So, we're less than a week out from Wrestlemania, and here's Roman Reigns headed into a main event Heavyweight Championship match versus Brock Lesnar, but lacking the WWE Universe's full support. Of the many reasons why Reigns lacks the support of the fans, here's the one that could be the least discussed: why is Roman Reigns still wearing SWAT team gear to the ring? One of the most important parts of pro wrestling is actually being able to quickly describe to someone why someone is worth supporting. The Rock was a super-charismatic ass-kicker. Steve Austin was the beer-swilling everyman, Triple H the focused and driven epitome of evil. As well, Reigns' Wrestlemania opponent Brock Lesnar is the 300-pound ex-UFC Heavyweight Champion who can suplex men directly into semi-retirement. But who's Roman Reigns? We still don't have a true picture, and insofar as having his gear give us a hint, that's not happening. When he was in The Shield, he was 1/3 of a rogue collective of men who dressed in SWAT gear because they were hell-bent on using "covert"-style operations to stop those engaging in unjust behavior. Now, The Shield is no more and while Seth Rollins' gear still reflects some aspects of his shield attire, it's more a latex homage to his cross-fit based athleticism. Of course, Dean Ambrose just wears tank tops, jeans and boots, the closest thing WWE has had to Steve Austin (but with more of a James Dean edge) as a character and presentation since the "Rattlesnake" was in the company. So, given that Roman Reigns hasn't explained to us why he's still wearing the SWAT gear, let's take the time to put some (possibly untrue) words in his mouth as to why he still wears largely the same gear he debuted in two years ago. Maybe in doing so, we can get a better handle about why we should care about him, too.
Besides having been an independent professional wrestling manager for a decade, Marcus Dowling is a Washington, DC-based writer who has contributed to a plethora of online and print magazines and newspapers writing about music and popular culture over the past 15 years.
