7. A WWE-Grown Talent
Roman Reigns went directly from a stint in American pro football to a contract with WWE. He worked in their developmental territory (Florida Championship Wrestling) which evolved into NXT. Within 18 months of signing on, Reigns defeated Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose in a triple-threat match to become a contender for the FCW championship (how poetic). Eight months later, the trio would invade Survivor Series as The Shield. Rollins and Ambrose both carried "indy cred" after several years of wrestling for small promotions and building excellent reputations in the ring. Everyone labeled Reigns the weak link. He didn't have the depth of experience, and was given the least amount of time on the microphone. For better or for worse, Reigns didn't come with the trappings of an indy persona. But in the eyes of WWE, that's for the better. Many wrestlers have described having to adapt to "the WWE way" of wrestling, but Reigns knows no other way. He has proven to have a high aptitude, rising quickly through developmental and impressing snarky fans by playing to his strengths. Roman Reigns is his own man. He may have had more of an uphill battle to win fans over, compared to Rollins and Ambrose, but he's been the perfect blank canvas upon which WWE could paint. He's the type of guy they will get behind, and we're seeing shades of that already.