10 Common Misconceptions About Modern Day WWE
2. Roman Reigns Isn't Any Good
It’s official: Roman Reigns is the most hated wrestler on the planet.
The Rock’s much-maligned cousin became the first babyface to ever win Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s dreaded “Most Hated Wrestler” award earlier this week. Barely a week passes without Reigns being booed on Monday Night Raw, and it has never been clearer that he’s not going to succeed as the top-level babyface WWE dearly want him to be.
As with John Cena before him, however, Reigns’ failure to get over has somehow seen him branded as an inept performer. No current WWE employee draws more criticism than Reigns, but he’s a victim of poor booking and a mistimed push more than anything else.
His character work isn’t great, but that’s because he has been forced into a role that buries his strengths and highlights his weaknesses. Reigns was fantastic as The Shield’s quiet wrecking ball and as a smarmy, self-aware champion in the weeks following WrestleMania 32. If he was allowed to fill one of these roles instead of the detestable “face” character he currently plays, Reigns would be a natural star.
Reigns is also a far better wrestler than many give him credit for. Sure, he’s not as flashy as an AJ Styles, but he has become a highly effective all-round worker. WrestleMania 32 was a disaster, but Reigns had strong matches with Styles, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Finn Balor, and countless others in 2016 alone. His matches are often tainted by shenanigans, but Reigns has proven himself a solid workhorse when called upon.
It’ll likely take a big heel turn to save Reigns’ perception problem at this point, but while far from flawless, he’s more than capable of playing a role in WWE’s main event scene.