WWE Wrestlemania 34: Last Chance for the Reigns Experiment

I first became hooked on wrestling as a single-digit midget in the mid 1970s when all territories fell under the umbrella of the NWA and kayfabe still ruled the day.  Our local territory was then known as the WWWF, and was owned by Vince McMahon Sr.  At the time, his son Vince Jr. was doing little more than cutting promos and announcing. When Daddy Mac decided he'd had enough, he made Vince Jr. promise to not break up the territory system.  So what did Sonny Mac do?  He swallowed up the competition with haste thus ending the territorial system.  Vince Jr. would argue in the same spirit that Brett Hart screwed Brett Hart, the various territory owners killed the territories.  My son and I constantly debate the evolution of wrestling from when I was a kid through today's era of Sports Entertainment.  It is therefore my honor and privilege to introduce to you the newest contributor of the Brooklyn Trolley Blogger, my son, Michael III.  

I hereby dub this department of the Brooklyn Trolley Blogger:

VINCE SR.'s WORST NIGHTMARE

Sierra Hotel India Echo Lima Delta, SHIELD.  That intro is synonymous with the greatest WWE faction to come out since the NWO was throwing Rey Mysterio at trailers back in the old WCW.  Emerging from the audience decked out in riot gear, Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns broke out of NXT with a purpose and into the WWE Universe’s collective memory for years to come.  Coming out of the crowd and delivering a Triple Powerbomb to Goldberg….whoops, I meant Ryback...at Survivor Series 2012, the Shield made it clear that they were here to make a statement and run roughshod over the WWE roster.  Ambrose: the charismatic psychotic on the mic, Rollins: the high flying indie darling, and Reigns: the strong, silent powerhouse. All together, the best possible combo to take the company by storm.

For the next year and a half, the Shield would destroy almost all of WWE’s heroes. Everyone from John Cena to the Undertaker would fall victim to the destruction caused by the NXT rookies.  But then on June 2nd 2014, everything changed. Seth Rollins would betray the Shield and align himself with Triple H and the Authority, becoming the biggest heel in the company.  Ambrose would strike out on his own and seek revenge on his former partner Rollins. Rollins and Ambrose would go at it for months, complete with new ring attire, theme songs and attitudes.  The only member of the Shield with no clear direction after Rollins’ betrayal was Reigns.

Roman Reigns did not seek revenge against Rollins.  He did not stay aligned with Ambrose and pursue the tag titles.  Hell, he didn't even change his entrance and ring attire. No, instead Reigns immediately started facing off against established main eventers and competing for the top chip in the company.  Why did Reigns immediately shoot into the main event while his former brothers faced off against each other in a much more compelling story? The answer lies with the owner of the company, Vinnie Mac himself.  See, Vince McMahon saw something in Reigns. Main Event status. Stone Cold and Rock status. Top Babyface and top merchandise sales status. So the Powers That Be launched Reigns straight into the main event with no conceivable build up, story line or fan approval for that matter.

Reigns was booked to win the 2015 Royal Rumble without having won a single singles title or cutting a decent promo in his career prior to that.  Reigns had the unfortunate luck to win a Rumble that featured the comeback of Daniel Bryan who was unceremoniously dumped out early on. The hardcore Philly crowd booed the rest of the match especially the man that they saw clearly was meant to win the match: Roman “Corporate Creation” Reigns.  Reigns won obviously and went on to challenge Brock Lesnar for the WWE World Heavyweight Title at Wrestlemania 31. With that match, Roman Reigns should have been crowned as the official Face of the WWE. Alas it was not to be. The “WWE Universe” had spoken out in the utmost defiance against Reigns and declared this was not the champion they wanted.  Seth Rollins, in this writer’s opinion, the best current pure wrestler in the WWE, would cash in his Money In The Bank Contract and interrupt the main event battle, pulling off the heist of the century and become the WWE World Heavyweight Champ. Rollins not only robbed the title but he robbed Reigns of the moment that was supposed to cement him as “The Man.”

Now don’t get me wrong.  I think Reigns is a talented guy and has the ability to carry the WWE as one of its top guys.  I just don’t think he currently has the ability to carry the brand as THE GUY. Reigns certainly wasn't ready back in 2015 and although he has improved since then he is still not ready now.  Since ‘Mania 31, Reigns has had opportunity after opportunity to become the top guy in the company. Multiple world titles, U.S titles, Intercontinental titles and big wins over the company’s most established legends.  John Cena has put him over. Triple H has put him over.  Vince McMahon even had The Undertaker further taint his legendary Wrestlemania streak by putting over Reigns over at last years big event.  And even after all that nonsense, Roman Reigns is not over with the crowd at all. He gets a big reaction but about 80% of it is people booing the holy hell out of him. Vinnie Mac may see this as “any reaction is a good reaction” but this truly isn't the case. John Cena, the previous “GUY” of WWE, has dealt with mixed reactions almost his entire career.  The difference between him and Reigns is Cena has earned the respect of the hardcore fans through hard work, mic skills and match quality over the last couple years. Reigns has done nothing to endear himself to the hardcore internet fans of the WWE.  

Roman Reigns is a guy that may never win over the hardcore fans but the sad reality is he is here to stay.  With a victory in the most recent Elimination Chamber PPV, Cena 2.0 is set to face off against Lesnar again at ‘Mania in a rematch 3 years in the making.  Both guys lay claim to the fact that they are the only two wrestlers in history to cleanly pin the GOAT (Undertaker) at Wrestlemania. Reigns is a better wrestler and talker now than he was back when the system tried to initially force him down the fans throats.  In all honesty, this match is THE MONEY MATCH at this year’s Wrestlemania. The sad truth is that this truly is the last chance that Reigns has to win over the WWE Universe.

Years of bad booking, unnecessary pushes, and holding back of stars the fans want to see succeed (ahem Sami Zayn, Finn Balor, Finn Balor and more Balor) have led Reigns to another coronation. They tried at Wrestlemania 31 and had to call an audible due to fan backlash. They tried at Wrestlemania 32 against Triple H and Reigns’ victory was met with a symphony of boos and jeers.  They tried last year by having Reigns seemingly retire the Undertaker in an absolutely garbage match.  Now here we are, almost 4 years since the Shield’s destruction and the beginning of Vince McMahon’s never ending hard on for Roman Reigns.  Fans are still not on board but management seems to show no sign of slowing down on their plan. Vince McMahon has shown over 50 years in the business that he knows what it takes to be a top talent but he has also shown his ego sometimes gets in the way of common sense.  He had faith in Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Brock Lesnar, Edge, Randy Orton and John Cena. Those names all paid off as top guys in the company. He’s also had faith in Ultimate Warrior, Sgt. Slaughter, Diesel, Sycho Sid, Kane, Big Show, Batista, The Great Khali, Alberto Del Rio, Jack Swagger, Sheamus and Jinder Mahal.  Those names failed to hold up the business even when Vince and the writers thought it was a good idea.

This year’s Wrestlemania is the last chance Roman Reigns has to succeed as the top face in the WWE.  Will he finally win over the fans and become the face of the company? Who friggin knows. Taking the big belt off perennial part time Brock Lesnar should be a good thing but putting it on Reigns may not be the best thing for the company.  The Powers That Be have to make us believe Reigns is a worthy successor to John Cena and so far they have not done so. 2018 will either be the year we look back and see it as the year Roman Reigns became the Rock of his generation or the Diesel of his generation.  WWE has to do something totally balls to the wall with the next inevitable championship run of Roman Reigns to change the opinion of the hardcore fans. If not, fans will continue to serenade Reigns with boos and indifference and you can BELIEVE THAT.