Roman Reigns and the failed attempt at building a new face of WWE

A failed experiment

There is also a wrestler who is a failed experiment in WWE. The star who is shoved down the fan’s throat, the one who is not quite ready for the main event, but is rushed to stardom because Vince McMahon gets an idea and will not let go of it until it makes him more money or blows up in his face.

This year, the Roman Reigns experiment has been that failed experiment.

In the latest attempt in trying to replace John Cena and move forward with a new superhero, Reigns has been a case study in how the heavyweight wrestler has failed to deliver. Some of the pressures thrust upon himself are not his fault. Some of it, although slight, he has to bear the burden.

While there have been chances to really shine, take over the company as “the” guy and become the antithesis of the jorts-wearing Cena, Reigns is still trapped in a purgatory he cannot get out of. There is nowhere for him to turn on his own.

And WWE won’t let him out of what McMahon hopes will still become the future of the company he built over 30 years ago.

Say what you want, Reigns – for all his talent – could be considered a bust right now. The same kind of a bust as Ted DiBiase, Jr. was. The same bust that Ahmed Johnson was. The same bust to some extent that Ricky Steamboat was because he was unwilling to waver from his family commitment to be an even bigger superstar.

Reigns has youth on his side, a great look and a chance to still wear hardware in the future. His size and athleticism, according to the McMahon principle, dictates he become a champion – any champion in the company. But after what has happened the past nine months, it is clear being the world champion is not in the cards.

With the talent Triple H has brought to RAW from NXT, the arrival of Sting and the chance for Seth Rollins to be a bigger heel than anyone expected, the climb to the top of the mountain becomes steeper by the week.

The rumors are wild that Reigns, who has been “given” Dean Ambrose as his sidekick (more like the other way around), will add a new member to their partnership in their feud with the Wyatt family. No, you can put the Seth Rollins idea to bed. That would be a huge demotion for the current WWE World Champion. But an Erick Rowan sighting or a rumored Batista return to the ring is very real.

There are other contenders to think of, other wrestlers who make sense and could make things a little more fan-friendly. Rowan would make the most sense, but injuries have taken him out of action and a return to competition is not likely soon.

Batista presents everything that is wrong with the angle to begin with. He and Reigns were the last two standing in the Royal Rumble two years ago – the match that led to the revolt against The Animal and led all of us to the Daniel Bryan Revolution. While his size and his attitude work well with Reigns dominant style and Ambrose’s helter-skelter ability, I still don’t like the idea.

Would the creative writers be better suited putting Randy Orton in the mix, since the feud with Sheamus is solid, but not spectacular? Orton is the “go to” wrestler when things get dicey and the company needs a bailout of sorts. I like Orton in this situation since he is in a purgatory that will not lead him to the main event anytime soon.

The wild card in all of this, and it seems a bit odd, could be Adam Rose. The mid card wrestler needs a fresh look, a new program and could fit well with Reigns and Ambrose since he himself is a bit green and not ready for the singles life as a hero instead of a villain.

When you sum everything up, the measures being taken are more about saving Reigns than letting him fail. There are four months left in the 2015 wrestling year and unless some dramatic happens – a heel turn – Reigns year will be deemed more failure than success.

And that really isn’t what we thought would happen when he returned from injury in January.

Can the fans accept Reigns again as the chosen one to lead the new face revolution? That depends if he can stand on his own or will still have to rely on other wrestlers to gain the fans’ approval again.