In an odd twist of events, WWE has grown a pair of grapefruits, as Vince McMahon would say, by having Roman Reigns vs. John Cena take place at No Mercy. This match along with Braun Strowman vs. Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship makes No Mercy a must-see show. It is the good time for WWE to strike while the iron is hot on this feud, especially with Monday Night Football on its way. Nevertheless, the promo showed where the company desperately needs to go.
In the internet-era, more and more fans understand the business. They know the terminology. They know what happens backstage. They know the wrestler’s past. They are smartened up to the business, and despite what some say, there is a very large portion of fans who do read dirt sheets and have deep conversations about the in and outs of the business.
About six years ago, one man delivered a groundbreaking promo that could have changed WWE upside down. That man of course was CM Punk, and he called his promo a “pipebomb”. CM Punk’s promo was rich because he spoke from the heart about his frustrations with the WWE. It was even richer because so many people identified with those exact problems he was venting about. They were the voiceless fans neglected year after year and never able to get what they wanted.
WWE coined itself thereafter the “Reality Era” and ergo had feuds that were based off reality. WWE was exposing the truth behind long-rooted beliefs. WWE was allowing their wrestlers to say things we assumed we’re off-limits, adding a major shock element to it. WWE was starting to include a big piece of their fan base instead of shunning them.
However, the “Reality Era” started to fade. Wrestlers weren’t allowed to say certain things about other wrestlers. There were things that just seemed off-limits again, and as if WWE was living in a tone-deaf bubble, ignoring not only their internet-based fans, but also the fans that attended the show. For instance, pretending on many occasions Roman Reigns was getting booed out of buildings. It was frustrating because it was so out of touch with reality. The major element that makes the “Reality Era” so great is that it feels ultra-personal. When the Rock and Cena were trading insults, it felt as if they were trying to publicly shame the other and that made their heat seem authentic.
It is worth noting that WWE has to walk a thin line when doing it this because becoming too insidery makes a part of the fan base not know what is going on. However, Roman Reigns and John Cena’s promo walked that line perfectly. The way the crowd reacted to their lines was unfamiliar for today’s WWE. They got standing ovations for some of their lines. As they say, the truth always stings the most.
From a psychological perspective, too, wrestlers are generally more liked when they have transparent weaknesses. This is because people can relate to weaknesses; everyone has them, but the way to overcome weaknesses is to make to use our strengths to overcome weaknesses. When someone is invincible and squeaky-clean, nobody can relate to them. They are flawless and therefore incomparable to reality.
Unlike tone-deaf booked Roman Reigns, the “Reality Era” version of Reigns we got tonight wasn’t apathetic, robotic, forced, or monotonous. He was animated, tempestuous, wrathful, and upfront. He was a human with feelings instead of a caricature of a poster child, and for those reasons, Reigns was enthusiastically cheered for the first time in god knows when.
There is a reason this angle is heating up whereas Jason Jordan being Kurt Angle’s son is flat lining. Reigns and Cena’s feud is very close to reality whereas Jordan and Angle’s storyline is so distanced from reality. The Jordan and Angle storyline was something we would see the late 90s, early 2000s. It is antiquated whereas Reigns/Cena, albeit not exactly innovative, is more cutting-edge and in touch with reality.
Will this end like Undertaker and Reigns? Or is Reigns’ character going to arc in an unseen direction? A babyface with a chip on his shoulder, or more shades-of-gray direction, or even full heel turn? It will be interesting to see how this storyline plays out, and WWE surely has my undivided attention on it.
It has my attention for a myriad of reasons, but the main reason is because the feud brought back the “Reality Era”, an era that should have never gone away in the first place.
