8 WWE Wrestlers Vince McMahon Refused To Turn Heel

4. Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns Boo
WWE

For anyone who has taken even a fleeting interest in WWE over the past few years, you'll be well aware of the mixed (at best!) reactions Roman Reigns has so often received.

Even before The Shield exploded in 2014 courtesy of Seth Rollins and a steel chair, it was clear that Roman Reigns was the Shield brother being groomed for greatness. Rollins may have been the best in-ring worker of the trio, Dean Ambrose may have been the best talker of the triumvirate, but Roman was being positioned to be the heir apparent to John Cena as WWE's poster boy.

To the credit of Reigns, the unrelenting boos directed his way over the ensuing years were not all a result of Joe Anoa'i. The company's resident Big Dog was being handed some truly awful dialogue to work with, was crammed down fans' throats on a weekly basis, and WWE was adamant to keep pushing Roman as the loud 'n' proud top babyface of the promotion regardless of the vociferous boos rained down upon him each and every night.

What is most frustrating about how WWE has handled Roman Reigns at times, is that the real-life Joe Anoa'i seems like one of the nicest, most genuine, coolest, charismatic guys in the business.

In more recent times, of course, the negative response to Roman has subsided due to the fact that even the most idiotic of wrestling fans can appreciate the very real battles that this multiple-time World Champion has gone through. But as proven, even if Roman Reigns was still getting booed out of buildings to this day, WWE would be completely against pulling the trigger on a heel turn.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.