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