Roman Reigns

**LuckIsForLosers** · 02-22-2013, 08:46 AM

I'm sure that judging by my posts on anything even remotely Shield related, and looking at my signature, that some of you can tell that I'm a staunch advocate of Roman Reigns eventually being one of THE guys. Indeed several of you agree judging by a poll on a thread created by someone else.

Since the Shield first debuted on Raw after Survivor Series (I didn't get a good look at the 3 of them in Survivor Series as it was all a bit quick but of course was aware of Ambrose and Tyler Black) I looked at Roman Reigns and thought "THIS is a guy I can see spearheading the next generation of stars". Most were focused on Ambrose, who has undoubtedly impressed with his mic skills, and the majority of the remainder on Rollins, who has a fluid and crisp in-ring style. But to me, Reigns is the one most compelling.

He doesn't have the incredible mic skills of Ambrose; that isn't to say that he doesn't have charisma, which I feel he oozes. You can probably tell by my list of favourite wrestlers in my sig that I favour the Angles and Jerichos and Hennigs over the Hogans and Cenas etc. But that is not to say that I only like wrestlers who have more holds in their repertoire than Chris Jericho's WCW list! This is entertainment after all, not amateur wrestling.

On that basis Reigns just immediately impresses. He just has a quiet charisma, and intensity and is explosive in the ring; a credible destroyer. And (I hate this cliche but nevertheless) he seems to have "it". He has that presence, and I don't mean "presence" as per the Kevin Nash definition of height, I mean the thing whereby when a superstar's music hits and they walk out the curtain, you're just automatically compelled to take notice. Something beyond any technical skills. Cena has it; Punk has it; Bobby Roode has it. To me Ryback doesn't have it. He comes out but there's nothing that makes you want to watch him. On this basis, to me I honestly see this man as the eventual face of the WWE with Sheamus being to him what Batista was to John Cena. Thoughts?

**Darkside Ron Garvin** · 02-22-2013, 09:18 AM

Reigns has time on his side, so I will give you the fact that he "could" be something epic.

At the moment, I don't see the depth that you are envisioning. Sure, I could speculate and create examples in my head of how he could be successful, but based on what has been offered to me thus far, Reigns needs a lot of improvement before he could be the John Cena to Sheamus' Batista.

Reigns has the look and build, but I don't see that 'amazing stand out' from his in-ring or mic work to give him the nod as being the next big thing. Brock wasn't solid on the stick, but when you watched his in-ring you knew he was a force. Cena wasn't the best wrestler, but his promos made him a massive standout in that crop. The two major things that stood out from your post that caught me off guard were made in a single statement:

He just has a quiet charisma, and intensity and is explosive in the ring; a credible destroyer.

I don't see this "quiet charisma" just because a guy stands there and crosses his arms. If I did, I would say that Rob Terry is the most charismatic wrestler to date. He has a look, this is for sure, but how you base someone’s charisma from standing and remaining silent, I don't know. Maybe he will be like Diesel in that his 'quiet charisma' develops into a well rounded character based on his confidence in his abilities, but I am not on the same level. The second confusing part was the 'intensity' because I don't see it either. Yes, when he has that primal scream, there is intensity but you try doing that at home and not look intense. When in a promo, he seems distant and uninterested at best. It's because of his eyes; Gunner pulls off the 'intensity' look because his eyes sell that he always has it. Same for Ryback... But Reigns doesn't give that same impression to me.

As I said, he has time to get to the level that you see him, but based off of the sample size of his work, I just can't jump to the conclusion that he will be what you want him to be. Sure, he can get there someday... But Brodus Clay could also lose 150 pounds and join the Cruiser Division when the WWE Network launches; it's just not likely based on what we've seen this far.

**El T Draino 316** · 02-22-2013, 09:23 AM

Completely agree man. He's a stud. His mic exposure thus far has been short and explosive (quick 10 word intense sentence, pass the mic), but he's yet to string together a dozen of sentences to really tell a story. At this point, he doesn't need to and I'm fine with that. That's why its a trio and that's why Ambrose is the primary mouthpiece.

As for the IT factor, I think all 3 have it. Reigns was the sleeper in the group for me. I think a majority of us knew Rollins and Dean had it, but Reigns has shined in his role, and has risen above every occasion he's been given. He's an athletic and mobile big guy with some serious charisma. He gets it. I can't think of one blemish on the Shield since their debut. Their in-ring style, mic-work, and the overall quirky, sadistic style is captivating and fresh.

