Scott,
Wrote this from the perspective of understanding where Roman Reigns is as a performer, even commending him, but underlining where he is and where McMahon is in the creative process. Thought you might enjoy.
Well unfortunately it looks like we're right back to SuperCena Reigns feuding with Big Show after RAW last night, so Vince definitely hasn't learned anything.
How much of a letdown was RAW in the final hour? Being promised Lesnar/Rollins, then getting Big Show, Kane, Ryback, Reigns and Orton instead. Hell, I was ok with that expecting Brock to return and smash the everything and everyone up. But no.
ReplyDeleteTalk about deflation...
First thing I saw when I pulled up was "Reigns dies" and I was like oh shit...
ReplyDeleteSomewhat off topic, I noticed during the live viewing of WM that it looked almost certain that Reigns got handed a blade while laying on the floor. No one mentioned it yesterday, but there's a gif going around now of it. I knew Lesnar's post wound looked like a bladejob, but it seems almost confirmed now. Good for them. The match needed something like that, as many often do.
ReplyDeleteDisqus is a total piece if shit. Holy fuck.
ReplyDeleteThere was nowhere but "down" to go after that segment. I'm not entirely sure why they didn't save it for last since the final hour usually gets the shittiest ratings and that would've been the perfect way to end it.
ReplyDeleteYou answered your own question.
ReplyDeletePeople like to see guys move up the ranks in wrestling and earn their spot. Reigns hadn't really done that, simply piggybacking off of The Shield's success and out of nowhere winning the Royal Rumble. The story wasn't even then presented as a plucky babyface who got lucky, but as a guy who worked his way up the ranks and is the ultimate bad ass to take on Brock.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is not only does the plucky underdog babyface fit BRYAN better they did nothing to make us believe Reigns is a bad ass that could beat all those other WWE greats in past eras no matter how much pimping Heyman did on the mic. What should've been done was do Rusev vs Reigns and Cena in a triple threat for the US title, give Reigns a long run with that belt especially now since Brock did end up resigning. Even if he didn't Bryan definitely was the "right now" guy they could've built up to feed to Rollins to eventually feed to Roman.
He's not unsalvagable but plugging him into an eventual feud with Cena over the US title might be the way to go.
People just respond better to a proper push. If you're going to push a guy like a beastly bad ass than do it. Goldberg didn't "work his way up the ranks", he beat the hell out of people and when presented with championship matches...he beat the hell out of those guys too. And people seemed to enjoy it the same way they enjoy Brock because larger-than-life figures still win over in pro wrestling or sports entertainment.
ReplyDeleteThe Reigns ascension was executed half ass and it got a half ass response. When he was pushed as the bad ass of the Shield people responded to him better. When he was presented as whatever he was presented as in the past six month people didn't like it.
When he was booked as a tough motherfucker that could take a beating at Wrestlemania XXXI and smile about it and battle through it, some people seemed to at least warm up to that.
The fact that Vince stated at a public meeting with inventors that they plucked Sting from obscurity to headline Wrestlemania pretty much sums up what kind of delusional world he lives in.
ReplyDeleteGotta love those inventors' meetings. They come up with everything!
ReplyDeleteLook at the rock. 2 years after debut and he's champ
ReplyDeleteSorry, investors.
ReplyDeleteOddly he suffered three straight pinfalls in WM Main Events and dude was like teflon in spite of that.
ReplyDeleteYea I was excited too
ReplyDeleteBreaking news: Promoters lie
ReplyDeleteGetting hurt after Summerslam killed him. Just killed him. They should have reset expectations and built him back up by plowing through the midcard for three months and then either winning a high profile match (HHH) or the Andre The Giant battle royal.
ReplyDeleteI'll go to my grave saying Brock-Orton should have headlined this with the exact same ending.
I feel bad for sting ... but he got his DVD, made a bunch of money, and will be in the hall of fame. So good for him.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Killed him momentum. there was a RAW sometime during the summer that ended with Reigns-HHH facing off and the same people that were booing and claimed to always hate him were feeling him that night. That was probably the peak and in reality HHH should have taken the lead and put on himself to get that kid over.
ReplyDeleteGoldberg worked his way up the ranks beating the hell out of scrubs then midcarders to eventual main event talent. Yes, his extreme booing was in part to the sufferin succotash promos but guys like Goldberg and Lesnar crushed everyone on their way to the top of the mountain. Reigns was just beamed up there like Star Trek or some shit.
