Every year since 2021 during the Road to WrestleMania, and shortly after, Tonya has contributed some thoughts about WWE. (To sample some of her previous work, check here.) You can find her at @TheWitchMilitia on Twitter.
Roman Reigns has been a polarizing figure in professional wrestling since the Shield initially broke up in the summer of 2014. For twelve years, if any talking head in the arena of wrestling commentary wanted to grip the community by the balls with endless discourse, they simply needed to state their take on the 6’4” Samoan grappler’s career. From his ring gear to his wrestling ability; whether his push as the face of the company was deserved; does he play backstage politics; hell, does he even like wrestling; absolutely NOTHING has been left unsaid about Roman freaking Reigns in the past twelve years.
As a former general of the Roman Empire, I have been there since the beginning. I have wasted a lot of time on the internet arguing with people who would say the most ridiculous things about this man. But one of the most ridiculous things I have heard has GOT to be the people who want to revise the impact that his heel turn into the Tribal Chief had on WWE at the height of the pandemic.
Full disclosure: I do NOT like Roman Reigns anymore. As a wrestling fan, the act has gotten a bit boring for me. I do not think he has lost a step in the ring and think his match with Punk at WM 42 was amazing. However, personally, he has said and done some things outside of the ring that I find distasteful and I cannot believe he is that ignorant politically. Also, I have been turned off by the way TKO presents wrestling as a whole. It just comes across, as my kids would say, very cringey. I have not watched a full WWE show since WrestleMania 42. I have tried to watch RAW a few times since then and cannot make it past the first segment.
That being said, recently Conrad Thompson stated that Roman Reigns was probably the most overrated WWE Main Eventer in WWE History, which is ridiculous because Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes not only exist but also are literally right there RIGHT NOW. But I digress. While Conrad is entitled to his wrong opinion, this led to an account of Twitter stating that the Bloodline story did not “save” WWE but it saved WWE’s stock in Roman. Apparently a conversation “we not ready for”.
Well, I’m ready for it. Let’s go. First of all, as a hated forced face, Roman was still out performing all the familiar internet faves in almost every metric that WWE cares about. Yes, he was being booed out of the building. And yet fans still displayed more interest in whatever he was doing than others. (Editor’s Note: There are countless reports on merchandise sales, YouTube views, TV ratings, Google Searches, that back this up.) You cannot lie to me. Whenever he came into the building, the energy always shifted. Whether you like him or not, if you cannot admit that someone who changes the environment in the room when he enters will ALWAYS have a place in wrestling, you are a lost cause. It was on Vince McMahon that he misused that energy for the longest time but he knew he had a star and that’s why he never truly went away from Roman as the top guy. (Another Note from Me: I went to multiple live shows that Reigns headlined during the dreaded 2015 to 2019 years, and I can tell you as an eyewitness that what you heard on TV was not the case universally.)
It was that intangible that led to Roman being one of the few wrestlers when the pandemic began to be able to go home and sit down and not work every week still. It was also the reason he was able to give Vince an ultimatum about his gimmick and presentation, which is the reason the Tribal Chief even exists. That came about from HIM. His idea to include Paul Heyman as basically his personal head of creative is proof that the WWE was already invested in his future. And as far as I can tell, all this came about because Roman himself was frustrated with his career, not because it was his “last chance” as the top guy.
So we can dead the idea that if Roman hadn’t done the entire Bloodline story, WWE was going to drop him. They were not. The makeup of WWE crowds after crowds returned in 2021 were not the same as pre-pandemic crowds. Overall, they have been way less snarky. There is nothing definitively to prove Roman Reigns would have still been booed as a face when crowds returned.
Now to address Conrad Thompson. If he had said Roman was the most overrated face of the company, I might agree. That is a more rarefied field with some very stiff competition. I do feel his position in the company is the most manufactured but I do not think that is necessarily a rare spot because Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels spots came in a very manufactured way as well.
Everyone is not Stone Cold. Nor Dwayne Johnson, who also was quite manufactured in his rise as well. Vince just corrected course way sooner than with Roman because WCW was breathing down his neck. He did not have that with Roman. And if you can appreciate John Cena as a main eventer, I have no clue how or why you are hypercritical of Roman Reigns. Cena has had as many bad main events in big spots as Roman but he still gets to be Big Match John when he is on his A game. Roman was given three of the worst WM main event opponents and situations in a row. It is not his fault he couldn’t “make it work” with old ass Triple H, even older ass Undertaker, and a Brock that was still running on the fumes of ending the streak. The last bad WM match was his third go ‘round with Brock.
Since I am a former fan, I have listened to the way Roman thinks about wrestling and he has always seen it as a team sport. The Bloodline story is a clear example of this. He clearly wants everyone involved in his stories to shine and he never seems to be personally bothered when someone gets the best of him in promos or with crowd reactions. This is why Sami Zayn was even brought in the Bloodline, which was his idea.
Now let’s get into Sami Zayn and how it ties into Roman Reigns as a main eventer. Before the Bloodline, Sami Zayn was solidly midcard. (Note: Before getting involved with the Bloodline in 2022 the last time Zayn was in a main event was a six pack challenge at Fastlane 2018). Vince found him funny so he would keep in the upper midcard but he was never taken seriously. He lost to the cast of Jackass at WM 38. He main evented the first night of WM 39. I don’t care what you say. That does not happen without Roman Reigns. Main Event Jey Uso and his “yeets”, whether you like it or not, is a money making gimmick because of Roman Reigns. Several wrestlers, like Bayley, credit big moments and storylines they received because of the success of the Bloodline.
Roman Reigns is not some lucky jock who was pretty and jacked enough to bumble his way into becoming the top star in WWE. And he is the top star. Not Cody Rhodes. Not CM Punk. Not any of your other faves. It is Roman Reigns. Not because the company wanted it. Yeah, he would still be getting pushed. But he is the top star in the company because he played his cards right. That is his hard work. No other guy in his position gets discredited for their ideas. No other top guy has faced the level of scrutiny and skepticism either.
Heavens knows that if Seth Rollins had even been able to get over someone like Jey Uso enough that they became World Champion, folks would be talking about that until the cows come home. Roman is elevating the wrestlers he works with. Solo Sikoa still has a job because of that. The real reason Cody Rhodes just had to go after Roman when he won the Rumble and not the other champion was because, as Ric Flair said, to be the man, you gotta beat the man. And you do not become the man to beat in a wrestling company that was doing sell outs every week with the top champion being overrated. And you can dislike Roman Reigns and admit his talent and what he has been able to accomplish for himself and his peers. Do better.
And make this the last time I have to say this, okay?
Stroke of Genius 