Is Roman Reigns REALLY the next "Big Thing"?

 “Next big thing/man to replace Cena/future champion and hall of famer”… these are all of the things people love to mention when Roman Reigns’ name is brought up in conversation. It’s rare when one guy can come along and have the entire industry on their toes but that is exactly what Reigns has and is doing. And well, lets face it, when was the last time someone came along who had the majority of the wrestling world thinking they could potentially replace John Cena? Some pitched Ryback to dethrone the polarising “super” Cena but that spiraled downhill fast and it is now Reigns who holds this controversial position. Upon first look, it is his size, demeanour and arguable charisma that are stimulating this thought and immense response. However, when you look up and beyond this, it can be asked, is Roman Reigns REALLY what everyone says he is and can be? Is he really that great of a wrestler? Is he really that great of a promo cutter? Is he really that great of a performer? Does he have the potential to be a legend?

Indeed, what cannot be denied is his size, which instantly grabs attention and pulls people in. His muscles, tattoo, hair, the roar and overall badass attitude have and will automatically draw fans - women love him and men want to be him. That’s what I have found anyway. The way in which he walks to the ring, poses on the turnbuckle, stage presence and the way he gets the crowd to respond to certain moves, all have the traces of a potential star.

One of his major critiques is that he only has “5 moves” or he simply “cant’ wrestle”, now I wouldn’t go that far and say he can’t wrestle but he certainly does not hold as many moves in his arsenal in comparison to other wrestlers – take a lot at his former Shield brothers for answers to that. Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins would “put in the work” whilst Roman would get the hot-tag, hit the spear and pick up the win (a lot of the time). However, imo there is nothing wrong with that, all three guys themselves called Roman the “clean up hitter”, they all knew what their roles in The Shield were and they fulfilled that. Now, being part of a 3 man faction, that is fine, but being a singles competitor and simply having a few hard hitting moves, doesn’t do it for me. It sounds cliché but it does simply get boring after a while. His moves elicit a specific response from the crowd – when he sets up for the superman punch, when he hits that dropkick on the apron, when he counters into a spear – fans LOVE it and the crowd pop to it every time. Yet, continually doing this week in and week out, will it keep getting the same response? Or will it get stale?  I believe these moves eventually over time will fizzle out, not cause that much of a buzz or garner the same impact. Roman himself in the Journey to SummerSlam: The Shield documentary (I recommend this ten times over) stated himself that he doesn’t focus on moves – he focuses on responses. There is nothing wrong with that - the biggest stars in the business had certain moves that caused a buzz and crazy crowd reaction, just look at the Stone Cold Stunner as an example. But for Reigns to be a main event player, he NEEDS to add transition moves to his set, even just a basic hip toss or body slam to build up to those major moves.
His match against Orton at SummerSlam, I did want to be invested in, but I just was not. I expected a lot from the man but maybe my expectations were just a bit too high… he did deliver but I wanted to see more and something we had never seen from him before. I personally am a fan of good technical wrestling; guys like Seth Rollins and Sami Zayn make me fall in love with the sports side of it so much more.  I understand that Roman Reigns is not one of those guys, but am I a fan of his? 100%. Do I want him to succeed? 100%. - The potential is there but I just want the moves. Some may say he doesn’t need them, but in terms of longevity, he 100% does, especially nowadays in the world of wrestling where fans get bored very easily and a lot are very, very critical.

In terms of his mic skills, some just naturally have it, some naturally don’t. Unfortunately, Roman lands on the end of the latter. The guys that are the best on the mic, it comes to them as if it is second nature, guys like Stone Cold, Chris Jericho, The Rock to guys nowadays such as Dean Ambrose and Bray Wyatt. They just have IT – charisma on the mic that cannot be taught. Roman feels awkward on the mic, to the point where you feel as if he is just reading lines he has memorised word for word – it doesn’t come off as effortless. There is a major difference between his backstage interviews with Renee Young to his in-ring promos, his in-ring promos feel a lot more forced… take a look at the promo he cut on Orton about “shoving the vipers fangs down his throat” or some awkward-ness along the lines of that, yet backstage his words flow a lot better. It definitely isn’t his mic work or use of words that will get him over as a major player – to casual fans imo, his look and hard-hitting move set will win fans over simply on the basis of that, but to the more harcore, diehard fans who love a good promo… we haven’t seen much from him. The best promo from Reigns came the week after Seth Rollins turned on he and Ambrose… and following up after an Ambrose promo is not easy, yet he seemed a bit more comfortable and in his element. He will never be one of the best on the mic, but he will get better… just imagine all of the experience and training he must be getting from the best of the best…and whether you like him or not, Roman IS being groomed for the big time, so his promo work must be getting a lot of attention. I personally want a major star/main eventer to be able to speak effortlessly on the mic, but is it even necessary? If WWE believe he can draw money, I don’t think his mic work would even need to be of a high standard. We’re never going to get a Rock style promo from him, I’ve come to understand that but he does have the potential and major opportunity to prove to people why he is in the position he is in and why he could potentially throw Cena off of his throne.