ReplyDeleteexactly. the timing was totally off due to his injury.
ReplyDeleteRun Lesnar-Bryan at the Rumble, have Orton make his return in teh Rumble to a big babyface pop.
ReplyDeleteThat has nothing to do with lying. Vince believes that 100%. In his mind if you are not in his company, you do not exist.
ReplyDeletebtw: f**k those idiots. I am guessing at least half the people booing him were cheering for him when he was part of The Shield.
ReplyDelete(it's okay to change your mind about someone. but it's ridiculous if people try to act like they "always hated him")
I think it's a bit strange though. because personally the story of "Reigns takes all the punishment from Lesnar and still tries to get up" is a lot more powerful if he is the one bleeding like crazy (a variation of Austin against Hart if you will).
ReplyDeleteand he's wealthy, seemingly healthy and came back and agreed to all these terms, so I wouldn't feel bad for him. He made a ton of $$ coming in and jobbing one last time
ReplyDeleteReigns is a talented big man that needs seasoning in his stick work but certainly appears to be able to work an entertaining, hard-hitting match.
ReplyDeleteHe doesn't need to leave TV to rebuild himself. You have work through that shit sometimes and figure out on the fly. I mean it isn't going to get much worse for him than it was between the Rumble and Wrestlemania so I think he's gotten through the storm.
Next program should be with someone that can get that style out of him like the newly heel Sheamus.
Really anyone but Big Show. Or Kane. Unless they are 60 second squashes.
What else do you know about Vince's brain? If that were true then why would he ever sign any of these ex WCW guys?
ReplyDeleteThis, 100%. If Reigns is your guy and the plan is to make him, then do that. Don't try to make everyone happy because you'll end up pissing everyone off.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how anyone took WM to suggest they were done with Reigns. They booked him to take Brock's best and be on the verge of victory before Rollins showed up. This was simply doing what they did after the Rumble - buying more time to get him over while staying the course.....I'm not even that excited about Rollins. It's going to be the same tired Authority stuff vs Reigns and friends only now he's carrying the belt around.
ReplyDeleteI do to, but hopefully he went into it just wanting to have a match at WM and he's happy to have had it. Although it does sound like he wants to keep working with WWE. Too bad he didn't do it years ago.
ReplyDeleteThe Shield was a popular act that was really hitting their peak when it was broken up and the vibe that was given off was to forget those other two and just cheer for Reigns now. In the storyline killing the Shield was to benefit Rollins, in real life it was to benefit Reigns.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with Reigns is he can't talk. That's going to be hard to get around. When he was in The Shield, he was the badass enforcer for two guys who could promo the Hell out of the mic. That Reigns was cool and people liked him. The Rock-lite Reigns with cheesey promos and bad acting...he sucks and it makes his matches look stupid. Cocking the fist doesn't look cool when you just got down awkwardly saying stupid stuff.
ReplyDeleteReigns needs to learn how to talk or be booked like Goldberg...an ass kicker with no interest in speaking. That's a character people can get behind.
They either need to change him immediately or take him off TV while they figure out what they're doing. NXT is right there for stuff like this.
The next program should be Reigns keeping his mouth shut and just killing dudes dead. Let him work on mic skills at house shows so he can learn how to give a promo.
ReplyDeleteThat headline scared the fuck out of me. Be more careful, Scott!
ReplyDeleteNot cool, bro.
ReplyDeleteThe guy has the talent and charisma to be a big deal. Huge, even. But the WWE fanbase as a whole seems to be sick of the aura of Vince's pet projects after 10 years of Cena being on top that they're ready to turn on anything that isn't organic, i.e. Lesnar, Rollins, Bryan, Ziggler, Mizdow, Fandango after WM29.
ReplyDeleteThe same thing happened to Sheamus in the build-up to WM28, only it wasn't quite as nuclear since he wasn't the only guy vying for a World title at that point. Punk held the other belt, so fans remained content with that, I suppose. Now, that factor is long gone.
Give the guy the mic and let him be who he is and he'll do fine. Have him go toe-to-toe with Brock and he'll still be fine. Anything else... he might as well be back in developmental.
It's total generic smarkdom because the internet says not to like the guy we should boo him now.
ReplyDeleteAt least with Cena it's kind of a light-hearted give and take. This was just people taking on a follower's mentality.
I've been saying that Reigns should have had Cena's spot at WM. Win a secondary singles title, learn how to work different kinds of singles matches, and get the audience on his side organically as the fighting champion without the burden of carrying the business. Then do a champion/champion match at WM 32 a la Warrior/Hogan.
