Steve Austin Discusses Roman Reigns Heel Turn

What? Roman Reigns? What? To say Reigns has had a checkered run in WWE would be an understatement. He’s been all over the place in the eyes of the fans, ranging from an awesome champion to one of the least interesting top stars in years. He does have one major fan though and that would be Steve Austin.

Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman - Ambulance Match: WWE Great Balls of Fire 2017

On a recent episode of the “Steve Austin Show”, Austin offered his latest round of praise to Reigns, who he sees as a major star. Austin talked about some of the best things about Reigns’ push to the top of the company, including some stories that and feuds that he favored above others. Here are some highlights with transcription courtesy of Wrestlinginc.com:

On what He Likes About Reigns

“I think he [has] got a great physique, a good looking guy, a pretty damn good worker. Storylines have been kind of on and off, hot/cold. Roman Reigns in and of himself, I think he has ‘star’ written all over him. He has still got to find his way. He still has to climb his way up the ladder. He’s built to take the road. He’s always in shape. He doesn’t get gassed out in his matches. There’s a lot to like about the guy, so when they came out as The Shield, those three guys, him, Seth [Rollins], and Dean Ambrose, when they came out as The Shield, they were really hot as heels.

“And all of a sudden, they split them up. And Roman, I don’t know, came out of that… All of those guys had to find their way and Vince [McMahon] kind of picked him to be the babyface and because of the response he was getting when he hit the ring. He really draws your attention. If they get his storylines straightened out, I think the kid’s going to be fine. I just think they need to keep running him like they’re running him. He’s doing [well] in the ring. I loved his matches with AJ.”

On Turning Reigns Heel

“I think you keep him on the road that he’s on and you don’t turn him heel just for the sake of turning him heel to make the fans happy because you’re not pushing him anymore because if you’re going to turn him heel, you’re going to push him even harder. Then, if you were tired of him to begin with because he was overpushed to begin with, in your opinion, then you’re not going to like him as a heel either. So if he keeps going down the road in the fashion that he is, but then turns, in an organic fashion, heel, when the time is right, or just stays down the road, the kid is going to be just fine.” Austin added, “he still has things to learn in the ring. He still has to work at getting to the top level, but he’s a top guy, in my opinion.”

And on the Mixed Reactions Reigns Receives

“Look at John Cena. Now, he [has] been on top for over 10 years and has had a [pro wrestling] career that is absolutely phenomenal, but he still sometimes has those divided chants. But, nonetheless, there’s electricity in the air and everybody is engaged. And he has been able to have such a strong mindset to not get in his head and mess with him. That’s the confidence of John Cena. I think that Roman Reigns has the same type of confidence and self-belief that he is going to weather those bad chants and he’ll end up getting over.”

Opinion: Austin is right in that Reigns is a talented guy who hasn’t been booked properly since he was put into this spot. However, there comes a point where it’s just not happening because the fans have given up on him and I think we passed that point a long time ago. It’s not completely over for him but trying the same ideas over and over again isn’t a good idea and never has been.

What do you think of Reigns? What has been holding him back? Let us know in the comments below.