How Good Was Babyface Roman Reigns Actually?

The years that Roman Reigns was pushed as a babyface were criticized by fans in a way that changed the landscape of pro wrestling forever. The rise of the Bullet Club and NJPW happened here, and the indy scene became hotter than ever as fans looked elsewhere after being disenfranchised by Vince McMahon using Roman Reigns as his latest Hulk Hogan.

The world screamed at WWE’s owner that they were ready for something new, so much so that CM Punk left and openly criticized the promotion for preparing the rocket that they were so obviously going to strap Reigns to, then Cody Rhodes and The Elite convinced a billionaire to start AEW. This all happened because McMahon was trying to recreate the past, and Roman Reigns was the poor guy taking bullets for this outlook.

These were not great box office years for WWE, and Roman was the man who had been entrusted to continue the legacy of the generational babyfaces that came before him. It didn’t work. At all. Hell, John Cena even came back and cut a scathing promo on Reigns in 2017, bemoaning that he had to keep coming back to work for Vince because Reigns didn’t have what it takes to draw the same kind of business that he did.

Daniel Bryan had a moment in these years, in spite of McMahon and his cronies, before they went back to trying their outdated formula with Reigns after The Shield split. WrestleMania filled stadiums with Reigns headlining them, but those stadiums were never behind him. It's a testament to Roman’s resilience and talent that those same fans now put their index finger to the heavens in acknowledgment of his greatness.

It's harder to turn negativity around than it is to get to the top and stay there. Nevertheless, these years are not remembered with any fondness, whether financially or creatively.

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