Roman Reigns: The Next Greatest Heel of WWE?

Roman Reigns could be the greatest heel that fans have seen since Mr. McMahon.

A Roman Reigns appearance during the recent WWE draft, while he was suspended, would have caused nuclear heat on Reigns. There’s already a stigma surrounding Reigns and that has triggered the reaction he gets but wouldn’t it be easier for everyone to use that fan reaction and create an amazing character out of it? When you look back at the Rock, he was put in a similar situation. The fans weren’t too fond of the happy go lucky character and when it was time to change, WWE knew it was time. There a lot of momentum going towards this heel turn but will WWE have the guts to turn who Vince McMahon wants as his premiere babyface into a dominating heel?

Roman Reigns is seen as the overprotected face of WWE similar to how fans view John Cena. The fans have waited for a Reigns heel turn since his reaction has changed months ago. It also plays on the opinion that WWE doesn’t listen to their fans. It seems that the character change is long overdue but there is still a chance to make an impact with Roman Reigns’ heel persona.

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Fans always seem to reflect quite fondly on the Attitude Era which was based on unpredictability and blurring the lines between reality and fiction. The 30-day suspension handed down on Roman Reigns was real but having Reigns appear on WWE Television while being suspended could have done a variety of things.

First, it blurs that line between fiction and reality making fans question if the suspension was legit. In a world where wrestling seems almost too predictable, companies must find ways to keep their storylines fresh. The wrestling business has changed due to the internet and spoilers which makes keeping your storylines unpredictable a difficult feat.

Secondly, it confirms everything that WWE fans have been complaining about. Roman Reigns is protected by the company. What better way to draw heat on a superstar that is already perceived as the unwanted company guy than to put him on television when he isn’t supposed to be. Also, this would be viewed as unequal treatment towards a top superstar forcing the fans to sympathize with the superstars that messed up in the past but only hate Reigns more.

The fans turned on Roman Reigns in an instant and it feels like it started when he won the Royal Rumble in 2015. Reigns had promise coming out of the Shield but failed to set himself apart from his former teammates. Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose were given separate single characters to propel them into superstardom as singles stars. Roman Reigns was forced to stick with his previous Shield gimmick and it has metaphorically tied his hands when it comes to creativity. It time for WWE to cut the proverbial umbilical cord that is on most of their wrestlers and let them cut loose.

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We do not need a full-fledged Attitude Era return but if a superstar sees or hears that the fans don’t like him he should be able to lash back verbally in his promos. One of the biggest issues in WWE right now is that everything seems so scripted and even the biggest stars are having their hands held especially when it comes to cutting promos. Professional wrestling is about raw emotion and driving a reaction. Mostly, heels get the best reactions because they understand how to get under the skin of the crowd and honestly, it doesn’t take much. Now, allow Roman Reigns to strike back as his naysayers could make him even better than the potential that the company sees now. How would I book it; well that’s a great question.

I feel that the explanation of why Roman Reigns keeps his shield gimmick is well overdue but this turn has already had its roots with Reigns claiming he’s the Guy. It is better for Reigns to turn on Dean Ambrose than it is for him to turn on Rollins. Yes, Rollins is a fan favorite but Ambrose could be the most over superstar in the company. What is the best way to gain heel heat in any wrestling promotion? It’s simple, take out the most popular wrestler they have. Anyone who messed with Daniel Bryan in any type of dirty way back in 2014 was immediately cast aside by the fans. That is a major key to success when booking a monster heel in wrestling.

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This turn needs to start at Battleground because the fans are just chomping at the bit for Roman to make his intentions clear and what would make Battleground feel more important than a solid heel turn. The triple threat match is no disqualification so there’s a perfect moment for the pampered heel Rollins to take advantage with a chair shot to end Dean Ambrose. Roman Reigns takes the chair from Rollins as his side the crowd lights up and the rest of the crowd showers him with boos. Reigns takes his shot at Rollins, hitting him over and over again. The crowd is livid but as Ambrose is slowly making it back to his feet, their reaction becomes more positive. Reigns looks back with the chair in his hand and shakes his head then clobbering Dean Ambrose with the steel chair. As both men make it back to their feet, they are met with spears and Roman Reigns reclaims his WWE Championship. He stands in the ring, taking in a crowd filled with boos as he shows that Roman Reigns sly smile and screams, “The man, the dude, I’m the Guy” as the pay-per-view ends.

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The next night on Raw, the show opens with the Guy in the ring as your new WWE World Heavyweight Champion. He grabs a microphone and now it’s his chance to air all of his grievances. I would suggest that this promo be as unscripted as possible but maybe bulleted out to make it easier on Roman. He would stand in the ring and say, “It seems like you guys aren’t too happy that the Guy is still your WWE Champion. That’s funny because you guys were never happy to see me but let’s take a trip down memory lane. “When the Shield broke up, I heard your complaints about how I was Vince’s next John Cena and just a huge muscular dude who couldn’t wrestle. Even in the face of all your negative reactions, I put on some of the best matches of my career with guys like AJ Styles, Seth Rollins, and Dean Ambrose but I never got the credit for these matches. Instead, I heard all of you jamokes say that they carried me in the match but look at me, who could carry the Guy. Then, you decided to question why I kept the Shield’s legacy so close to me in my attire and my entrance. I understood that the fans like to be closer to the superstars they admired and I knew that you guys love that Shield music so I kept it but then when you guys turned on me, I took it away. Now I’m the new WWE Champion and basically, mistake is null and void. It’s funny because throughout my suspension, I was labeled as a hypocrite who was protected by the company but you know what’s funny about that………”

Then, Seth Rollins’ music hits. Seth talks about how he was the chosen one of the Authority and that Reigns is just trying to be like him. Reigns starts to talk again and the Chief Operating Officer of Monday Night Raw comes out angry because she doesn’t want her show to start with chaos. Stephanie tells Rollins that he is the chosen one of the Authority and that’s why he was chosen first and that if Roman thinks that he has the Authority on his side then at this point she had turn back to Roman. Stephanie would then low blow Rollins and say he does, leaving with Reigns by her side completing the double turn.

This is just one way of turning Roman Reigns heel because not only is the reaction organic but he actually is talented in the ring and wrestling is the only business where you can get away with making fun of background procedures. It is the right time for Roman to retaliate against the fans that have been bashing him for so long for being the face of the company. He is only doing what no other wrestler would say no to. It isn’t his fault that he was chosen and as a heel, the fans will just have to get over it. There should be no sympathetic road to redemption but a strict left turn that leaves the fans in shock and awe of the way it was done. How would book a Roman Reigns heel turn or would you just keep him face?

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