ReplyDeleteTNA is kinda obscurity.
ReplyDeleteThe only reason they popped for reigns was because he was the last guy aside from Batista, who they hated more. Up until that point both were getting booed.
ReplyDeleteI titled the article as such and mailed it to Scott with the title as the header. So blame me.
ReplyDeleteBrandon Stroud captures my Reigns thoughts pretty well. Reigns has been really killing it the last month and the main event at WM was a great match.
ReplyDeleteMy other concern is that sometimes I feel like people aren’t watching
the show closely enough. Hearing Roman Reigns get booed after that
WrestleMania main-event seems so weird to me, and validates that awful
“pick a side” thing wrestling fans (and everybody else on the Internet)
does. The idea is to watch the shows and form you opinions organically,
and allow them to change if context or circumstances change. If
Roman’s been bad for a little while (like he was), you like him less.
If he gets his shit together, you notice it and give him the benefit of
the doubt. It’s rarely ever a “nope, gonna hate this guy forever”
situation in WWE, where they’ve proven they can make you hate guys you
love and love guys you hate on the f*cking fly. You know how much I
loved Adam Rose for a week? You know how much I hated Bo Dallas? I’d
urge you to try to not just decide something and stick with it, because
what’s the fun in that? It’s like filling out a questionnaire. The joy
of wrestling is that it lives. It’s a physical, active thing happening
in the world. It’s dynamic. It changes. Deciding you like or hate
something and having no idea why — or worse, liking or hating something
because you decided how OTHER people feel — is the worst.
It's illegal to lie to your investors. Therefore, Vince either truly believes this or he's intentionally breaking the law.
ReplyDeleteOr, you know, other people weren't as impressed by Reigns as you were and still don't wanna see him talk or watch him work against anyone who isn't a singular talent like Bryan or Lesnar.
ReplyDeleteI dislike Reigns. Organically. If he learns how to speak, develops a moveset, and features in stories I actually find compelling, I'll change my mind. In the meantime, he's Diesel with less charisma, worse promos, and shoddier booking.
Reigns is supposedly really good on the mic, he just has Vince scripting him awful promos.
ReplyDeleteNo, Scott, the issue was that Reigns didn't have ENOUGH matches with Big Show.
ReplyDeleteEhhhh.... his NXT promo was better, but by no means "really good."
ReplyDeleteI think Meltzer said he cut promos with Austin at a panel and more than held his own.
ReplyDeleteHe certainly has his faults, and some of that is the situations WWE put him in. But I don't think he is nearly as terrible and the lost cause like a lot of people make him out to be.
ReplyDeleteThis argument seems to be more like "I used to hate Reigns, now I like him and I don't understand why everyone else still does"
ReplyDeleteThis is coming from the same guy who carries an unhealthy hatred towards The Rock because people cheer him for insulting people.
ReplyDeleteI boo him now but I liked him in HIS ROLE in the Shield. When he was in the Shield, he wasn't in crappy matches, and he didn't stink up the joint with bad promos. He also wasn't taking one of the very few Main Event "spots". There's a solid twenty other guys on the roster I'd rather have seen fight Lesnar.
ReplyDeleteTBF people were popping more for "Not Batista" than they were for Reigns.
ReplyDeleteI mean, i don't tell anyone else not to like him, but I don't like him because he's a mediocre worker and a bad promo on a character with no compelling motivation or personality. I think that's a pretty good reason not to like somebody.
ReplyDeleteIf he improves, I'll like him more.
Stroud can be annoying but at least in this instance, I agree with him.
ReplyDeleteHe worked his ass off in both the last two PPV main events. He deserves credit for at least that much, instead of 100% of the credit going to his opponents. Also, those Triple H-Brock matches were boring and awful, and Triple H is a pretty good worker. So it's not like Brock is automatic greatness at all times. It takes two to tango.
ReplyDeletehe also seems to be in really good health. He was def right to stay away for a long time tho - if he came in in 2002-03 he would have been jobbing to Nathan Jones.
ReplyDeleteThe more I think about it - Wrestlemania match against HHH at 57 years old? Can't feel too bad.
Yeah, but there are plenty of talented athletes I don't cheer for because they're not my personal favourites, plenty of good movies I haven't seem because they didn't appeal to my taste. There's nothing about Reigns that appeals to me whether he tries hard or not.