A lot of credit has to be given to the WWE Creative for how its been handled. They didn't Nexus them. They've let them win some HUGE matches. They didn't rush them into in-ring promos. They've looked strong since minute one, and its why they look strong today.

**Tommy Thunder** · 02-22-2013, 09:34 AM

I think you're getting WAY ahead of yourself here man.
Sure, Reigns has the look and potential to be something big (in that he has that look and that JR had been championing him as a future star), but I haven't seen anything yet to suggest that he can be the John Cena of WWE.

As DRG says, I don't see this "quiet charisma". Just because he stands there and crosses his arms in between saying a few word and screams at the top of his voice whenever they get ready to hit the triple powerbomb doesn't tell me that he has charisma.

**ToiletBowl** · 02-22-2013, 10:18 AM

Reigns has the 2nd generation thing on his side for sure. He's got the build and the look. I think he just has an incredibly long way to go with his promos.

**LuckIsForLosers** · 02-22-2013, 10:50 AM

Fair enough sir; each to their own and all that.

Just to clarify - I don't see him BEING John Cena and Sheamus BEING Batista in terms of their traits - of course, if we're talking traits, it's more likely to be the other way round based on Reigns' look and work and Sheamus' "colourful" look and mic work. I see this more in terms of their spots at the top billing.

In terms of quiet charisma and intensity - it's not so much the arm crossing (where did that idea come from?!) or even the primal scream (though that adds in a contrasting way to his usual stoic demeanour). It's more his presence, and his demeanour - the definition of charisma is that innate compelling attractiveness - compelling being the key word - and of course you don't need mic skills or even need to say a word to be charismatic (see Y2J's 2011 return silent schtick). It's everything from how he walks alone down the crowd, how he shrugs his shoulders, how he's stoic yet not nonchalant or distracted - it's a vibe he emanates, one that a Batista or Lashley should have had. It's like when Brock Lesnar walks into the ring nowadays - slowly, methodically, but with a chilled out almost dismissive look on his face - telling the person in the ring "I'm about to obliterate you and it will be easy and insignificant to me". I could probably elaborate more though this will turn into an acting-related essay then.

That's what I mean by "quiet charisma and intensity". As for in-ring; Brock had an amateur background so I'm not comparing but he definitely has a destroyer moveset, and is explosive; he pulls off those moves well using the combination of power and agility and to be perfectly honest his lariats and clotheslines during Elimination Chamber looked more impactful than Ryback's meat hooks.

It's rather indescribable what I see in him - it's like when Jim Ross blogs about a developmental talent and says "he has IT - I can't describe it but him merely walking to the ring is compelling". I don't see that in Ryback, I just see a musclebound guy walking to a ring. But each to their own I suppose; there are people who agree and people who don't but we shall see in the next 1-2 years where Reigns is.

As for the Brodus comment, that was definitely amusing (I tried to picture it)...similarly I'd put to you that 12 years ago you may have made a similar comment about Devon Dudley's silent collection man being the number 1/2 guy in the company and Bradshaw from the APA being a dominant world champion. Unlikely at the present, but entirely possible in the near future.

**Tommy Thunder** · 02-22-2013, 11:02 AM

Originally Posted by LuckIsForLosers

Fair enough sir; each to their own and all that.

Just to clarify - I don't see him BEING John Cena and Sheamus BEING Batista in terms of their traits - of course, if we're talking traits, it's more likely to be the other way round based on Reigns' look and work and Sheamus' "colourful" look and mic work. I see this more in terms of their spots at the top billing.

I know what you meant by this, but again, he has a long way to go before he can convince me the way he seems to have convinced you.

In terms of quiet charisma and intensity - it's not so much the arm crossing (where did that idea come from?!) or even the primal scream (though that adds in a contrasting way to his usual stoic demeanour). It's more his presence, and his demeanour - the definition of charisma is that innate compelling attractiveness - compelling being the key word - and of course you don't need mic skills or even need to say a word to be charismatic (see Y2J's 2011 return silent schtick). It's everything from how he walks alone down the crowd, how he shrugs his shoulders, how he's stoic yet not nonchalant or distracted - it's a vibe he emanates, one that a Batista or Lashley should have had. It's like when Brock Lesnar walks into the ring nowadays - slowly, methodically, but with a chilled out almost dismissive look on his face - telling the person in the ring "I'm about to obliterate you and it will be easy and insignificant to me". I could probably elaborate more though this will turn into an acting-related essay then.

