Hello! It is something that a lot of people will have opinions on and as we climb closer and closer to Wrestlemania it's a topic that'll likely heat up over the course of the next few days and beyond. It seems whether we like it or not Vince is determined to make Roman Reigns a Main-Eventer, but having a run in the Main Event and becoming "The Guy" are two entirely separate things.
When you think of "The Guy" in WWE you think of people like Hulk Hogan and John Cena as the stereotypical "WWE Guys" who have been the "Face of the WWE" which was of course the hot topic headed into last years Wrestlemania. The way I see it being "The Guy" is something that can't be forced on anyone, whether we like it or not John Cena always elicits a reaction- and his Merchandise is #1 for a reason- and that's the reason he is where he is and is booked the way he is. The thing about John Cena is it's unlikely in 2015's "Smarky" Wrestling Climate we'll get another John Cena who'll be able to position himself in the Main Event consistently- and while it's not universal kids are impressionable so if they see a 60/70% crowd against Reigns it is likely they'll follow suit.
The thing about John Cena is, and it's something a lot of people don't give him credit for- Cena always has at least 1 Match of the Year Contender come the supposed "awards" at the end of the year, and you can try and pigeon hole himself as "5 Moves of Doom" and all that stuff- so in that respect I'd say he is one of the most underrated workers we have in the WWE. I realise I'll probably get some angry tweets because I've said I like Cena's ring work- but say I'm wrong, I dare you. Contrast Cena's and Reigns' ring work- and you'll see the first issue I have with Roman potentially being positioned as "the guy". I genuinely can't remember a single Reigns singles match, he was involved in good matches as part of The Shield but that was largely because of Ambrose and Rollins' work- and since The Shield broke up he's had a forgettable feud with Orton, where the Summerslam match was well- forgettable; then we had with a feud that could've been something and helped Reigns progress in terms of his ring-work when he was opposite Rollins- but his injury set him back, and meant his total Singles Matches that have been televised are pretty minimal when you consider he's about to Main Event a Wrestlemania.
Just the way Reigns has been built leading into this Wrestlemania is laughable- characterised by the Main Event of RAW a few weeks ago when his only impact on the show was to be the Third Wheel in the Main Event segment- which was used to further the midcard match of Rollins v Orton. There would be a lot less ill-will toward Reigns if he at least demonstrated he is somewhat capable of grabbing the proverbial bull by the horns in matches and getting his moveset over. I can only name a handful of moves Reigns actually does; The Spear, The Superman Punch, The Dropkick onto the Apron and I think he does a Samoan Drop. I hardly ever pay attention to Reigns matches just because it never entices me to watch- and that hasn't been helped by him facing people like Big Show and Kane- or being the "Hot-Tag" guy in Tag Matches.
Another thing about Cena is he never takes a day off, on his "off" days he's making media appearances or doing Make a Wish's or doing something else for the company. John Cena is a brand now as opposed to a Superstar because he never stops. Its impossible to say how Reigns will react to that level of responsibility- and I'm not going to say how he'll react because I don't know his body or his mentality; but it is a lot of responsibility, and as we've seen with people like Punk it does burn someone out pretty quickly.
Essentially I would narrow the characteristics of being "the guy" of in this order being Fan Connection. Work Rate, Having "The Look", Ring-Work. Whether we like it or not ring-work doesn't make someone become instantly a Main Eventer unless the guy can make a connection with the crowd it means nothing, and its something the stereotypical internet fan has to acknowledge. His Work Rate is yet to be discovered for a Main Event level superstar and it really is a case of throwing Roman in at the deep-end in that respect- and if he drowns WWE will well and truly have egg on their face given the way they've built Roman over the last year or so. Reigns definitely has a marketable look, but I'm still not sure Reigns has made the proper fan connection even with what I'd call the "Cena Audience" judging from his reactions in the build to the match, and I'm reminded of something I can't remember someone said "The Man makes the Title, the Title doesn't make the Man" and that's what I fear WWE are trying to do in this case.
In short, do I "think" Roman Reigns can become the guy at this stage of his career- no. I think Reigns will end up being an "in and around" guy for the next year or so- until his character becomes a lot more well-rounded and he's got a lot more singles matches under his belt. You only have to look at some of the people who have Main Evented a Wrestlemania in the past most recently The Miz to know a Mania Main Event doesn't guarantee future success- which I do think a lot of people lost site of.
Thanks for reading as always, and thanks for the support on all of the blogs I've done this side of the Wrestlemania- and the crushing disappointment. As always if you want to look back over the Blogs I've already done this week and if you see one that takes your fancy nobodies going to stop you. Stay Tuned for the Mania Review tomorrow- and in the more immediate future why don't you tag along for my dulcet Twitter tones during the actual event.
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