So where does Reigns go next?

[Navi]

Roman Reigns proved the other night that he can go in the ring. Even with his best effort to date he lost his chance to get his hands on the WWE title at Mania after the Rollins cash-in. So where does Reigns go from here?

We saw him get booed out of Levi Stadium and the same thing happened on Monday night RAW. It's pretty obvious that unless something happens soon this will be a continuing factor everytime he appears. When Big Show is getting cheered for trying to chokeslam Reigns, the WWE has to sit back and change their strategy going forward.

First of all get rid of the entrance, ring gear and music. The Shield is gone so what put him over in the first place isn't going to work again. Another suggestion is to turn him heel. If the fans are going to boo him, then logically boo him for the right reason, he's a heel.

His biggest problem has been booking. Keep him away from Big Show and Kane, neither one of them have done anything for him. And keep him out of 6 man tag matches. Let this guy stand on his own two feet and fight, stop hiding him behind other people.

I would also keep him out of the battle between Rollins and Orton. Let those two get it done and over with, before he can get his hands on Rollins. But what to do with him in the meantime?

I honestly can't think of anyone of the roster that will help get him over as a babyface. Not even the returning Sheamus can do it, because Sheamus just isn't important enough. Bryan, Henry even Paul Heyman tried, so if they failed, then Sheamus won't fair any better.

So where do you think they should take this character that is Roman Reigns? Who should he feud with? Turn him heel or leave him as he is? Your thoughts are appreciated.

 

[TheICChampion]

Well, that doesn't exactly leave a lot of options for him, does it? Unless you want him to flounder while all the WrestleMania storylines and rivalries get tied up around May or June. As to what will happen after, I say give him MitB this time and see how he does. This way they'll have a whole year to get him ready. Either that or team him with Ambrose to give them something to do and have one turn on the other and have them feud for a little while until Rollins is freed up from his matches with Orton.

 

[Navi]

Well, that doesn't exactly leave a lot of options for him, does it? Unless you want him to flounder while all the WrestleMania storylines and rivalries get tied up around May or June. As to what will happen after, I say give him MitB this time and see how he does. This way they'll have a whole year to get him ready. Either that or team him with Ambrose to give them something to do and have one turn on the other and have them feud for a little while until Rollins is freed up from his matches with Orton.

Well he didn't have a lot of options to begin with before Mania did he, and I think that's the reason why this push failed. He's been floundering since he won the Rumble. What feud has he been apart of other than Big Show, which I will repeat, didn't do anything for him. As a matter of fact it killed any momentum he had.

They just can't keep inserting him into tag matches like he's some sort of afterthought. He needs a feud that will help him not set him back even more. His Mania rivalry got himself suspended the other night, so that leaves Reigns at a loose end. If they want to build him back up then he needs to have a meaningful feud with someone, and that's the purpose of this thread. Who?

Ambrose has his own issues, and doesn't need Reigns to be added to it. Rumours are floating that Ambrose is headed for a push this year, so keeping them apart is the best thing right now.

 

[BillAlfonsos_Whistle]

He should cut a massive promo on RAW bitching about getting booed and getting no respect. Followed by a "if you're gonna boo me I will give you a reason to boo me!" and than HHHs music hits and he comes down with a big grin and shakes hands with Reigns who is his new mercenary.

Have Levesque point to the fact that Reigns almost beat Lesnar at Mania before Seth did what was BEST FOR BUSINESS but now the authority needs new muscle. Get rid of the Show and Kane immediately. Hopefully at the hands of Brock Lesnar. Bring in Reigns and possibly Sheamus to replace them as the "enforcers" of the Authority.

Rollins music hits. He comes out and hugs Reigns. Puts him over some while hogging most of the spotlight for himself. Sets up great feuds for everyone involved. Would much rather see THE FORMER TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS against Orton/"Partner" each week instead of The Big Slow and Kane.

Ultimately it would be a long con to get another big turn a year down the line. Either have Reigns turn on Rollins or MORE LIKELY have the authority turn on Rollins to maybe turn him face and rightfully take his spot as THE FACE OF THE WWE.

 

[Prince Vee]

I don't understand what kinda character they want him to be evolved into! Last night in a backstage interview with Bryan Saxton (Instead of Michael Cole coz he's injured) he was inquired about how he felt when Seth Rollins cashed in and stole his opportunity.

He should've raged and gave some reply that should scare the holy hell of Seth Rollins instead he said something like "It was terrible. It was right there, I was right there. I climbed the mountain, I felt the top, I was looking down and I got pulled right off of it. In a matter of moments. That Seth Rollins, that was his job and that’s what he did. He had the Money In the Bank briefcase with a contract he could cash in at any time and what a perfect time – let the animals take each other out and pick the bones. That’s what he did. But I did something too…"

Really? is this the kinda reply you would give when someone stole your spot at the Main event of Wrestlemania and too for the WWE WHC Championship? I really don't understand where can they go with him!

 

[Boring]

Los Matadores? New Day? Don't matta to me!

