Roman Reigns: Victim of a WWE Double-Standard
Roman Reigns has for a long time been viewed as the standard-bearer for the future of the WWE, despite what Seth Rollins discusses in every promo. The powerhouse of the Shield, he has had two years of consistently strong booking towards the main event scene. From being a sole survivor in a Survivor Series tag team match, to breaking the record for most Royal Rumble eliminations, Reigns has been given a great deal of creative support. Significant victories over Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan led to his victory in the Royal Rumble match this year, and now Reigns will battle Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 31.
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However, what seemed to be a cast iron shift towards Roman Reigns as the next main event star of the WWE has potentially hit a road block. With Lesnar edging closer to signing a new deal with WWE, company insider MetsFan4Ever on Reddit has shared the understanding that a decisive change is being considered for the main event. Triple H has allegedly posed the concept to Vince McMahon that Lesnar retains the WWE Championship on the Grandest Stage of Them All, and persist with the current model of his limited schedule. Although this is not set in stone as the result, it could prove a decisive swerve in the future of Roman Reigns.
The apparent reason behind such a change in thought has been due to the negative crowd reaction to Reigns as a main event babyface. He has rather been shoved down the throat of the audience ever since debuting as the muscles behind the Shield’s fire. His constant stream of victories have turned a number of fans off of his shtick, and backed Lesnar instead to gain a victory over Reigns, even if he were to leave for UFC immediately afterwards. This is a situation that has clearly got some backstage worried, as they have pushed so much effort into making Reigns look strong and likable, only for it to not receive the desired response.
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However, if this shift was to take place, I consider that a clear signal of a double-standard taking place within WWE. Reigns has not been the most naturally over face, with the likes of Bryan, Dolph Ziggler and Dean Ambrose being cheered by the crowd without being picked out from the creative team. Yet, that has never stopped them before in keeping superstars as the heroes of the main event in spite of a negative fan reaction. And there are two overwhelming examples in recent history that prove this point perfectly: John Cena and Sheamus.
Cena is the perennial name in such a discussion. Calls by fans for a heel turn have been the talk of the Internet Wrestling Community for nearly a decade at this point. His corny jokes, constant presence in the main event and Superman-like comebacks in matches have driven many fans crazy. From the clearest signs of that negative reception at WrestleMania 22 against Triple H to this very day, Cena is the epitome of a babyface that has been forced onto the audience and they have continued to resist. Young kids and mothers might still fawn over him, but surely they also get behind Roman Reigns also?
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The vocal part of the WWE crowds more often than not have a unified opinion towards John Cena – we don’t like you and what you stand for. The audience throws every move in their arsenal to let that view be heard: saying he can’t wrestle, singing a defamatory version of his entrance music, booing him during promos and cheering his opponent no matter what they thought of them prior to their match with Cena. And yet the company persists in promoting Cena as the complete good guy in the face of all adversity, and in the process essentially stick a middle finger up to a large proportion of their audience.
The same issue applies to Sheamus, although to a lesser degree. The Irishman has been a babyface since 2011, and that was a turn naturally pushed by the crowd, especially at Money in the Bank of that year. But, as time as wore on, an unspectacular run as the World Heavyweight Champion and creative misdirection since then has seen the fans grow apathetic towards his status as a good guy. Many have been awaiting a potential heel turn since those dreadful 1-800-FELLA vignettes were aired, and a move from the jocular comedian to his former vicious nature.
So, why is Roman Reigns potentially going to be a victim due to his negative crowd support when Cena and Sheamus have persisted in the main event scene? The root of that situation might be the balance of power changing between Vince McMahon and Triple H. For all we know, the Game has pushed the idea of a Cena heel turn for years now, as it doesn’t seem what the fans are interested in seeing anymore. This could be a signal that Triple H is gearing his approach to creative direction towards the die-hard, vocal wrestling fan, whilst McMahon directs it towards the parents that buy kids merchandise and his own vision of what a good guy should be.
In the end, it seems that Reigns might end up suffering at the hands of this struggle, as it would cost him a run as the WWE Champion. Whilst I recognize that the fans should be the ones to decide who they cheer for, as they have that right as soon as they buy a ticket, Reigns has not done anything wrong in his run to the main event spot. His problem is not that he is loathed, but that the crowd is channeling their anger at the creative team for selecting him over more “popular” superstars on the roster.
And in that regard, he could prove a real victim of a power struggle backstage and a double-standard within WWE that allows some to stay prominent babyfaces despite negative crowd reactions. Reigns will hopefully be able to ride this out, and eventually if he does suffer defeat to Lesnar can earn the sort of reaction on his own merit.
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