ReplyDeleteWorking his ass off doesn't mean I have to like him, it just means I can't criticize him as lazy
ReplyDeleteThis. It's the same with Rusev this year.
ReplyDeleteThey weren't cheering Rusev, they were cheering "Anything but Reigns"
What If?:
ReplyDelete- If CM Punk id to be believed, Chris Hero was pitched to be in the Shield with Rollins and Ambrose. What if Hero is in the Shield and not Reigns, in 2013?
I don't think he meant it the way you think he meant it. It's totally fair to describe Sting as 'obscure' after all these years, and with the video game and everything else they had fans new and old cheering for him. Vince is totally within his rights to say that.
ReplyDeleteThey get jobbed out sooner.
ReplyDeleteYOU!!!!
ReplyDeleteExcept turning Lesnar face was part of their plan.
ReplyDeleteSo it did make sense.
Eh, they might'v e been cheering Rusev, he's pretty awesome.
ReplyDeleteDude rode a TANK.
Without reading the rest of the responses I'm sure there will be plenty of "No, but see, I *really* don't like him!" and I'm sure plenty of people legitimately don't, but this is unquestionably, pretty much objectively part of the problem with Reigns' crowd reactions. He's absolutely gotten better. He did not look out of place in the WrestleMania main event. He played his part perfectly, and he's not the golden boy champion- the presumption of which was the impetus for the hate to begin with.
ReplyDeleteThe dude still has a long way to go and if someone doesn't want to be a fan of him simply from the perspective of he doesn't give them enough as a professional wrestling viewer, I mean...fine. But Stroud is absolutely correct here. If you didn't like him because you thought he was overpushed and not ready, your opinion should have changed because he's not the champion and likely won't be the top guy anytime soon, and he just put on a tremendous performance. Brock wasn't out there alone. Nor was Bryan last month for their great match.
It could've been. However, I would argue that because of his role as the hot tag (and general good booking) Reigns usually got a bigger reaction than Ambrose or Rollins. Least talented of the trio, but probably the most over at the time of the breakup.
ReplyDeleteIt was probably a combination of the two. The Rumble having a 'smarky' crowd, a guy like Reigns who was part of a super popular heel faction would've been cheered.
ReplyDeleteDunno, but the Shied would've been worse. Ambrose/Reigns/Rollins was the perfect trio.
ReplyDeleteI see your point. However, what did WWE do exactly to build Sting up? Every Sting appearance was a big deal because everyone already knew who Sting was. If he was some unknown, obscure guy, as Vince made it seem, why would it be so awesome that he showed up at Survivor Series or his first appearance on Raw?
ReplyDeleteSting was a one of the biggest stars of the late 80s and 90s. He was probably the biggest star WCW ever made. You know how I know that? Because WWE said it on their show over and over again.
Yes, maybe he hasn't done anything since WCW closed if you're saying that TNA doesn't count but clearly people still remembered him and cared to see him in WWE.
The whole basis of his run was that Sting was finally in WWE. If Christopher Daniels signed with WWE and headlined Wrestlemania, I would agree with that statement.
Sting is not Christopher Daniels.
Yes that was a huge factor as well but Rollins was handled pretty well also.
ReplyDeleteI like Reigns as a worker but he got the rocket so far up his ass the sparks could shoot out of his nose, so as long as none of this feels deserved kayfabe-wise -- playing dead in the Rumble, Bryan never getting his title shot after never losing it in the ring, not having a rootable quality to him as a persona and sounding like an entitled dick in the ring and out -- I will rebel until he is booked better or he gets a complete repackage like his cousin did.
ReplyDeleteI just like guys that I organically take to. I liked Steve Austin because his character was awesome not because they told me he was good so I decided to go along with it. It was never about whether he was good or improving to me, he just didn't capture me and the obviousness of his forced push to the top was a major turn off. For me it's not about his talent on work ethic it's simply whether he deserves it based on the fans liking him and right now he really doesn't.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty meh on Reigns.
ReplyDeleteCena on the other hand - man, my hatred for that dork is venomous. Every time he does his jumpy, hand in the air, gormless face "you can't see me" five knuckle shuffle I want to punch myself in the face repeatedly to banish it from my head.
Reigns has a way to go to get to that stage.
The fact they were willing to give him HHH at WM is a sign of respect. He also looked strong the entire build up and lost via sledgehammer to the face so it wasn't the usual WCW star by rain aside from JbL's commentary and the lack of big deal being made about him afterwards. But if he's not someone who cares about winning or losing he just had a high profile match at WM at 57 to scratch it off his bucket list, I assume he's happy.
