Roman Reigns’ Suspension a Tool to Further Babyface Status

Roman Reigns cannot get over as a babyface in WWE. The company knows that. Reigns knows it. More importantly, the fans know it. From the moment Reigns was elevated after The Shield disbanded in 2014, the WWE faithful have had a very difficult time accepting him as a protagonist.

Now Reigns faces temporary suspension from Vince McMahon. The move came after Roman Reigns confronted McMahon behind the curtain on the March 12 edition of Monday Night Raw. Brock Lesnar was not there. Roman was furious. So he let the boss know it.

Once again the company has positioned Roman Reigns as the man that dares to defy authority. The tactic was used before with him, against Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. The idea behind this is obvious.

If fans see Reigns buck the system, they will respect him. It’s the same storyline that carried Stone Cold Steve Austin to the very top of the industry. CM Punk used it and so did Daniel Bryan, both with an enormous amount of success.

But the difference was that all three Superstars were extremely popular and well respected. Despite how much work Roman Reigns puts in, a perception remains he just cannot deliver between the ropes.

However every time The Big Dog is put in this spot, he gets a positive reaction. The fans may hate him but they perhaps love to hate the McMahon family more. At his core, Reigns is a hardworking guy that truly wants to be in the ring. It could be that his haters know this, though they may not admit it.

Reigns’ recent verbal tirades against Lesnar have done nothing but help his situation. This is of course done by design as well; WWE knows exactly what the fans think of The Beast Incarnate. Lesnar comes and goes as he pleases. He doesn’t work on TV. He rarely ever defends his Universal Championship. WWE holds him to a different standard than everyone else. Fans are very aware of this.

The idea behind this move is obvious as well. Anyone that stands in the ring and speaks out against Lesnar automatically has a chance of gaining the crowd’s favor. It’s the same storyline that saw John Cena actually divide the WWE fan base when he first went to war with The Rock in 2011.

Cena pointed out Rock’s lack of appearances. He reminded fans that Rocky left them behind to pursue his Hollywood career. But Cena stuck around. Cena towed the company line. He always showed up and he did it because he not only loved WWE, he respected it. If that sounds familiar to fans, it should. Roman Reigns is now in that spot.

Of course the WWE faithful know that the recent controversy surrounding Reigns is likely what’s going to keep him suspended, at least for now. But that does not change the fact that the company insists on booking Reigns as the top hero on the card.

Fans can hate on Reigns today as they did before but the past is the past. Reigns’ rise is not by his own hand. Roman surely did not demand main event spots over Daniel Bryan. He likely did not dictate that he win against The Undertaker. He always shows up and performs.

Yet WWE must keep working overtime to convince fans they should love Roman Reigns. It’s the same pattern that haunted Cena throughout his entire career as a top guy. Nothing with Reigns has been organic; it was orchestrated. Therein lays the heart of the problem and nothing seems capable of changing that perception among fans.

But anything is possible in WWE. Maybe this latest effort to promote Roman Reigns as the top babyface will actually get some traction. Perhaps this time Reigns will roll into WrestleMania as the fearless warrior and slay the dragon known as Brock Lesnar. Maybe Reigns will leave Mania as the conquering hero and finally become the protagonist that WWE has always wanted him to be.

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Or maybe the company will keep working to change the hearts and minds of the WWE Universe. Maybe it will wave no other choice. Fans are jaded. WWE is stubborn. It’s not a good mix and it never will be. Reigns is Reigns and he’s not changing for anyone. He shouldn’t have to.

No matter what happens, WrestleMania 34 is coming. The next few weeks should be very interesting indeed.