns with him puts a little bit of a cool edge to him. With Lesnar I don't know exactly if he's a heel or face or neither, though at times he is positioned as a face.

The whole aspect of Reigns of "I am management's real life choice but onscreen I'm not" has always been a real problem from day one. Dean Ambrose was raging against Seth Rollins and The Authority after the Shield breakup, while Reigns himself was being handed title shots about a month later. The weird thing is that Cole actually made this a storyline point the night after RR 2015 during that sit down interview, noting that Reigns was seen by some people as being favored by WWE management!

[HMARK Center]

Jan 2, 2018 8:48:48 GMT -5 cabbageboy said:

Corporate champ would be the better way to go. The problem with putting him with Heyman is that Heyman himself is the definition of anti-establishment so putting Reigns with him puts a little bit of a cool edge to him. With Lesnar I don't know exactly if he's a heel or face or neither, though at times he is positioned as a face.

The whole aspect of Reigns of "I am management's real life choice but onscreen I'm not" has always been a real problem from day one. Dean Ambrose was raging against Seth Rollins and The Authority after the Shield breakup, while Reigns himself was being handed title shots about a month later. The weird thing is that Cole actually made this a storyline point the night after RR 2015 during that sit down interview, noting that Reigns was seen by some people as being favored by WWE management!

Key point you made there: Reign's on-screen character was supposedly hated by the Authority, yet they kept handing him shot after shot after shot at titles and main events for seemingly no reason.

[EoE: Well There's Your Problem]

Jan 2, 2018 9:07:53 GMT -5 HMARK Center said:

Jan 2, 2018 8:48:48 GMT -5 cabbageboy said:

Corporate champ would be the better way to go. The problem with putting him with Heyman is that Heyman himself is the definition of anti-establishment so putting Reigns with him puts a little bit of a cool edge to him. With Lesnar I don't know exactly if he's a heel or face or neither, though at times he is positioned as a face.

The whole aspect of Reigns of "I am management's real life choice but onscreen I'm not" has always been a real problem from day one. Dean Ambrose was raging against Seth Rollins and The Authority after the Shield breakup, while Reigns himself was being handed title shots about a month later. The weird thing is that Cole actually made this a storyline point the night after RR 2015 during that sit down interview, noting that Reigns was seen by some people as being favored by WWE management!

Key point you made there: Reign's on-screen character was supposedly hated by the Authority, yet they kept handing him shot after shot after shot at titles and main events for seemingly no reason.

Admittedly though, that's a logic hole they've have had for years with the whole "authority figure vs rebel" thing, especially since the end of WCW meant they couldn't handwave it away with "We can't lose this talent to the enemy" like with Steve Austin.

Like, if I were a corrupt authority figure, I'd be tucking away my enemy on like Superstars or some shit, if not outright firing them.

[eJm]

Jan 2, 2018 9:11:37 GMT -5 EoE: Well There's Your Problem said:

Jan 2, 2018 9:07:53 GMT -5 HMARK Center said:

Key point you made there: Reign's on-screen character was supposedly hated by the Authority, yet they kept handing him shot after shot after shot at titles and main events for seemingly no reason.

Admittedly though, that's a logic hole they've have had for years with the whole "authority figure vs rebel" thing, especially since the end of WCW meant they couldn't handwave it away with "We can't lose this talent to the enemy" like with Steve Austin.

Like, if I were a corrupt authority figure, I'd be tucking away my enemy on like Superstars or some shit, if not outright firing them.

Oh yeah, that’s been a hole through even the Bischoff Raw Era.

“I’m going to make John Cena’s life a living hell! Here’s Kurt Angle, Diavari and every heel midcarder!”

...why? Just strip him of the belt and fire the guy.

[Skeletor]

Only THE FANS can save Roman.

[Skeletor]

Jan 1, 2018 23:45:49 GMT -5 Gus Richlen Was Wrong said:

Something I've been mulling on for a while now, and decided to put my thoughts in video form. Apologies for the terrible lighting.

Only, awkward pause, THE semi-awkward pause FANS can save pause Roman. Awkward pause.  Reigns.

[HMARK Center]

Jan 2, 2018 9:39:03 GMT -5 eJm said:

Jan 2, 2018 9:11:37 GMT -5 EoE: Well There's Your Problem said:

Admittedly though, that's a logic hole they've have had for years with the whole "authority figure vs rebel" thing, especially since the end of WCW meant they couldn't handwave it away with "We can't lose this talent to the enemy" like with Steve Austin.

Like, if I were a corrupt authority figure, I'd be tucking away my enemy on like Superstars or some shit, if not outright firing them.

Oh yeah, that’s been a hole through even the Bischoff Raw Era.

“I’m going to make John Cena’s life a living hell! Here’s Kurt Angle, Diavari and every heel midcarder!”

...why? Just strip him of the belt and fire the guy.

Right, Bischoff's heel run only really worked because they set him up not as hating one of the babyfaces, but as just being a sycophant to Triple H, so he'd give Trips all the chances to shine. I remember getting kind of interested in his character in late 2004 when they seemed to be shifting him into a tweener role, as he was fed up with Evolution and everybody else's BS, but instead they brought Cena over and tried to re-do Austin/McMahon but, as you guys say, without any of the factors that actually made Austin/McMahon work. It's a very lazy crutch they lean on way, way too often.

[fw91]

Jan 1, 2018 23:47:03 GMT -5 Allie Kitsune said:

Honestly? The first step would be if Michael Cole would just STFU and stop shilling him so relentlessly.

This. If they weren’t so obvious with their intent, Reigns would be doing ok imo.