10 Reasons Why WWE's Stagnation Will Never End
9. Superman: Redux
It's easy to understand why Vince McMahon keeps leaning on Superman-esque babyfaces to carry his product. Taking this approach with Hulk Hogan is what helped drag his company to mainstream prominence in the 1980s, after all. It's what the Chairman knows, and if his rule has taught us anything, it's that he'll always revert to his old failsafes when it comes to main event booking.
The problem is that the audience moved on from this approach a long time ago, and Superman pushes have outlived their use. Having endured it with John Cena for years, we're now doomed to Roman Reigns occupying a similar role for the foreseeable future, with his No Mercy victory over 'The Face That Runs The Place' reaffirming this.
The WWE hierarchy are hell-bent on pushing smug, unsympathetic protagonists to the forefront, and while Reigns is undoubtedly a talented performer, this isn't the role he was born to play. He's noticeably uncomfortable as 'The Guy.' Yes, his push has produced no demonstrable downturn in business, but this isn't the '80s, and bulletproof heroes don't get over anymore.
It looked like WWE had abandoned the approach prior to No Mercy, but Reigns once again donned the red cape after surviving four Attitude Adjustments at the PPV. Sadly, this'll likely be his role until at least WrestleMania 34.