10 Reasons WWE Fans Will FINALLY Accept Roman Reigns

2. The Push CANNOT Last As Long As John Cena's

Roman Reigns Old School Title
WWE.com

John Cena rose to the top of the card in an era with no shortage of competition.

That is to his immense credit; not only did he comprehensively outshine and outlast his developmental peers in Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton and Batista, but he emerged as the face of the company at a time when two of its most entrenched institutions - the Undertaker and Shawn Michaels - operated at their peak. But, as he rose and rose, the roster thinned in parallel. Batista, Michaels and Edge all departed in the span of three years of one another, during which time 'Taker and Triple H reduced their schedule. The catastrophe that was developmental meant that these stars were not replaced; instead, Cena rampaged through a field of midcard acts and also-rans, with those who possessed potential disallowed from proving it. The focus was myopic, but very lucrative. Cena was The Man.

Reigns is The Guy in a very different landscape. WWE in the years since raided the Independent and worldwide scenes to shape its roster in the post-NXT era. Though hardly maximised to its immense potential, in the optimistic inverse of entry #8, Reigns is nonetheless faced with legion stars ready to remove the baton from his hands. This means nothing in the short term - Vince, as you may have guessed, is quite stubborn about this - but that stubbornness cannot withstand a decade in this new world, surely.

And, even if it does...

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!