The Big Dog versus The Tribal Chief: The Ring Work

With the Bloodline Saga having moved to its next phase, it’s time to start chronicling what has changed since WrestleMania 40. To do that here, Tanya of the Suplexes and Shea Butter Podcast has once again lent us her talents. You can find her at @TheWitchMilitia on Twitter. Check out her most recent work here.

There has been a lot of discourse lately in the internet wrestling community about Roman Reigns. What’s new, right? Well, the recent chatter concerns his in-ring work, particularly during his historic, near 4 year title reign. Fair or not, it seems the popular consensus is that people have fond memories of his reign due to the storytelling only. Some go so far as to say Roman Reigns has short changed the fans as far as his work ethic in-ring and has been “taking it easy”, leading folks to declare that his work prior to his heel turn in 2020 is vastly superior. 

The argument here, plainly, is based mostly on opinion but also apparently on Cagematch ratings. Cagematch is an internet wrestling database. Wrestlers’ matches are rated there by fans. While I am aware of the site, I hesitate to give credence to match ratings of a wrestler who has such a bias against their ring work for years as is the case with Reigns.

(Editors’ Note from Rob: I am a user and commenter on Cagematch, and I can attest to the biases in how matches are rated. Simply put, if you’re an American wrestler who only worked in WWE then your matches tend to get lower scores and the averages are more likely to dragged down by a few really low ratings (0 to 4 out of 10), and it goes double if you’re a woman. On the other hand internet darlings, especially if they worked in Japan, are loaded up with 9s and 10s to a degree far beyond what even the most self satisfied wrestlers would give themselves if they were voting on their work. Reigns definitely falls into the former category here.)

In fact, the idea that a fandom where the loudest voices for years plainly said Roman Reigns was a bad wrestler and did not get the business would turn around and praise his past ring work now is laughable. Let’s be clear. The type of fan who keeps up with Cagematch rating in 2024 is the same type of fan that was arguing with *me* about his in ring skills in 2015. Back then, very few people who were not unabashed fans would ever admit he was good, even after their God Bryan Danielson said so.

It was cool to boo Roman Reigns for a very long time. He was the avatar for all of Vince McMahon’s sh*tty booking. But he did not have any control over his booking, let alone the overall direction and vision for the company. So, Roman kept his head down and worked hard to improve in the areas he could control: his promos and his in ring work.

As a worker, he was there in 2015. Ratings aside, veterans in the game such as Bret Hart and Steve Austin were behind his in-ring work back then. They would speak about how well he adapted to working in the main event considering his level of experience. But it was not a huge surprise as the man grew up around wrestling and is a natural athlete. As I once told someone on the website Cageside Seats, 2016 Roman Reigns in the ring was John Cena with smoother transitions and better timing.

It was all about impressing the fans as the Big Dog for Roman. He would give it his all and pull out awesome moves in big matches routinely . . . Only to be met with “You still suck” chants. As a babyface, Roman Reigns as a character never backed down from a fight, wouldn’t quit, and would put his body on the line at all costs to win.

“The thing about the old days: They the old days.” -Slim Charles, The Wire

The thing about being a genuine fan of a wrestler is you watch them so much in all forms of media that you kind of know them. Not on any parasocial type stuff. You just know who they are as an entertainer. Roman Reigns, in case you didn’t know, pays attention to small details. The little things matter to him and can and will become larger personality traits. 

When Reigns turned heel, he explained how he did everything he could to be loved and accepted by everyone; the company, the locker room, and the fans, only to feel unappreciated time and again. He even felt unappreciated by members of his family and is the root of his mistreatment of the Usos. 

A part of changing into the Tribal Chief was changing the way Roman wrestled. He is no longer trying to impress anyone. One of his first catchphrases of many to be put on a t-shirt in the early part of his heel turn was Wreck Everyone and Leave, followed by Show Up and Win. There is still zero about the Tribal Chief that says he cares whether you enjoy watching him wrestle. Why would he as a character care about entertaining you?

As the Tribal Chief, Roman is only happy whe he is able to slowly dissect his opponent in a slow, methodical fashion while talking the most cash money sh*t you have ever heard. And the more people he was able to brainwash to protect his title, the less work he had to do. And the less work he did, the lazier he became.

I actually think people are exaggerating about the quality of Roman’s matches from post WM 39. He worked a bunch of tag matches with Solo and the Usos. The Jey match felt off because they had Roman work under for too much of the match and that was never going to work. His match with LA Knight is what led to Knight eventually becoming US Champion. Roman himself was working on the same level. The booking was monotonous, with a direct purpose: have the fans wishing for a new champion.

Basically, I am saying these fans who insist that Roman Reigns short changed the fans as champion are marks who got worked. But they do not recognize old school work for what it is, even though they claim to be smart to the business. And the reason a lot of fans, especially those obsessed with match ratings, can be so easily worked in 2024 is because most wrestlers are so afraid of being called a bad wrestler that, even as a heel, they go out there and try to impress the fans with their in ring work.  

Yeah, I was gonna keep it cute and whatever but, no. People were at one point saying LOGAN FREAKING PAUL carried Roman. Because Roman is so good at making others look good. He is constantly working to get the desired reactions from the crowd he is performing in front of, which, since 2021, he has done exceedingly well. The one obstacle that was standing in his way is gone and he has thrived in his role and taken so many others with him. And you are arguing on a Twitter space for an 8 hour shift because you are obsessed with moves and discount the STORYTELLING.

Roman Reigns has always been a physical storyteller. It is why he was the most over in the Shield (he was, get over it) and had barely spoken. It is why putting on the Ula Fala gets a bigger reaction in an arena than a Canadian Destroyer. His work rate is not the same as before, not because he is not capable or because he is coasting. It is because he actually pays attention to detail to the story he wishes to tell. I wish more wrestlers felt the same way to be honest. Ring work should change as your character changes; you’re not the same person with the same motivations as you were before!

Tribal Chief Roman Reigns is not Big Dog Roman Reigns and Roman rightfully has changed what he does in the ring to reflect that.