10 Ways WWE Can Get Fans To Cheer Roman Reigns
4. Programmes, Incidentally, Which He Loses
Forget that Kazuchika Okada is in the process of crafting an immortal body of work as über-dominant IWGP Heavyweight Champion. Forget that, at its creative and commercial high points, WWE booked babyface champions fans could believe and invest in. Forget that the 'Daniel Bryan needs to lose because he is an underdog' take is as fatalistic as much as it is an insult to his immense range.
It's all in the thrill of the chase.
We need to chain the Big Dog to more roadblocks. We need more months of endless episodic television in which a series of contrivances converge to ruin Roman's grand coronation. Go all in on the premise. Have Roman degenerate into serial loser territory - more Barry Horowitz than his current role as circum 1994 Lex Luger. Book him to lose every single week on RAW in order to generate that elusive sympathy. Instruct Michael Cole to draw constant, screeching comparisons to the Chicago Cubs, with the idea that Roman's eventual coronation will see his fans similarly elated through a century's worth of relief. Book this coronation to take place in Chicago, to hammer the point home.
And then sit back as those fans chant for CM Punk throughout the whole bloody thing.