If the rumors are true of the title being put on him from Lesnar at WM31, I want to see improvement and he needs to do that FAST, especially on the mic end (coming from someone who loves promos). In terms of moves, I believe that he has the move-set of a star but needs more transition moves, which will hopefully come overtime.

He holds a wealth of potential, which cannot be denied. The man is a future star, despite what anyone says and WWE have seen that from day one. Look at how he was the one who kept The Shield music/gear/entrance, it shows me that WWE are trying to be wary when it comes to him...fans are familiar with it, The Shield were over with fans, so they didn't want to change it...if it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?... Though I am just worried that the way WWE are booking him, could potentially hurt him – I’ve already read so much hate for the guy due to him using the same moves and constantly winning in the same way. They need to tread carefully and not alienate fans, as this is just the beginning for him…imagine the hate in the future…

Ultimately, is Roman Reigns the next big thing? I believe he is. The man is the future – a main eventer and world champion, but for him to be SUCCESSFUL, for fans to not turn on him, he needs to learn and improve.

Imo its all about growth and time which WILL come. I just hope he doesn’t get pushed so fast to the point of where he is under so much pressure, is not ready and it will be to late.

I’m not going to go into the argument of whether or not he DESERVES the spot he is in… he seems like a hard-working, good guy who respects the business, the fans and who wants to continually learn, improve and overall get better, so I in turn, respect him for that. Big things coming for him, no doubt.

- Zara

Ambrose/Rollins Feud Will Usher In A New Era in the WWE

In the wrestling world, its very rare when a match on Raw can make you forget about everything that happened the night before at the second biggest PPV of the year and have you absolutely glued to your television screens.

Well that is exactly what Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins did. Their Falls Count Anywhere match on this past week’s episode of Raw was a mix of incredible athleticism, crazy spots and entertainment in its purest form. In all honesty, I didn’t think we were even going to get this match as this could have easily been a show-stealing PPV match, yet WWE gave it to us for FREE – no 9.99 plugs.

Both men went out and delivered a 5* performance. The sit-out powerbomb onto a stack of chairs/the suplex onto the table/Ambrose’s signature rebound clothesline (which Seth always sells to perfection)/the use of cinder blocks - took this already heated rivalry that has fans 100% invested in, to a whole new level. Their feud has resonated with fans and it is evident that we hold a connection to the characters and the story that they are telling – especially Dean Ambrose. Fans are whole-heartedly rooting for Dean to win and ultimately receive his revenge after Rollins turned on his former brother in arms this past June. WWE keeping this from us and constantly having Rollins cowardly run away/win with a distraction or interference has only caused for fans to hate Seth/root for Dean that much more and keep the fans fully emotionally invested - we want to see the pay-off. Take their Lumberjack match at SummerSlam as an example, they gave us a taste of it, but left us all wanting more. The reactions these two get when they step in to the ring together or have any kind of serious/comedic segment together reflects it all – it is fresh, new but also extremely exciting and has so far, always delivered – they can take anything given to them, and turn it into gold. The same segment has never happened twice, refraining this rivalry from becoming stale, and even if it did, both performers could easily keep us entertained the second time round and imo, I don’t ever see this turning into a feud that fans would simply get bored of or not care about. We are invested and that is what the WWE wants but despite the booking, it is down to both men and their craft that is keeping fans on the edge of their seats when it comes to them. 

