There are very few superstars in the WWE more polarizing than Roman Reigns. I think it’s safe to say he’s reached the “John Cena” level of adoration from the younger fans and hatred from the older ones. Many wrestling fans are turned off by his perceived inability to be smooth in the ring, his at times lackluster microphone skills, and the way it seems that WWE is relentlessly pushing for him to be the top guy.
Take one cruise through social media, though, and you’ll see that possibly the largest complaint about Roman is this: Why won’t he turn heel? It’s a pretty understandable inquiry when you consider how wrestling works. There are countless examples of wrestlers who struggled to get over as good guys, but were turned to heels and saw better success.
Most fans feel like Roman would be better off as a heel because more of his natural personality could shine through. Many are clamoring for the moment when Roman has the moment we’ve come to define as a “heel turn.” Something to make us stop and say “Oh, yeah, he’s a bad guy now.” When it comes to Roman, though, I think there may be something that fans aren’t taking into consideration. In nearly every conceivable way, Roman Reigns is very much already a heel.
Think about it. He does essentially everything that a heel does. He’s cocky, he’s arrogant, and he’s unconcerned with how fans feel. He wins matches you don’t want him to win, he shows up when you don’t want to see him, and he says things that get fans’ blood boiling. He’s every bit as heel as The Miz or Kevin Owens.
I’m reminded of a time when then newly crowned WWE champion Roman Reigns walked out on an episode of WWE Raw and made one of the most “heel-like” statements I can remember a babyface ever making. In the midst of boos and jeers from the WWE Universe, a half-smiling Roman said slyly “I’m not a bad guy. I’m not a good guy. I’m THE guy.” That’s not something I’d expect to be said by your top good guy.
If you look at his actions recently, you see even more bad guy tendencies. In years past, when a WWE legend returns to take on a current main event talent in good guy on good guy action, there’s clearly a heavy amount of respect involved. Even if there’s initial conflict, it always ends respectfully. The Rock v. Hulk Hogan, John Cena v. The Rock, and Shawn Michaels v. The Undertaker are all examples of this.
In his recent feud with the Undertaker, Reigns has shown everything but respect. He has gone as far as to tell The Undertaker that the ring was “his yard.” A term popularized by Taker himself in the early 2000’s. He’s even left The Undertaker laying flat on his back in the ring with a vicious spear. It may be kind of strange to think about it this way but maybe while we’re all waiting on WWE to pull the trigger on a Roman Reigns heel turn, maybe the truth is that it has happened right under our noses.
There could be many reasons why, regardless of all this, the WWE hasn’t outwardly marketed Roman as a heel. He is still very popular among women and children, which is where a lot of his merchandise sales stem from. Whatever the case, it remains clear at least on television that he isn’t being relegated to the box of just being a straight up good guy.
Roman’s natural cockiness and “I’m better than you” attitude shine through just a little bit more every week. He acknowledges the fans just a little bit less every week. Each time he’s on TV, he seems to embrace the boos of the crowd just al title more. We’ve been screaming for a Roman Reigns heel turn for months. We never noticed that WWE may have snuck it right in under our noses.
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