5 Reasons why Roman Reigns' run has failed in WWE
Roman Reigns was supposed to be the guy. It’s not only his catchphrase; it’s also a commonly held belief among every WWE fan that’s followed the product over the past year. Love him or hate him, there is no denying the superhuman effort that’s been made to get him over as the new face of the company.
But somewhere along the way, it all seems to have fallen apart. Now, Dean Ambrose is the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion, and Roman is on the outside looking in. The question is, how did this happen? Where did it all go wrong?
Roman’s critics are quick to criticize the man himself, and that’s to be expected. It seems that many fans just want to see some guys fall, and that has perhaps never been truer than in Reigns’ case.
He just wasn’t what they wanted, and they never had a problem letting everyone know it.
Social media may have been mixed at times, but it was the live crowds that made their voices heard. The boos that rained down every time Roman was on camera were undeniable, and all of that hate was not due to Roman’s bad booking. They blamed him, obviously.
But there are many factors that contributed to Roman’s situation right now, and he is not the only one at fault here. While it’s clear that WWE is still committed to booking him as a main event talent, it’s also clear that the many bumps in the road have brought him to a full stop.
It’s not over for him, but before he continues, WWE must examine why it all went south. With any luck, the same mistakes will not be repeated moving forward. Understanding the factors that led to this point is half the battle and it must begin now.
#5 Perceived lack of talent
“You can’t wrestle.” That chant was reserved for John Cena, Batista, and a few select others at one time. But when it was directed at Roman in arenas around the country, it immediately became obvious to everyone that something was wrong.
However, it did not seem to be all that obvious to WWE itself. Rather than address the issue by pairing Reigns with true ring technicians that could elevate and improve his game, the former Shield strongman was instead booked against Big Show and Kane.
While the matches themselves usually resulted in some smash mouth brawls, that’s really all they were. Reigns made no real improvements in the ring, and suddenly his immaturity began to show. Rather than understand his situation and give him a chance, fans chose to blame him instead.
But the fact is he has gotten much better. The man that lost the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Money in the Bank is not the same man that faced Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 31. Roman is confident, he’s comfortable in the ring, and more importantly, he’s now battle tested.
Despite how good he is now, to fans, it has made little to no difference. Even working with AJ Styles didn’t elevate Roman in the eyes of fans that believe he was carried through the entire feud. With this much criticism leveled at his ring work, how can Roman ever hope to sway popular opinion?