4 Ups And 8 Downs From Last Night's WWE Raw (Aug 28)

1. Roman Exposed

The promo battle between John Cena and Roman Reigns shined a spotlight on a glaring problem for the Big Dog, and Cena almost gleefully upped the wattage.

Despite being set up as the next big thing in WWE, Reigns has consistently cut weaker than average promos. And while not every top guy is a strong talker, there aren’t many guys who main event three consecutive WrestleManias who can’t cut a decent promo. Roman has his moments, but the tired, cliché-filled promos seem to occur more often than not.

And Cena completely called Reigns out on this.

When Reigns stumbled briefly after the crowd rattled him, Cena pounced, telling him that if he wants “to be the Big Dog, you’re gonna have to learn how to (cut a promo).” After Roman finished his rant, Cena noted that it took him five years to “cut a halfway decent promo” before taking him to school.

The exchange highlighted the different eras both men performed during. Cena came up at a time when most guys on the roster were used to cutting their own promos rather than being handed notes or a script. That allowed for more thinking on your feet. By contrast, Reigns was clearly lost when he forgot his place, like an actor who forgot a pivotal line.

If anything, this showed a failing of the current system and that Cena really can slice and dice.