One thing that cannot be denied, is their chemistry. Whether they work together as part of The Shield in 6 man tags, in simple tag matches or as enemies, they interact perfectly. Whenever they interact, there is pure magic – a natural connection and understanding that cannot be taught. WWE recently on the Network provided the fans with an incredible, deeply insightful documentary on The Shield and their journeys to SummerSlam (I can’t recommend this enough). Within this documentary, Seth Rollins stated on he and Dean’s relationship, “We’re great friends but much better enemies” - a line that reflects this rivalry seamlessly. This can easily be reiterated once you look back upon their FCW rivalry. If you have not seen their 30 minute match, you are seriously missing out on some unbelievable pro-wrestling. They both tell a story throughout yet deliver some of the best wrestling I have seen in a long, long time.  You can watch it down below…by the end I guarantee you, you will be up out of your seat, in awe after what you have just seen. If they can deliver a match of that standard in FCW, can you imagine what we could potentially see in a simple pin-fall match at a PPV? However, after having two stipulation matches, will WWE give us another stip match or will it be a traditional in-ring match? One thing I’m hoping is that this rivalry plays out for a long time, in this day and age where fans get bored of feuds after 3 weeks, the fact that fans are still so invested in this heated rivalry and will be for months/years to come says a lot about the both as performers and the younger generation of talent as a whole. Dean has now gone off to film a WWE movie titled “Lockdown” which tells you a lot about how much they believe in him, his story-telling and how much money he can draw. I do believe that this movie will be one of the best selling WWE movies simply due to Ambrose being in it. I am very eager to see how he acts, no doubt he’ll be awesome at it. WWE are now running a storyline of Dean being missing after he refused medical help after Raw and ran off. I love this. This furthers his character, keeps the storyline fresh and now leaves everyone wondering when exactly he will pop up, return out of nowhere and attack Rollins, who will now have to constantly be watching his back. I do want Ambrose to return at NOC with Seth attempting to cash in; the crowd pop will be huge. In an ideal world, I’d love to see these two tear the house down in a HIAC match, as well as a traditional match, but do WWE want these guys stealing the show? Do they want two up and coming stars to overshadow the world title picture? Only time will tell.

Within this feud, the role of a heel and a babyface has been played incredibly well, which is something pretty difficult to achieve in the wrestling world nowadays, take the Wyatt/Jericho feud, as JR also tweeted, fans were not invested in this as there was not one guy that fans genuinely wanted to see lose; unlike Ambrose/Rollins. It is surprising to see how well of a babyface Dean is and how much fans have taken to him. The use of cinder blocks on Raw elevated Seth as a heel and Dean even more as a face. It’s an old school type story-telling feud about revenge and well, who doesn’t love a good old revenge story?

I see Dean Ambrose making the WWE a LOT of money in the future. The man has a grasp on his character like no other in the WWE right now (alongside Wyatt), the way he can tell a story simply through his facial expressions without doing any kind of move is incredible and something very special. Give him a live mic and he captivates everyone. He oozes charisma and is a once in a lifetime talent and due to this, I do however see WWE not really knowing what exactly to do with him because he is so talented. He gets into the ring and lets it all out, his timing is second to none and it is due to no one but himself that he has majority of the fans loving him right now. Imo he is more popular than Roman Reigns at the moment.

Seth Rollins just knows wrestling. The man is an amazing athlete and his skills in the ring speak for themselves. The way in which he sells is amongst some of the best in the WWE right now. Put him in the ring with anyone, and no doubt it will be a great must-see match. 

You mix these two together and out comes an incredible feud. Yes, they have natural chemistry that cannot be duplicated but both have also worked incredibly hard to provide us with some top notch 5* entertainment.

The one question that can still be asked however is – are these two men “main event ready”? From my perspective, I don’t think so. Do I want them to main event one day? Hell yeah. But in no way, shape or form would I want either guy to be shot up in to the main event scene before they are 100% on their game and are ready. I’m excited to see their journeys and their ascension as main event/top players in the industry and I would not mind it, if this happens to be a slow build but one that pays off in the end. The way that WWE are handling Roman Reigns right now, it is clear where he will go and where his rise to the top will be but they have to be careful not to push him too fast before he really is ready – I will post my complete thoughts on Roman Reigns soon. Yet, what this Ambrose/Rollins feud has done, is provided us with a glimpse of the future. At a time where the WWE is moving into a new era, with the Network/new logo/NXT and the young crop of guys coming up – it’s giving us insight into what we will see in the years to come whilst WWE transitions into this new era. This feud is not just getting me excited for what we can see from Ambrose and Rollins in the future but what we can see from the rest of the younger guys. Guys such as Cesaro, Wyatt, Bryan, Harper, Reigns, Zayn, Steen, Devitt, Kenta, who are some of the best wrestlers to come out over the past few years. It will be an exciting time when these guys come up and are feuding with one another and not just for the world title. It will not be anytime soon, indeed over the next few years but it is this Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins feud that will usher in this new era, has us excited about this new era and shows how successful this new era has the potential of being.

As Dean Ambrose once said, “Whether we're friends or we're enemies, were gonna take over the business” – and I cannot wait for it.

- Zara

SummerSlam 2014 Review!

WOW…

SummerSlam 100% delivered in every aspect and on some parts, exceeded my already high expectations.

I’m gonna attempt to keep this short but we’ll see how it goes…

Ziggler and Miz for the IC title opened the show, it was a solid match, mostly due to Zigger, which is no surprise due to the workhorse and amazing athlete that he is. The closing spots towards the end of the match were amazing, the Fameasser into a Skull Crushing Finale got me out of my seat, Ziggler hitting that Zig-Zag and the ref counting to 1-2-3 had me in complete shock. We all wanted it, but no one expected it. WWE finally gave us what we wanted. A big win for Ziggler and a win, which he most definitely deserves. It was a great way to start the show and got the fans excited straight from the get-go. I hope this now brings some prestige to the IC title. 

