10 Current WWE Superstars That Belong In Another Era
6. Roman Reigns - 1980s WWF
For f*cks sake, just f*cking cheer him.
Roman Reigns is a product not of his own output, but a company's deeply embedded system fault. WWE attempted a hard reset from what was once only considered a John Cena dilemma when they began Roman's own ascent in 2014, but he was booed mercilessly by the time his Road To WrestleMania commenced just six months later.
His character thus became not what he is (a futuristic babyface assassin), but what the responses and the booking forced him to be (an all-over-the-map emotionless a*s-kicker). Destined to be the star he deserves to be but sadly stuck with Cena's heel/face reactions, 'The Big Dog' wouldn't have had to stomach such sh*t in Hulk Hogan's era.
It's impossible to imagine a man of his talent in 1980s WWE, so beyond the ability of a big man that decade. Hulk Hogan's innate charisma and almost incomparably deft audience manipulation made him McMahon's main man, but his head would have been turned the second he saw Ultimate Warrior eat a Superman Punch or Warlord fear another Spear.
Reigns will never be the hero he deserves to be given a go at playing. A man of his skill level 30 years earlier would have ground Hulkamania into dirt.