Last week I wrote a piece about why I have hope in WWE. A week later, I feel the same, if not even more encouraged about the direction of the product. This week’s edition of Raw featured a card laden with young, athletic stars as well as the blockbuster debut of the Bullet Club. There seems to be a new era dawning in WWE, except in one area…their World Champion, Roman Reigns.
Throughout their history, World Wrestling Entertainment has had to change with the times. There came a time when the muscle-bound action figures of the 80s, were not what people wanted to see, in came Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. The late 90s brought an end to cartoonish characters in favor of performers more based in reality. WWE is on the verge on a seismic era shift once again and they have just the roster for it. What the vocal majority of fans want to see are spectacular in-ring performances with basic and continuity laden storylines. WWE’s roster is stacked with possibly their most in-ring gifted in history with the likes of AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, and Cesaro filling the spots. These are the superstars that can define a new era in wrestling.
Vince McMahon appears to be realizing this. It has been amazing to witness in the past 2 weeks a Raw filled smaller, athletically gifted performers taking over the show. I hope that Vince has seen what his son-in-law Triple H has done with NXT, and realized that it works.
WWE is Changing, Except at the Top (Roman Reigns)
There is only one problem, however, the most important spot in the company is held by a man that defines what fans no longer want to get behind. Roman Reigns appears to have it all; a great look, Samoan wrestling heritage, and he’s been long held under the WWE developmental system. But, he is not what the fans want, they do not want another star that is pushed down their throats, another guy who can only do five moves. He represents the establishment in WWE, what a star is “supposed” to look like. He’s a superstar stuck in the past, while the rest of the roster moves toward the future.
But, I am not saying there isn’t a place for Roman Reigns in today’s WWE, in fact I think he could be a big star if used correctly. The way he is being presented right now, Reigns is a natural heel. He is the embodiment of what current fans resent. The chosen one, he never spent time toiling in the indies hoping for a chance like so many of his counterparts did. He was destined to be in the spot he was in since Vince took a liking to him. Why not take that story and run with it. You take a guy like Kevin Owens, someone who spent many years on the independents, praying for a chance in WWE and put him against golden boy Reigns, you got yourself a money feud. Whether Vince McMahon wants to admit it or not, Reigns is a natural heel in today’s WWE.
So, why does WWE not go back to the drawing board with Reigns? Its not like they haven’t done it before. Looking back at their history, two of their biggest stars had to adapt their character to the changing times, The Rock and John Cena.
The Rock debuted at the Survivor Series 1996 at Madison Square Garden as Rocky Maivia, the prototypical white meat babyface decked out colorful gear. An extremely generic good guy, with zero dimension to his character. The fans immediately rejected his character, very similarly to how his cousin Roman Reigns’ character is being reacted to. Even as early as 96, a new era was beginning to dawn. ECW was revolutionizing the industry, with gritty and realistic characters that blurred the lines between babyface and heel. Fans were beginning to no longer accept the token good guys of years past. So, management turned him into a narcissistic heel who spoke of himself in the third person. The character got over, he turned face, and I think you know the rest.
How about the stalwart of WWE for the past 10 years, John Cena? He went through a similar experience. He first appeared on the scene in 2002, wearing plain tights and spouting the catchphrase “RUTHLESS AGGRESSION”. By 2002, following the end of the Attitude Era, an era in which their were countless interesting characters, a performer could not debut without some type of character. There was no way in that day and age a guy in plain tights, with no character whatsoever could get over and he didn’t. Then Stephanie McMahon hears Cena do a Vanilla Ice impression and she loved it. She suggests it to Vince, he turns heel as a white rapper. He becomes so entertaining that he gets over, turns face and shot himself into superstardom.
Things are pretty promising right now in WWE. Except at the top of the card, where Roman Reigns is the embodiment of what this coming era will not be. He could be a perfect heel and who knows maybe that could be the best thing for him, its not like it is not happened before.
