10 Reasons Why Roman Reigns' WWE Heel Turn Has Been So Successful

There is no doubt that Roman Reigns is the best thing in WWE right now and has been for some time.

After the horrendous time he has had over the past six years, being pushed down our throats as a babyface, coupled with his medical problems, it is brilliant to see the man dominate the company the way a man of his talents deserves.

Don't get it wrong, the fans were right to reject Reigns when the WWE decided he was the only star in the company, especially when an organic connection had been made with Daniel Bryan. Reigns wasn't ready for the role, stumbling over promos and wearing naff contact lenses; it was evident it shouldn't have been his time.

Now, it is abundantly clear that it is.

The successful heel turn kicked off at SummerSlam 2020 and since then, Reigns has been on a tear as one of, if not, the most compelling character in wrestling. Instantly comfortable in the role, this hasn't just been a case of turning Reigns heel because the fans boo him.

It's been a complete character overhaul, one with so many elements aligning so perfectly that recent reports state that he is, in terms of merchandise sales, as popular as babyface John Cena.

So how has he done it?

Within the WWE creative system, there appears to be two very basic character templates. For a babyface, whether it suits the performer or not, they need to be smug, wisecracking and tethered to the idea that they can't back down from a fight. For a heel, they need to be a chicken sh*t and run away from every conflict, regardless of their actual character.

Sticking so rigidly to these templates has damages potential main event runs over the past two years, because it's essentially stuffing square pegs in round holes. Seth Rollins lost all the momentum he built as a work horse babyface when he tried to channel his inner John Cena, and somehow, after a year of being a cool bad ass, they are doing the same with Drew McIntyre.

Reigns, however, has broken that mould.

Sure, he has backed down from Lesnar, which makes sense given their history and he leans on the Usos to do some of his dirty work, but he hasn't lost his sense of cool.

He doesn't back down from babyfaces, he demands they respect him. In his recent feud with Edge, he made everyone leave the ring to speak to the Rated-R Superstar man to man.

Fans love a cool heel, and Reigns has shattered the mould and given them just that.