10 Times WWE Misread Their Own Audience

4. Expecting Fans To Accept Roman Reigns As John Cena 2.0

John Cena - whether some people want to admit it or not - is incredibly popular with a section of WWE's fan base. That's largely why he has experienced such sustained success at the top of the card. Cena sells a truckload of merchandise, works his butt off and is a company man through and through. He's 'the guy'. Unfortunately, he has also been handed some utterly awful material by WWE's writers throughout the years. Lines like 'baloney, fudge, mustard' and other cartoon-like guff make it difficult for more mature fans to get on board with his character. Roman Reigns should fill that void, because he's everything that Cena's gimmick isn't. Rugged and dangerous looking, Reigns has a menacing tone to him that just feels badass... when he's booked the right way. This has made it that much harder to stomach lines like 'suffering succotash, son' when WWE were attempting to book Roman as Cena 2.0. Using the same kind of light and fluffy, borderline cringeworthy material that John Cena has had to regurgitate, Reigns cut some of the most awkward promos of 2015. The man himself looked uncomfortable with it all and the audience definitely didn't dig what was being presented. That was quite apparent in their venomous responses. This was a clear example of WWE misreading what fans wanted from a key performer, and an attempt to put Reigns into Cena's hi-tops.