WWE handed another yet another anti-climactic signature victory to Roman Reigns as he defeated John Cena at WWE No Mercy.
Reigns is undoubtedly WWE's biggest full-time star, with the ability to turn a hostile crowd in his favor on a dime. He usually does this with his wrestling, but when given a rare opportunity to cut a promo on a go-home show, Reigns did so with his mic work when he tore down Cena as a hypocrite.
But through his many triumphs, Reigns' character development has been devoid of any legitimate adversity. Even his WrestleMania 32 storyline, when the McMahon family conspired to bring about his demise, was transparent and contrived.
Given the real-life issues brought up about Reigns being "protected," a loss would have brought all the concrete controversies that plague The Big Dog to life. For the first time in his career, he would have been made to deal with his critics in a way that humanized him, thereby making him easier to root for on a more universal level.
If WWE's goal is to make Reigns less polarizing, it certainly didn't do so by having John Cena lay down for him. Reigns has had his hand raised by The Rock, he defeated Triple H, then The Undertaker, but every elusive victory rallied hardcore wrestling fans against him.
John Cena and Roman Reigns feuded on a meta level, where the winner wasn't necessarily going to be perceived as the better man but rather the better backstage politician. Leading up to No Mercy, Reigns had never been closer to connecting with WWE's most rabid contingent.
By acknowledging the sentiments of these fans through worked-shoot promos, WWE defeated its own purpose by having Reigns win and, in turn, cementing him as a villain to loud adult males who take the product too seriously.
Reigns could have scored some brownie points with his detractors by losing to Cena and confronting his demons for the next several months en route to WrestleMania. With yet another high-profile victory, who is going to be rooting for Reigns to even appear in The Royal Rumble in 2018? Did WWE forget that the event is taking place in Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center that almost rioted when he won the event in 2015?(forbes)
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| Roman Reigns defeated John Cena at WWE No Mercy. |
But through his many triumphs, Reigns' character development has been devoid of any legitimate adversity. Even his WrestleMania 32 storyline, when the McMahon family conspired to bring about his demise, was transparent and contrived.
Given the real-life issues brought up about Reigns being "protected," a loss would have brought all the concrete controversies that plague The Big Dog to life. For the first time in his career, he would have been made to deal with his critics in a way that humanized him, thereby making him easier to root for on a more universal level.
If WWE's goal is to make Reigns less polarizing, it certainly didn't do so by having John Cena lay down for him. Reigns has had his hand raised by The Rock, he defeated Triple H, then The Undertaker, but every elusive victory rallied hardcore wrestling fans against him.
John Cena and Roman Reigns feuded on a meta level, where the winner wasn't necessarily going to be perceived as the better man but rather the better backstage politician. Leading up to No Mercy, Reigns had never been closer to connecting with WWE's most rabid contingent.
By acknowledging the sentiments of these fans through worked-shoot promos, WWE defeated its own purpose by having Reigns win and, in turn, cementing him as a villain to loud adult males who take the product too seriously.
Reigns could have scored some brownie points with his detractors by losing to Cena and confronting his demons for the next several months en route to WrestleMania. With yet another high-profile victory, who is going to be rooting for Reigns to even appear in The Royal Rumble in 2018? Did WWE forget that the event is taking place in Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center that almost rioted when he won the event in 2015?(forbes)
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