Top Three Reasons Why Now Is the Right Time for the WWE to Turn Roman Reigns Heel
WWE legend Stone Cold Steve Austin recently advocated for Reigns to be turned heel
Over the years, the folks at the WWE have relied on certain performers to headline their shows and bring fans in.
For a while there, Hulk Hogan was that guy, and then, the torch was passed and subsequently shared by Shawn Michaels and Bret "The Hitman" Hart. The "Attitude Era" was then ruled by the likes of The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Triple H and The Undertaker.
The "Ruthless Aggression" and "PG" eras were then dominated mainly by John Cena and Randy Orton, to a certain extent.
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The dawn of a new era in the WWE a while back prompted them to once again pick a new wrestler who would headline the majority of shows and capture plenty of championships. Going by the way things went, it seemed pretty clear that the guy they chose as the heir apparent to those wrestling icons of the past was Roman Reigns.
Unfortunately for the WWE, things are different now, and with fans well aware of the backstage rumblings, they rebelled against the coronation of Reigns.
It seemed like right from the moment it was first made clear that Reigns would be the next world champion, the fans made it known that they wanted no part of it.
Years later, the WWE's higher-ups are still trying to get fans to embrace Reigns, and it's still not working.
If anything, things have gotten worse.
Even Stone Cold Steve Austin himself is hinting that what's going on right now with Reigns is not working as planned.
Spotted by Fightful, Austin discussed the situation surrounding Reigns during a recent edition of "The Steve Austin Show."
According to Austin, for Reigns to really have the biggest possible run in the WWE, he needs to turn heel (wrestling parlance for "turn into a bad guy") and really get into the villainous persona.
Austin then noted that after turning heel and staying that way for a while, Reigns can eventually revert to being a good guy character, and it may work better then.
Austin makes a great case for why Reigns should be turned heel now, and there are other reasons for why that move makes sense.
1. To take advantage of the negative reactions to Reigns by turning him heel
It's an obvious point, but with Reigns already getting booed loudly on a regular basis, it just doesn't make sense to continue running him out there and have him act like he's still hearing cheers.
If fans are openly rejecting the current version of Reigns, then the WWE should at least take note of that reaction and use it to create a better character for him.
At this point, Reigns is never going to get cheered in a way that would suggest that he is the biggest star in the company, so instead, have him booed in a way that would suggest that he is the biggest villain in the company.
2. The WWE could actually benefit from having another major heel on the roster
A quick survey of the WWE landscape will show that there really aren't that many true heel characters on the roster anymore.
WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar is arguably the biggest heel in the company at the moment, but he's a part-time performer.
As important as it is to have a beloved superstar leading the company, it's also essential to have a truly reviled heel that the fans can be united against.
Reigns could be that heel, and he could become an even bigger star if he gets that role.
3. The Roman Reigns redemption arc has the potential to be an all-time great WWE storyline
Austin already alluded to it — turning Reigns heel now could set him up for a better babyface (wrestling parlance for the good guy) run down the line.
A lot of things would need to fall in to place, but the Roman Reigns redemption arc could be something truly memorable if handled right.
Imagine the kind of story the WWE can tell of this wrestler who was destined for great things but who was derailed by his inability to connect with fans and so he decided that he didn't care about them anymore. But then, it turned out that wrestler still had some good inside of him and he just needed a nudge from the crowd who previously rejected him in order to see the light again.
Reigns does not need to be a Superman-like character who just does the right thing all the time. He can be a human character, too; and fans will find it easier to connect with someone they can empathize with as opposed to someone who is impervious to all things.