That's what I mean by "quiet charisma and intensity". As for in-ring; Brock had an amateur background so I'm not comparing but he definitely has a destroyer moveset, and is explosive; he pulls off those moves well using the combination of power and agility and to be perfectly honest his lariats and clotheslines during Elimination Chamber looked more impactful than Ryback's meat hooks.

If you want to be the top billing in the company as you say, then you're going to have to cut mean promos at some point (like Jericho), or at least have a manager that can do something for you (like Undertaker). Jericho's silent schtick worked for him because of who he is. He was a household name and a recognizable guy. No new superstar (like Reigns is) would have been able to pull that off. And like I said, Undertaker has never had the best mic skills (IMO) but he's been able to get away with that by having built a formidable legacy and build a character that everyone's into. Notice how everyone listens when Taker cuts a promo these days.

It's rather indescribable what I see in him - it's like when Jim Ross blogs about a developmental talent and says "he has IT - I can't describe it but him merely walking to the ring is compelling". I don't see that in Ryback, I just see a musclebound guy walking to a ring. But each to their own I suppose; there are people who agree and people who don't but we shall see in the next 1-2 years where Reigns is.

Again, I don't get the same feeling when I see him walking to the ring. When I see The Shield coming out through the crowd, Reigns doesn't stick out from the other two for me. When they're in the ring cutting a promo, Reigns doesn't stand out from the other two for me.
I think he has tremendous upside and potential, but he's got a long way to go before he convinces me that he can be the face of the WWE in the future. And I think you're overrating his potential in saying that he'll be the face of WWE by 2014.

**LuckIsForLosers** · 02-22-2013, 11:26 AM

Originally Posted by Tommy Thunder

I know what you meant by this, but again, he has a long way to go before he can convince me the way he seems to have convinced you.

If you want to be the top billing in the company as you say, then you're going to have to cut mean promos at some point (like Jericho), or at least have a manager that can do something for you (like Undertaker). Jericho's silent schtick worked for him because of who he is. He was a household name and a recognizable guy. No new superstar (like Reigns is) would have been able to pull that off. And like I said, Undertaker has never had the best mic skills (IMO) but he's been able to get away with that by having built a formidable legacy and build a character that everyone's into. Notice how everyone listens when Taker cuts a promo these days.

Again, I don't get the same feeling when I see him walking to the ring. When I see The Shield coming out through the crowd, Reigns doesn't stick out from the other two for me. When they're in the ring cutting a promo, Reigns doesn't stand out from the other two for me.
I think he has tremendous upside and potential, but he's got a long way to go before he convinces me that he can be the face of the WWE in the future. And I think you're overrating his potential in saying that he'll be the face of WWE by 2014.

Well I suppose agree to disagree...as for the promo - having a lack of mic skills is 1) easily circumvented as shown by Batista, Goldberg etc ie people who have a gimmick that embodies the strong silent type, 2) you yourself said a mouthpiece has been a solution and 3) mic skills can develop easily over time. Yes, to be y2j on the mic you need to have IT from the start, but he doesn't have to be. Cody Rhodes went from generic lister in legacy to competent on the mic over time.

I must stress. I'm not already sold that he could be put into the mix instantly. I think that's being misinterpreted. This is based on talent I see in him early and predict for the future. Again, not to flog a dead horse, I think it is impossible to rule this out with confidence based on the Batista example. And at the same time this isn't me just banking on the first young big guy I see on my tv in a futile Nostradamus esque manner...I genuinely believe with all honesty and viewing experience of youngsters' rises that he has this potential.

I guess some said Riley could have been big while some say Ryback will be....I don't and didn't believe in them ever. At the same time I was horribly wrong about Lesnar and until he won Kotr I wrote him off though I was 12 at the time. But one thing is for sure - I believe in this chap and definitely see subtle things and obvious things out of the ordinary.

One thing we do agree on is the time - my sig is truthfully meant to say 2015 - I am just abysmal at iPad typing and upon detecting it couldn't be bothered to change it. I shall do soon!