5 Most Insane Things Happening In Wrestling Right Now (March 9)

Bats, Big Dogs, Bray Wyatt Botches.

The reason so many critics of Roman Reigns resent Roman Reigns results from the absurd lengths WWE have gone to put him over as the new face of the company.

John Cena ruled the WWE roost for years, which didn't create an atmosphere of resentment at all, so what's another decade? That was the enthusiasm-crippling thought process behind scripting Roman to utter the lines "Sufferin' succotash!" in that legendarily unpopular January 9, 2015 promo. In the UK, at the height of the Attitude Era wrestling boom, shady promotors would find the nearest tall and bald blokes and book them, respectively, as 'UK Undertaker' and 'UK Stone Cold Steve Austin'. This is how Roman appeared to the world weeks ahead of winning the Royal Rumble: as a see-through attempt to replicate the John Cena character. When this didn't work, WWE drastically altered the complexion of the Reigns act...

...by positioning him as a smiling child-loving man taunted by Bray Wyatt. When this didn't work, WWE attempted to mould Reigns into the next Stone Cold Steve Austin by confronting him with the Authority - even though Reigns, as a hard-grafting and mostly respectful babyface, was the ideal face of the company. When this didn't work, WWE fed Rusev, Kevin Owens, Braun Strowman and The Undertaker to him. When this didn't work, WWE attempted to reform The Shield.

When this didn't work, WWE simply decided to book Brock Lesnar like he was phoning it in in Japan...

5. 35 Seconds

Callihan GIF
WWE.com

At a recent live event in Chicago, Brock Lesnar squashed Kane in 35 seconds, which sounds like an absolute dream - a complete avoidance of boredom! - but those fans were p*ssed, because they expect three German suplexes at a minimum from the Beast. They received just the one, a Kane sit-up spot, and an F5. What a life Brock Lesnar leads. People were annoyed that he didn't perform the same basic move over and over again.

In order to get Roman Reigns over as a dedicated full-time act at his expense, Lesnar has been instructed to either barely turn up or not turn up altogether. He is being paid to do nothing. At this rate, at WrestleMania 34, WWE will resurrect the Bash At The Beach 2000 angle at WrestleMania 34. What next? Will Lesnar threaten to sign his UFC contract on WWE TV, and simply attempt to hand over the Universal Title? It's hard not to see the sentiment WWE is attempting to tap into - but this strategy isn't going to work. In a way, Roman Reigns is the next John Cena. You can see through him and everything he is a part of.

Essentially, the remainder of Brock Lesnar's expensive three-year deal has now been converted into an investment vehicle for Roman Reigns, set for maturity in New Orleans AAAND IT'S GONE.

Contributor
Contributor

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 surefire Undisputed WWE Universal 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!