![]() ![]() It seems clear that the audiences are largely rejecting the notion of Roman Reigns as the face of the company. How many more Royal Rumble matches need to be ruined before Vince finally gets that message? For that entire time Vince McMahon has stubbornly micromanaged everything with the goal of crowning Roman Reigns as the next face of WWE, and for almost that entire time the plan has been blowing up in Vince's face. He embraced it, thrived on it and has, in many ways, become the standard-bearer for WWE.It feels like Roman Reigns has been shoved down my throat for at least two years now. Hard work, dedication and sheer willpower allowed him to succeed in an industry where a lesser man would have folded in the face of such utter hatred from the audience. Fans of a certain age, call it 18-40, could not relate to him, so they rejected him.īut Cena succeeded. It did not matter how badly he was beaten up or how great the opposition was. He was the bland hero, not entirely unlike Superman, who always came through and saved the day at the end. That WWE continually shoved him down the throat of the audience did not help matters. The anti-Cena sentiment was strong and would never really go away. They were furious that the guy who had been pushed as the next great Superstar had been given another win over a guy they preferred much more to the former Eminem wannabe.Īside from the young women who found him attractive and the kids who proudly sported his merchandise even that far back, there were not many happy fans filing out of the historic arena. They booed loudly, let out curses directed both at Cena and the company he worked for. No one expected the West Newbury, Massachusetts, native to emerge victorious. The mood inside AllState Arena on Apjust moments after Triple H tapped out to the STF and Cena was declared the winner was one of stunned silence. Given the dichotomy in the level of performer Reigns is versus Cena in 2006, the match should succeed. ![]() So again, The Game will be cerebral in his approach, drawing on his wealth of wrestling knowledge and history to layout a match that lets him get in his spots but also fits the skill set of his opponent. Sure, he was in last year's main event against Brock Lesnar, but that bout was an entirely different beast (pun intended) than his contest at this year's show. Reigns has never been asked to partake in that style of match on the stage that he will Sunday. At the same time, though, it will settle down significantly, becoming a more traditional title match. The rivalry is too intense and personal for there not to be. There will be an element of brawling, of course. As good as Reigns is, and he is significantly better at this stage in his career than Cena was at the same point, he has never had to wrestle the type of match he will be expected to in Arlington. On April 3, Triple H will have to do the same. There will be cursing, great dissatisfaction with his placement on the card and an overall rejection of the idea of Reigns as a main event babyface and, worse yet, as a WWE world heavyweight champion. Nothing has transferred the heat from Reigns to himself.įans watching WrestleMania 32 via the WWE Network can expect one the of the most universally negative reactions for any babyface ever competing on the grand stage. He has talked down to fans and beat up lovable underdog Dean Ambrose. He has leaned on wife Stephanie McMahon, hoping her undeniable heat rubs off on him. Triple H, to his credit, has again done everything in his power to be the hated villain. Most notable was the response at the 2015 Royal Rumble, where Reigns was booed out of the building, the appearance of cousin The Rock doing nothing to help fan the flames that had surrounded him. He has suffered tremendously at the expense of WWE Creative, his character going undefined, and the result has been unabashed hatred for his on-screen persona at times. I remember vividly watching the fans around me, at full throat, booing the images of Cena in the opening video package and wondering what strange new era the pro wrestling industry was embarking on.įor the last year, Roman Reigns has endured heat, though his has been significantly worse. ![]()
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