Reason why WWE fans rejected Roman Reigns as a babyface, according to Paul Heyman
WWE legend Paul Heyman recently explained why fans rejected Roman Reigns' rise as a babyface and accepted Cody Rhodes as a top favorite superstar.
For a long time, WWE tried to push Reigns as a babyface in the Stamford-based company, but fans always rejected the idea. The company then decided to turn Roman into a heel character, which helped The Tribal Chief gain immense popularity. Meanwhile, Rhodes is currently one of the biggest babyfaces of the Stamford-based promotion. The duo are currently in a heated feud and are set to lock horns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania XL.
During a recent interview with Forbes, Paul Heyman talked about why he felt Roman Reigns was rejected as a babyface while fans accepted Cody Rhodes in the same role.
The Wiseman said that Rhodes built a relationship with fans because that was what he had always wanted to do, but Reigns was never like that.
"Roman's rise as the protagonist in WWE folklore was the corporate portrayal of how the corporation viewed Roman Reigns and Joe Anoa'i behind the scenes as Roman Reigns. And with Cody, what you see is what you get. This is Cody. Cody loves to stay in the arena after the show, shaking every hand, posing with every fan, [and] signing every autograph. That's just not Roman Reigns," Paul Heyman said. [H/T Forbes]
The Wiseman also mentioned that he believes The Tribal Chief's approach to the wrestling business is completely different from The American Nightmare's.
"He's a game-day player. He's there to do his job, do it better than everybody else or anybody else, and then get out and go home. His job is to feed his family, and he feeds his family by being the best at what he does on the face of the planet now, if not ever, he's not the baby-kissing autograph signer. It's just not him," Paul Heyman said. [H/T Forbes]
Witnessing if The American Nightmare emerges victorious against The Tribal Chief and finally finishes the story at The Show of Shows remains to be seen.
Roman Reigns is set to appear on next week's WWE RAW alongside The Rock
On this week's edition of Monday Night RAW, The Rock made a surprise return to interrupt Cody Rhodes during his promo. The Great One whispered something to The American Nightmare and then shockingly left the ring.
Before the show ended, The Final Boss viciously attacked Rhodes, which left the latter busted open. WWE then announced that The People's Champion and Roman Reigns are set to appear in next week's RAW episode.
It will be interesting to see how Cody Rhodes will react to The Rock's vicious assault on next week's WWE RAW.