FanPost

Roman Reigns - You're Not Ready

As much as I try to get excited for the Roman Reigns roller coaster crazy-push ride, I just can't.

It's not that I don't like Roman Reigns; I do, I do, especially more than John Cena... but I like everyone more than John Cena.

To Roman Reigns, however, I say this: You're Not Ready.

Here's my assessment of Reigns:

He's terrible on the mic. Everyone knows this. More importantly, though, he's terrible in the ring. WWE knows this, people who work with him know this, hell, he probably knows this, but most fans don't... because creative covers it up really well.

Here's the problem: when you're a big guy in the WWE, often times you have to dominate a match. And by dominate, I mean you're in charge of the choreography. You get to be the "lead" in the dance. You execute your offense again and again and again ad nauseam.

And that's all well and good, except in the case of Roman Reigns. He's terrible at freestyling in between spots. This "freestyling" makes all the difference in the world when it comes to being comfortable in the ring. Which Reigns isn't. I cannot stress enough how vitally important being "comfortable" is in the WWE.

And again, the WWE knows this. Luckily, they haven't had to deal with it until just recently. He's been with the Shield, a three man group. What does that mean exactly?

Well, tag Reigns in at the last moment, when everything is going crazy, spot after spot after spot, and let him unleash his raw athleticism to win the match. That's the majority of The Shield's reign since their inception in November of 2012, perfectly summarized.

For Reigns: no need to freestyle, no need to take the lead. Just come in and spear someone. Better yet, spear multiple people to the applause of the crowd.

It's also why they gave him a few more spots, like his jumping clothesline, Superman punch and running dropkick onto the apron (outside the ring). More spots means less "in between spots" time. Call it adding makeup to otherwise obvious blemishes.

I mean, think about matches that involve Roman Reigns prominently. Don't they just feel like one big fireworks display and spot-fest?

What I'm getting at is, his weaknesses go against his character. Roman Reigns is a badass. He'll mess you up.

But he doesn't... and when he does get in a singles match? 90% of the time he'll be getting beat up. That's the face thing to do, yes, but it's not the big guy, badass thing to do. Roman Reigns is a face, but he's also this "Superman" guy. Big guys get to dominate above all else, because visually, that's what makes this product more believable. Reigns doesn't dominate. Not ever.

Ask yourself this: How many times have you seen Reigns in a singles match? Even since the Shield's breakup, look at the matches he's been in. An eight man ladder match. A tag match with Cena. At Battleground? A fatal 4 way.

Smackdown on the 11th? Against Rusev. A bigger man, aka someone who can believably dominate Reigns. No need to worry about Reigns not looking comfortable. He won't take the lead.

This is why he isn't ready to win the belt at Wrestlemania 31 (and he won't). At the end of the day, the reason why John Cena or Randy Orton have won a million titles is because they can wrestle a 20 minute match comfortably. No need for sixty spots. No need for excessive talking, or a referee hand-holding them through everything.

If you want an example of someone who is big, and has been a face, and still dominates a match? Look no further than Sheamus.

Roman Reigns needs to be more like Sheamus.

I'm sorry! As much as I love his aura of charisma, dominant look, and overall badassness, it's not enough.

Not when guys like Bray Wyatt are backstage.

The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Cageside Seats readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cageside Seats editors or staff.