10 Facts To Silence The Roman Reigns Critics
7. He's Better Than John Cena Was At This Stage Of His Career
John Cena, the man to whom Reigns is constantly referred, was wildly inconsistent seven years into the pro wrestling game.
By 2006, fans saw right through the Cena character and his inconsistent selling - and jeered him mercilessly for failing to acclimatise to the main event WWE standard. His series with Edge did much to dispel notions that he was abysmal. He was never that bad - but he was bad enough for Triple H to write him off as someone who "happened not to be a very good wrestler". For every triumph - a tour de force opposite Umaga at Royal Rumble 2007 - a travesty followed. Shawn Michaels chewed him out backstage for his inability to sell at WrestleMania 23. He then answered his critics by carrying his own weight in their epic RAW London match. "Some Matches John" doesn't have the same ring as "Big Match John," but it's more accurate.
Reigns, by 2017, has evolved into a consistently brilliant performer. He's smoother, more athletic, plain better than John Cena was in parallel. Reigns has never once entered a match like he didn't take his opponent seriously, like John Cena did throughout the peak of the Super Cena era - like he continues to do, even now. He could. He's a recognised locker room leader. But he doesn't.
Reigns is not a John Cena clone. If anything, comparatively, he is an upgrade.