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This is the first edition of Fortnight Character Re-write. Every two weeks an in depth profile will be posted here on YouCallThatWrestling. Share. Follow. Favourite for WWE reviews and rankings!
This week we discuss the controversial Roman Reigns. Reigns is the typical buff WWE powerhouse and fans know this not because he's a show stopper must-see Monday night delight Nope... it's because WWE has force fed him to the masses and he's being rejected harder than the nerd who approached the cheerleader. That being said I like Roman and I see the potential in spite of the boos.
The problem is... Reigns is not what the fans want him to be. Not yet at least. Welcome to the first ever Fortnight Character Re-write. A bi-weekly look at superstars who desperately needs a change and some ideas on how that can be achieved.
Off the top lets do a quick break down of Roman Reigns.
Pros
The look - Roman's a big tough Samoan much like the rest of his family who have made a big impact on the wrestling business. From his long hair to the eye catching sleeve he's definitely got the "it" factor.
Size and strength - At 6'3 265 Reigns is built for war and he's shown he can do some serious damage but it was his ability to weather the storm at WrestleMania 31 against Lesnar that really stood out. Not only did he visit Suplex City but he survived it and was able to push Lesnar around for a while as well.
Cons
Personality/Mic skill - Roman has a great story and outside the ring he's seems like a very likeable guy. The fans don't get to see the real Roman Reigns though. On nights when Reigns teams up with Dean Ambrose he's far looser and has fun and it shows. By himself though he struggles to come through as anything more than a brawler while seeming nervous and also lacking confidence on the microphone.
Gimmick - You have Seth Rollins, The WWE World Heavyweight Champion, The Man, The Architect the man on top of the mountain despite a struggling in-ring record. Dean Ambrose, Unstable, Lunatic Fringe . The loose cannon coming out of The Shield he's unpredictable and love a brawl. Then you have Roman Reigns who has failed entirely to evolve. The same entrance, the same music, the same move-set and the same nice guy attitude.
Move-set - Superman Punch, Spear, Apron dropkick, Samoan drop. Reigns has been falling more and more into the 4 moves of death comfort zone. Much like John Cena you can recognize the pattern almost immediately.
"Enough is a enough and it's time for a change" - Owen Hart
Roman Reigns has superstar potential but I haven't seen a guy with all the goods stall out so fast and at such an early stage like this. It's unprecedented. Chalk it up to a combination of Reigns being unwilling to change and creative dropping the ball.
Lets look at a couple scenarios starting with a classic
The Bodyguard
Roman was the beast of The Shield. He played the supporting role incredibly well. His mic time was limited and he let his power do the talking.
A perfect scenario is to first drop the Shield look. Lose the vest. I don't have an opinion about guys going shirt or no shirt so I don't care but the bullet proof vest look is weak. Nobody is going to shoot you and you're not D'Lo Brown doing loaded frog splashes.
Now Roman has that big tough look that every WWE bodyguard usually has(Diesel, Batista etc.) so it's a natural fit he already looks mean and you know he can brawl.
That being The Authority clearly isn't going away so it's best to build it. Start by having Reigns turn on Ambrose and follow in the foot steps of Seth Rollins. A heel turn that sees Roman spend some time backstage with the Authority and Triple H which in turn will help him with his mic skills and give him and the fans a break from the deafening boos.
As with all bodyguard gimmicks you have a few options but all of them involve a year or so of Reigns doing dirty work and building him to look very strong without teasing a turn. He's got to become a convincingly good pal of the WWE World Heavyweight Champion and if Seth continues as champion the betrayal needs to be a complete blindside without warning or hints. None of this tormented guy finally loses it... none of the open title aspirations causes a rift... Let it happen when it's least expected... Think Evolution the night after Randy Orton won the World Heavyweight Title.
1. A simple betrayal during a Rollins open challenge for the WWE WHC. Maybe have Rollins start holding open challenges for a month or so and when he's grown tired have Reigns squash Rollins in a one sided match.
2. The Authority is challenged by a group and must disband if they lose which would see Reigns turn baby face destroying the Authority from within
3. Reigns eventually gets the nod from the Authority and takes down Rollins to become "The Man" He's already got heat so if he can become nasty and actually earns it by destroying some well liked stars it's a great way to end the bodyguard gimmick and move Reigns back into the title picture.
Resistance
At one point there was The Ministry of Darkness vs The Corporation. WWE vs the WCW/ECW Invaders. NWO Black and White vs NWO Red/Wolfpac.
It's been quite a while since the last invasion. Nexus had a small scale and short lived invasion which was fun at first but WWE hasn't had a big one lately. If they did. Roman Reigns once he's dropped the Shield gimmick would be a great powerhouse in that stable for either side who can come out very strong in the end.
The Authority has been getting weaker and you know when things get weak it either ends or rebound. It may be time to start building that stable and with every stable you need La resistance and I'm not talking about Renee Dupree and Sylvain Grenier. WWE has a glut of talent some of which have no direction whatsoever so unifying some of them for a more hostile stable war would help a few guys claw back from obscurity while hopefully intriguing some fans into tuning back in.
Throwback... APA 2.0
This one is a little different. We all enjoyed the Acolytes Protection Agency. John Bradshaw Layfield (Formerly known simply as "Bradshaw") and Ron Simmons(Farooq) were a brawling mercenary tag team that worked for whoever paid the most that night and they were extremely effective and very well liked. Most times they sat in the back smoking cigars, drinking beer and playing poker but when it was time for a match or time to take care of someone else' business they got the job done sometimes in devastating fashion.
This role is perfect for Roman Reigns. The fans need to either see a strong heel or see a less serious side of Roman and Roman needs to start having fun on camera and enjoy being out there. Getting booed is wearing on him and the fans right now obviously don't care much for him.
You're naturally thinking Ambrose would be perfect for this role but I disagree. Ambrose has done well to carve our his own niche and he's got the fan support he needs so saddling him down with a struggling Reigns will only hurt him.
I see Baron Corbin in this role or even think former TNA stars and NXT newcomers Samoa Joe or even James Storm would be a great companion to Reigns. You need a couple big nasty fighters for this role. Guys you know can hurt someone when they're on their way to the ring. With Joe you have a Samoan connection which could be fun as long as it's not turned into a racial gimmick as we've seen in the past.
Review
It's clear Reigns needs to be reworked and taking him off TV may be the best course of action at least for a couple months. New look. New attitude. New moves. All can be achieved but the onus is on WWE Creative to build Reigns as he clearly hasn't made enough changes to be relevant on his own.
Some guys need a creative push instead of a title push and left unchanged for four years Reigns is the poster boy for an epic blunder by WWE Creative. WWE brass must realize that Roman Reigns isn't the only one suffering through this trend before it consumes others. The fans want change because it's a new day! yes it is!
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