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| Roman Reigns could be the John Cena we always wanted. |
The crowd boos him, his fans that chant for him are mostly kids and women, he's a good guy that tells corny jokes and it's just not working anymore. This guy needs to turn heel. Who is he?
No, it's not John Cena—it's Roman Reigns.
Monday night's Raw and the build-up in the last few weeks further solidifies the fact that Reigns needs to turn heel and beat Daniel Bryan this Sunday at WWE Fastlane. The backstage interviews where he comes off a little bitter, questioning the manhood of Bryan, subtly being ticked off by the crowd—all points for a defining moment in his career which could happen this Sunday.
What could happen to Reigns is something fans have been waiting to see for years from Cena. Since Cena will never make the turn, Reigns can do it for him, and we could all live vicariously through that instead.
Reigns is a man built like a heel and the way he showed glimpses of physically dominating Bryan outside the ring after the main event Monday was very heel-like in itself. You could easily see him tearing up babyfaces in that manner on a consistent basis.
On Raw, Bryan did a great job in pointing out that the fans were finally getting to Reigns. That could be the one thing that causes him to finally snap.
Cena is a seasoned veteran who knows how to control his emotions. He can handle the negativity because of his good guy persona, and the fact he's able to stay true to himself and his mantra of "Hustle, Loyalty and Respect." It may not be the most popular, but it's believable.
On the other hand, Reigns is still this young up and coming kid, who is unseasoned, naive and emotionally fragile, as pointed out by Bryan several times on Monday night. What was supposed to be the crowning achievement of his career turned out to be the lowest point of his career. He could say how he worked extra hard to recover from his injury, just so he could return at the Royal Rumble for the fans. But in the end, not even a Hollywood movie star and one of the most popular WWE champions of all time couldn't get the crowd on his side.
He can cite the "Yes" chants during a Roman Reigns match was the breaking point, and how he came to an epiphany that the fans just aren't worth it anymore.
All those years we've wanted to see that from Cena, we could finally get with Reigns.
Cena can't turn heel because he has the record for the Make-a-Wish Foundation, sells merchandise like no other, and is a great face of the franchise that represents the company like nobody else can.
Reigns doesn't have any of those responsibilities, so there is no excuse as to why Reigns time is not now.
From there, Reigns can slowly morph into one of the top heels in the business. And with Brock Lesnar likely on his way out, Paul Heyman can slide on over and Reigns could eventually be the new Paul Heyman guy.
Recent history suggests that all the great superstars of the past decade have ascended to main event status in the form of being a top-notch heel.
Edge, Randy Orton, The Rock, Stone Cold, Chris Jericho, Brock Lesnar, and now Seth Rollins. All of them were the biggest heels in the company and used their crowd heat as stepping stones to becoming top main event draws.
However, if Reigns somehow remains a good guy through all this, he'll end up getting a poor man's John Cena reaction, where the crowd is split 50/50, and not passionate about it either way. It'll also be the worst world title match build since Jack Swagger vs Alberto Del Rio.
A Bryan loss to a heel Reigns will further push Reigns in the right direction, and the focus won't be on Bryan losing. A Bryan loss to the same Reigns we have now? Then we re-rack the same column post-Royal Rumble.
But if the heel turn happens, WrestleMania should end with the belt being held high, ushering in a new era in the WWE.
The champ is here, and it won't be John Cena. It'll be Roman Reigns.
OTHER RANDOM THOUGHTS
- From the just stop file…"Whoomp there it is!"–K-Kwik
- There's almost nothing I like to see more on WWE television right now than Adam Rose beating the crap out of Rosebuds.
- How the mighty have fallen. Is John Cena really wrestling for the United States Championship Sunday? Welcome back to 2004.
- SIGN OF THE WEEK: "Seth Rollins, Don't Be So Hardon Yourself"
- Ric Flair is the greatest wrestler of all time, he is a two-time Hall of Famer
- Great in the ring segment with Ric Flair and Triple H…I loved the cheap shot Hunter threw at TNA by saying Sting disappeared for a while. And as we covered in the last column, it's all calculated.
- If RAW is starting to use pyro to start their shows, that means Kane doesn't get pyro anymore.
- Any RAW that ends with Norman Smiley gets an A in my book
- When I show up to work tomorrow, I hope they can edit in the SmackDown crowd over the loudspeakers so I get the pop I truly deserve.
Do you think Reigns needs to make the turn on Sunday? Where should Daniel Bryan go from here if he doesn't main event WrestleMania? Tell us what you're thinking in the comments below!
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