Twitter scoopster WrestleVotes this morning wrote:
“As for Roman Reigns, I’m expecting positive news. I have a feeling which way his announcement is going, but it’s something ‘that’s being kept from nearly everyone.’”
This means that folks backstage (or wherever WrestleVotes sources are) are much like the audience. That the company is advertising Reigns in advance is being taken as a sign his fight against cancer must be going well. But WWE’s promotion of the Big Dog’s return to our screens for the first time since last fall has been intentionally cryptic, essentially treating his leukemia like a cliffhanger from last week’s show. Take their website’s preview for the Feb. 25 Raw, for example:
“Roman Reigns is set to return to Monday Night Raw for the first time in more than four months, and will update the WWE Universe on the battle with leukemia that forced him to step away from the ring and relinquish the Universal Championship.
Whatever The Big Dog has to say, you won’t want to miss it.”
Their approach has sparked some debate among fans and in the industry, with Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer and new WWE producer Shane “Hurricane” Helms going back and forth on the ethics of it this weekend on Twitter:
Just curious, have you considered that this is what Roman wants? Not being snarky, just asking.
— Hurricane Helms (@ShaneHelmsCom) February 23, 2019
DM: I only said that if this was a public sport or entertainment form that did this, it would be excoriated for it to the point that nobody has even given one example of it. And everyone is ratings oriented. Imagine if UFC did this for Matt Hughes?
SHH: And if they did, so what? Especially if that’s what Hughes wanted. I get what you’re saying but it seems like reaching for a negative just for negativity’s sake. I personally can’t wait to see Joe.
DM: You’re looking at it from pro wrestling everything is ratings mentality. In all sports with all the injuries and illnesses, there isn’t another example of anything like that. There is a reason for that. And UFC would be viewed very negatively if they did that with Hughes.
SHH: No I’m not, that’s your job. I’m looking at it as this is a human being and he’s allowed to give updates on his condition any way HE seems fit. Not you, not me, HIM. Would you feel better if he tweeted it out? Would that make YOU feel better?
DM: How about IF it was his choice and he wanted to do it on Raw, they didn’t spend a week advertising it as a ratings ploy and he showed up unannounced? There’s a reason in all sports and entertainment you can’t find a similar example to this and they are all desperate for ratings.
SHH: Okay, in the future if anyone in the WWE gets sick and returns to discuss it, it mustn’t be announced in advance. Also, the person must teleport to the ring. No music, no nothing. Hope that makes it easier for you to cope with how someone else deals with cancer.
Even as the person in the Cageside offices who comes the closest to siding with the Observer’s founder (part of me finds the “tune in to find out the status of a fellow human’s fight against a deadly disease” bit a little sleazy, if also par for the course for wrestling specifically and the reality show world of 2019 in general), I definitely agree with Helms that Joe Anoa’i can do whatever he wants with news about his health. And while he did get pretty sarcastically dismissive with Meltzer, at least Helms took the unusual-for-social-media step of ending things by respectfully defending his debate opponent:
Just because Uncle Dave and I disagree on this issue doesn’t mean I don’t have an appreciation for a lot of the work he’s done. Most wrestlers have always been secret fans of the Observer. https://t.co/ORYjix4VIy
— Hurricane Helms (@ShaneHelmsCom) February 23, 2019
Then there’s another camp - those who think WWE isn’t going far enough in using Reigns’ real-life health problems in their kayfabe. Here’s Bully Ray on Sirius XM’s Busted Open Radio (transcription courtesy Ringside News):
“We always talk about how WWE tries to get that cross-over audience and when Roman had to take time off because of the leukemia he got all that cross-over mainstream coverage.
So what if tonight Roman were to be in the ring and say, ‘I’ve been doing well, I’ve been rehabbing, I was doing a movie. I’m feeling strong and I just wanna let everybody know–‘ and just before he can get his words out Dean Ambrose knocks him out.
What if right before the announcement a storyline kicked in? Then tomorrow morning [on GMA] he says, ‘Last night I wanted to make the announcement, but something happened, blah, blah, blah, but I’m here today to tell you that I’m back.’”
Uncle Dave’s head would explode.
Last but not least, as you can see in the comments of articles on this very website, the folks who just aren’t fans of Roman Reigns the sports entertainer are back. It didn’t take much more than the familiar image of the Big Dog’s head in front of a red Raw logo to bring out the digital boo birds with sentiments like, “I wish the man nothing but the best, but I don’t miss him on my TV”. It leaves us wondering how quickly the jeers will start back up whenever Reigns hopefully delivers good news about his return to the ring. Depending on what city WWE is in, we’re guessing pretty quickly.
Anyway, no matter what your opinion, it seems everyone thinks Roman’s announcement will be a positive one.
Fingers crossed and prayers up we’re all right to... Believe That.