Burning Opinion : Hold the Reigns

Roman Reigns has all but been declared the next poster boy of the WWE. He has the look, lineage, move set, and style that the WWE loves. Seems like a home run right? I’m not so sure. I agree Reigns has all the potential to be a top star, but can we honestly say he is even the best member of The Shield? I can’t say that he is. In many ways, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose have carried Reigns during their run as the top faction in wrestling. Will Reigns be able to stand alone once he is on his own? That is the big question I have regarding Roman Reigns.

A perfect example of what I am talking about is this past “Monday Night Raw.” Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Dean Ambrose all cut promos. Ambrose and Rollins delivered arguably their best promo’s since being called up to the WWE main roster, Reigns, however, cut a pretty predictable and standard promo for him. If you watch Reigns’ promo’s he often gets a big pop when he first speaks, then the crowd dies down, towards the end he says a curse word, gets a cheap pop, and finishes by saying he is going to kick someone’s ass. Over the past month or so, all of his promo’s have followed this format. The June 9 edition of “Raw” was built around The Shield and Seth Rollins heel turn. The entire wrestling world’s eyes were on these three men, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose delivered and looked like stars, and to me, Roman Reigns fell a little short.

It also appears the WWE believes Reigns has some limitations in the ring as well. Whenever a member of The Shield has had a one-on-one match up, they choose Rollins or Ambrose. The reason behind this is Reigns is limited in the ring. Now, I am not saying Reigns is terrible in the ring. I actually enjoy his work in the ring, but his work thus far has been limited. He’s been used to get that hot tag and hit a few signature moves, but not carry a match. He is obviously incredibly athletic and can connect with the crowd, but is he able to work a singles match for 20 minutes and keep the crowd captivated? At this point I can’t say that he can, and by WWE’s lack of showcasing his talents in a one-on-one setting, they are giving the impression that they agree.

What I want to see from Roman Reigns is growth and development. Take some risks with your character, don’t be afraid to try something different. To his credit Reigns has come a long way since he first debuted with The Shield at “Survivor Series” in Nov. 2012. His skills both in the ring and on the microphone have strengthened tremendously, but he is about to pushed in the main event picture. There is talk of him headlining “Wrestlemania 31.” If the WWE Network did not exist, would you pay to $70.00 to see him in the main event? Some might, but it would not be the draw they need. I need to see Reigns be able to stand on his own. I need him to wrestle great matches on his own, where he is not being used just to hit a few big moves. Now, possibly more than ever, fans crave great wrestling matches. Guys like Daniel Bryan, Sami Zayn, and Cesaro have gotten over based how great they are in the ring. Reigns needs to show that he is capable of having these quality matches, or over time he will fall from from the main event.

The WWE is in a unique point in the company. Top stars like John Cena, CM Punk, Triple H, Randy Orton, and Batista are either gone from the company or do not have many years left. The company is making an effort to build new stars. They have targeted Reigns as one of these people, but with the young talent WWE has right now, there is not much room for failure. If Reigns stumbles at all on his own a guy like Sami Zayn, Adrian Neville, Bo Dallas, Tyler Breeze, Cesaro, Rusev, Big E, Wade Barrett, or numerous others will be waiting for their chance at being the top guy in the company. Open competition is a great thing, hopefully Roman Reigns will feed off of this competition and rise to the top.

As I mentioned earlier, Roman Reigns appears to have all the tools to be a top star in the wrestling business. He has a great family lineage, appealing look, great build, charisma, and athleticism. Many have already dubbed him the next big star, or heir apparent to John Cena as carrying the company. I think he could get there, but he needs to continue to develop in the ring and on the microphone. If he can, we could have the next Rock or Stone Cold, however, if he is not able to show he can become a strong singles competitor, we could look be looking a guy who falls from the top quickly. Time will tell, but hopefully he will show the world why we should Believe in Roman Reigns.

Roman Reigns, you have been Burned!

For more wrestling blogs from Bryant Burns, visit WrestlingOpinion.com or follow on Twitter @WrestlingOpins!