ReplyDeleteWWE's booking continues to be shitty with the good bits being forced upon them by happen chance.
ReplyDeleteIt has been like this since the early nineties.
The Rock is proof just because a gimmick makes people wish you woulddie doedoesn't mean there's no way that will change. My problem is its creative that has to change otherwise they won't have any stars, just a brand name for bland entertainment.
ReplyDeleteIf the WWE Network didn't exist and they hadn't made such a big deal of him being in the video game, then most people would have been scratching their heads when Sting showed up at SS. Vince/the WWE purposely put his name and content out there and promoted it in various mediums for a long while before he debuted
ReplyDeleteWhen he says they plucked him from obscurity and made him headline Mania (I don't know the exact wording he used), I'm sure he doesn't mean Sting was a nobody all his life before WWE. He's just saying he took him from post-WCW obscurity to super relevance, which he did.
At the Rumble I mean
ReplyDeleteRollins sold out and went heel, Ambrose was furious with the betrayal. That's all good. Almost immediately Reigns was positioned as being a bigger deal than both of them. It's almost like killing DX in 1999 to elevate HHH only the guy being elevated by the death of a popular group is supposed to be the face.
ReplyDeleteGetting visions of Reigns climbing a beanstalk to steal Big Show's precious golden Andre trophy while mugging at the camera, winking, "Ain't I a stinker?"
ReplyDeleteROMAN would probably still be here because the office was High on him in the first place. If Hero was in the shield they probably wouldn't have gotten as many chances to be awesome.
ReplyDeleteRandy Orton has made a career out of being boring as hell, doing the same dull match and generating no heat. Reigns has a future ahead of him either way
ReplyDeleteNot for nothing, but they should flip Payback and Extreme Rules in the ppv schedule.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the greatest "what if" question ever. Watching Sting walk down the isle for Wrestlemania all I could think was "What is he had done this 20 or even 10 hell even 5 years ago?" I'm always going to wonder what Sting in the WWE would have been like.
ReplyDeleteGive Reigns different music for starters. The Shield is over.
ReplyDeleteShouldn't Reigns have a feud with Daniel Bryan? Bryan did tell Reigns that he'd BETTER kick Lesnar's ass, and he didn't do that. There's got to be some consequences to that!
ReplyDelete(Insert looney tunes ending music and circular fade out)
ReplyDeleteI'd bet pretty much what it was like this year.
ReplyDeleteGets beat by HHH, toils around for awhile and sells some masks.
You should have seen him on Conan. Dude was freaking fantastic.
ReplyDeleteI dislike when people analyze why fans don't care for guys. It's simply because they're not entertained. IMO, Reigns remains a subpar entertainer. If/When he improves, I might get into him.
ReplyDeleteThis and more this.
ReplyDeleteAnd yet the WWE as a company is in a much, much better place than that time.
ReplyDeleteOh, I'm not suggesting that Chris Hero would have been pushed. I'm just suggesting that if Reigns isn't in the Shield, he may not have gotten this much of a push this quickly. There was definitely a point in 2014 where Reigns was getting really over, albeit in six-man tags hitting his signature spots.
ReplyDeleteThe break up you mean?
ReplyDeleteI don't like his stance that apparently there's a point at which you owe it to someone to cheer for them. I like to watch wrestling and pull for the guys I like and not the guys I don't. Sometimes I will spontaneously change my mind about someone (Bob Holly becomes "the big shot", suddenly I enjoy him and want him to win matches), but never because I feel like I'm supposed to.
ReplyDeleteIf they could just give Big Show the Yes! chant again, I think that would be the last piece of the puzzle for a successful never-been-seen-before Reigns-Big Show feud. I mean who wouldn't want to YES along with those big frying pan sized hands, amIright?
ReplyDeleteTo think there isn't some sort of groupthink or other sociological phenomena when it comes to the reactions to *any* performer, especially one in an medium as dependent on real-tiome call-and-response with the audience as wrestling, is just being silly.
ReplyDeleteShh...that would imply these characters actually have real motivations! Not just moving from segment to segment doing whatever for no real reason.
ReplyDeletegenerating no heat? you mean like just two days ago when huge parts of the stadium went crazy for him?
ReplyDeletewhile I agree (there were several points at which Reigns was clearly the most popular guy within The Shield) with this one could also argue he was positioned that way almost right from the start (The Shield was still together when he had his Diesel-like Survivor Series match etc.).
