5 Talking points from the epic John Cena - Roman Reigns promo on Raw
John Cena and Roman Reigns provided us with one of the most memorable Raw segments of the year when they went back and forth on the microphone during the contract signing for their match at No Mercy.
Who'd have ever thought a promo segment involving Roman Reigns would ever make so many waves?
And yet, the IWC is in meltdown over the sheer intensity of the verbal duel, one sided though it may have been.
Roman Reigns had, perhaps, his best spell with microphone in hand but was still shot down and 'buried six feet under' by John Cena, to quote Dave Meltzer and co.
And we loved every bit of it.
Whether you support Cena or Reigns or boo both of them, you can't deny that it was an awesome segment. It was as real as it gets and for the most part, seemed to be a reflection of what both men truly felt about one another.
But did it strictly abide by the WWE's script? Was it an indication that John Cena will turn heel soon, seeing as he openly mentioned it? And what off Reigns' off-the-cuff mention of John Cena's shovel?
Intrigued?
Read on as we analyze the 5 greatest takeaways from the epic John Cena - Roman Reigns promo segment on this week's episode of Monday Night Raw.
#1 Scripted or shoot?
Owing to the personal nature of the entire segment, what with a few stinging waves of abuse thrown in as well, many wondered if it was scripted or a full-blown shoot.
And while it certainly seemed like the latter on first glance, Dave Meltzer confirmed that it was almost entirely scripted.
While that may be a dampener to some fans who were comparing the segment to CM Punk's infamous pipe bomb promo a few years ago, it is still a positive sign that the WWE recognizes that realism sells and are willing to employ doses of it in their feuds.
Especially with someone like Roman Reigns, who's just not getting over the way they want him to, it really helps to have someone like John Cena call out his flaws honestly.
It's almost like a session with the shrink. Vocalizing and accepting your mistakes are the first steps to getting over them.
Whether Reigns will actually get over his remains to be seen...but the fans may well get off his back about them by the time this feud is done.
In short, this may prove to be a master stroke by the WWE.