Paige vs. AJ for the Diva’s title was next. Surely two title changes one after another at SummerSlam isn’t possible, right? 

WRONG. 

These two women delivered in this match, there were some great spots and we saw a side to Paige we haven’t seen before, with her finally getting an opportunity to show her personality and what she can do. The counter of the Black Widow into the Rampaige for Paige to pick up the win was perfect. My only criticism was that it was to short, short and sweet indeed but had they been given more time, the match could have been even that better.

Rusev vs. Swagger was…okay… I didn’t understand why it was a “flag match” if it was going to be a regular pin-fall match. Anyway, Rusev won with the Accolade after Swagger passed out. This got him over as a face as it didn’t have him tapping out or being pinned. In all honesty, I’m not interested in this feud anymore.

The promo package for Ambrose vs. Rollins was great and got me even more pumped for the match (for those of you who haven’t checked out my previous post or don’t follow me on twitter, this is the match I was most looking forward to and have been for months). Despite the weak stipulation of a Lumberjack Match, boy did this deliver. The chemistry between these two is something very, very special, something I have not seen in a long time. When I initially found out this was going to be a Lumberjack Match, I was so disappointed but I also knew that these two could have anything thrown at them and they would turn it into gold – as this match proved. The amount of incredible spots, from Ambrose’s dive onto the Lumberjacks/Ambrose suplexing Rollins to the outside/brawling into the crowd/Ambrose’s rebound clothesline (which Seth sold amazingly)/Dean hitting Seth with the curbstomp – it was simply amazing. The best Lumberjack match I have ever seen.  The ending was disappointing, with Seth hitting Dean with the MITB briefcase but the story-telling that Dean told in this match was incredible and a highlight for me. The fans in attendance were clearly into this, and I was out of my seat for the majority of the match. With Dean going off to shoot his movie “Lockdown” soon, I’m interested to see how they will write him off of tv for a little bit. But one thing is for sure – this feud is not over. I’m calling it now, this will be the feud of the year. Two future superstars, two future champions. These guys are the future of pro-wrestling.

Wyatt vs. Jericho had Wyatt going over, which is what we were expecting. The match was solid but the fans just did not seem into it. I for one, was not 100% invested in this match. JR tweeted this, he hit the nail on the head – “Crowd sedated somewhat because there's no one in @IAmJericho @WWEBrayWyatt they want passionately to lose. Simple psychology. #SummerSlam”. I 100% agree and do believe that Wyatt should have been the face here and then this rivalry could have been much more entertaining.

I was definitely excited for Brie vs. Steph and had been for a long time. The match was never going to be a great, technical wrestling match but both did well. Steph hasn’t missed a beat and considering she is not a wrestler and has not been in the ring for over 10 years, I thought she entertained throughout. With the involvement of HHH and Nikki, a lot of us knew we would get a Nikki heel turn, and we did. I’m interested in hearing her explanation for the turn tonight on Raw. Will we get another match between Steph vs. Brie (which fans will want to see) or will it be Nikki vs. Brie (which fans will not be invested in)? I guess we will just have to wait and find out.

Reigns vs. Orton was next. I had completely forgot about this match as I had already been enjoying the show so much, but I was looking forward to seeing how Roman would do in his first big PPV singles match. The match was entertaining and there were a couple of great spots, my favourite being Roman going for his superman punch or the jumping clothesline that he does and Orton countering it, into a RKO. Absolutely awesome. Roman went over here with the spear, as was expected but in all honesty, I was expecting a lot more from him. He needs to add a few more moves to his arsenal and brush up on his mic skills and he will be on his way to superstardom. Overall, I see him getting better and better and moving up in the wrestling world.

The main event was insane. Cena vs. Lesnar had massive expectations and imo, it did deliver. Some say it was boring, I say the psychology/story-telling was perfect. I was 100% expecting Brock to win here but I was nervous mid-match that after getting beat down so much, Cena would make a miraculous come back…but it never happened. Wow. When was the last time Cena went out like that? How many years ago? He took 16 German Suplexes from Lesnar. Brock is a BEAST and I’m happy to see him as the champ. I know some fans don’t like the fact that he will be a part-time champion, but I am completely fine with it. It will make the matches must see and makes for an exciting time in the WWE. I’m looking forward to seeing who he will feud with and how it will all play out.

Overall, I enjoyed this PPV more than Wrestlemania 30 and I absolutely loved WM30 so that is saying something…There were little things here and there that could have been better but I am not complaining. We got some great wrestling, I was entertained throughout and loved majority of the booking. Looking forward to Raw tonight.

- Zara