ReplyDeleteIn my second university sociology class right now. what I've learned, this is an awful field to cite looking to be taken seriously
ReplyDeleteregardless, you're talking more about social psychology than sociology.
Well, sure, that's how most people are. I don't think a lot of people are going to come out and say, "I prefer the guys who are pushed down our throats!" Anyone who has enough wherewithal to think about it like that prefers the performers we gravitate to on our own.
ReplyDeleteBut continuing to have the same opinion about a performer when he shows real improvement and delivers a hell of a match that no one thought he could, in the main event of WrestleMania, against a guy not known for being a master technician or ring general himself....
All I'm saying is if one has the exact same opinion of Roman Reigns as they did two months ago, to me that's just as silly as the WWE forcing him down our throats when we didn't want him.
Good point.
ReplyDeleteHe did kinda kick Lesnar's ass, though. He took an insane, unholy beating and withstood it. He rammed Lesnar's head into the pole and made him bleed all over the place and hit him with a combined five of his signature moves in about a minute, and only lost because Rollins cashed in and stole the pin after Reigns hit Lesnar with yet another spear. Lesnar's ass was so thoroughly kicked that he couldn't stop Rollins from getting the pin.
ReplyDeleteAnother point, Ambrose was furious but Reigns was all "whatevs". His singles push was ass from day one.
ReplyDelete*begs off*
ReplyDeleteDidn't watch his WM match, but overall I see crickets and tumbleweed and fans sitting on their hands when his music hits. I just don't see how ppl think he's over or worth continually pushing, but hey to each their own. If people enjoy his work then great
ReplyDeleteRight, and I get that. It's the same with Cena for me. But not giving the person credit for their in-ring performances is another matter besides liking or disliking them. Cena is one of the worst, lamest characters I've ever seen, but I can acknowledge when he brings it.
ReplyDeleteMeltzer says lots of things.
ReplyDeleteIt's not that he's terrible, it's that he's bad, and more importantly, it's that he's bad at the top of the card.
ReplyDeleteSure, but in both those matches the other guy did the lion's share of the work, and they're both aberrations against every other singles match (and most non-Shield tags) he's had. I'm not saying those matches weren't good, I'm saying they didn't give me any reason to want Reigns at the top of the card instead of the two guys who he had good matches with (or, you now, twenty other guys).
ReplyDeleteAs for Trips/Lesnar, yeah, it sucked. I wasn't exactly clamoring for either of them to be at the top of the card when that was happening... but Lesnar at the top has otherwise been excellent, and while he can't talk either, he's got Heyman, who's a near GOAT talker. Again, i'd much rather watch a show around him than Reigns. Also, as bad as Trips/LEsnar was... it was better than Reigns/anyone but Bryan or Brock.
If Reigns actually improves, I'll probably love him. But I presently don't like watching him.
A lot of them are accurate!
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't say Reigns was on the verge of victory. As I was watching the match before Rollins cashed in, and Brock kicked out of Reigns' spears, I thought to myself that there's no believable way Reigns can beat this man.
ReplyDelete*walks into a nut shot*
ReplyDeleteHe's been awesome before the tank.
ReplyDeletedid you see the recent Raw shows?
ReplyDelete(it's perfectly okay to dislike someone. but claiming there would be "crickets and tumbleweed and fans sitting on their hands when his music hits" is simply inaccurate)
I did see Monday's show and the crowd seemed dead. I don't watch regularly, so maybe he gets massive pops other times. He's just the same boring guy who does the same exact match/routine when he's a face or a heel. I think he's the classic case of a guy who came along 5-10 years too late - if he had WCW to bounce to it would help him tremendously
ReplyDeletehe has mostly received good to great reactions on the shows since his return.
ReplyDelete(and I think you are aware that he has gotten great reactions at several points in his career before)
My concern is that you'll never see any improvement because you'll give credit for every good match to his opponent and place blame for every bad match on him.
ReplyDeleteEven if that were the case- it's not- it's about a lot more than the matches. Once he gives me a character to give a crap about, the matches are secondary. I still love Diesel, for instance, but I can count on my fingers the good matches he's had.
ReplyDeleteI'm not invested in Reigns as a character, I don't enjoy listening to him speak, and I don't like watching him wrestle. As good as the Lesnar match was, I woulda enjoyed it ten times more if the second guy was somebody I gave a crap about.