We know he's related to Uso's so I think the logical step is to make Roman and The Uso's "Too Cool 2.0" You know they already got the attitude. Roman and his "fam" would be great as main stays in the 8:30 hour timeslot on Raw.

I'm not even kidding. I think Roman and his cousins would be a formidable heel faction, similar in attitude to Low Ki/Samoa Joe and the Beat Down Clan in TNA. There is no denying Reigns is a marketable heel, not because of talent or anything like that, but he has the look and the attitude like he's earned it.

Roman Reigns is "gifted" and "natural" as a heel. Heck, I could probably say the same for John Cena. And by that I mean, they can gain heat without saying a word. I know most won't see it or admit it, but through body language, I already find Cena and Reigns to be heels. Look at Batista? Was he ever actually a good guy? Ever seen the shit he types or how badly written it is?

A truly good guy will never succeed in the entity that is WWE, why you see Sting losing to HBK's sidekick, but honestly about Reigns, he does make for a good bad guy/thug/heel etc.

 

[MartialHorror]

I have absolutely no idea. If he goes after Rollins, he will either lose and might as well become a jobber or win and Rollins' first reign would be kind of lame. Yet why would he do anything else? No one wants to see him fight Show or Kane again. Maybe try a program with Triple H?

 

[prince puma]

What bout BRAY WYATT? Reigns feud with wyatt would be great right?
have the wyatt family rejoins bray n feud with reigns. No kane no show.
have the feud for over 2-3 months then bray can move on to feud w/ orton,
reigns can move on the feud with Rusev.

 

[stingray11214]

The problem with Reigns is that VKM built him up to be the second coming of Superman. What the hell can you do with Superman if he was defeated by Lex Luthor? The character would have no further credibility. VKM never learned the lessons from Lex Luger: just because you say someone is Superman does not mean that he can fill the role, nor does it mean anyone else will believe it. What I think finally destroyed Reigns was when Big Show yelled in mic shot "You hit like a girl". Whether he did or not does not matter. The fact it was actually HEARD LIVE on RAW made the difference.

Right now, Reigns has zero credibility with the audience. No amount of booking or sprucing up will matter. Yes, he'll get cheered by the kids and women. However, there is a lot of money left on the table. Reigns will need an entire makeover, which may mean he turns heel. But, even if he turns heel, he will still be below Rollins in the pecking order. Rollins has cemented and bronzed himself into the Main Event picture for years to come. Reigns is not even in his league. As for hooking up with the Usos as Too Cool 2.0: you're kidding, right? That will do far more harm to the Usos than do anything for Reigns.

The bottom line is that VKM rushed Reigns for no rhyme nor reason. All it did was destroy a promising career. Is it still salvageable? Yes, but it will take a long time, 3-5 years to do it right. So much harm has already been done to Reigns that I question whether he will still be with the WWE in 3-5 years. That much re-working needs to be done.

 

[kadroan]

Roman Reigns proved the other night that he can go in the ring. Even with his best effort to date he lost his chance to get his hands on the WWE title at Mania after the Rollins cash-in. So where does Reigns go from here?

We saw him get booed out of Levi Stadium and the same thing happened on Monday night RAW. It's pretty obvious that unless something happens soon this will be a continuing factor everytime he appears. When Big Show is getting cheered for trying to chokeslam Reigns, the WWE has to sit back and change their strategy going forward.

First of all get rid of the entrance, ring gear and music. The Shield is gone so what put him over in the first place isn't going to work again. Another suggestion is to turn him heel. If the fans are going to boo him, then logically boo him for the right reason, he's a heel.

His biggest problem has been booking. Keep him away from Big Show and Kane, neither one of them have done anything for him. And keep him out of 6 man tag matches. Let this guy stand on his own two feet and fight, stop hiding him behind other people.

I would also keep him out of the battle between Rollins and Orton. Let those two get it done and over with, before he can get his hands on Rollins. But what to do with him in the meantime?

I honestly can't think of anyone of the roster that will help get him over as a babyface. Not even the returning Sheamus can do it, because Sheamus just isn't important enough. Bryan, Henry even Paul Heyman tried, so if they failed, then Sheamus won't fair any better.

So where do you think they should take this character that is Roman Reigns? Who should he feud with? Turn him heel or leave him as he is? Your thoughts are appreciated.

If it was up to me, I'd take him out of the main event picture and move him to mid card. To start, I'd have him turn on Ambrose and feud with him through the summer and win the feud then feud with Bryan and win the IC title and have a lengthy dominate reign facing the likes of Ziggler, BNB, Kofi, maybe even Jericho.

 

[kumarjtk]

the only reason fans turned on him bcoz he hand picked by vkm. nowadays internet helps a lots to know about wwe backstage news. for example my dad who's watching wwe only on TV thinks Rollins is handpicked by hhh so only he wins mitb and now title. so iwc ruined roman.
my idea is give roman a break.

 

[Wald]

Honestly I'd have him come out and say He Tried but He Didn't but what his doubters don't want to admit is that he came close and he had the unstoppable Brock Lesnar reeling. Say that everyone kept saying it was too soon in his career for him to take on Brock (note not to headline Wrestlemania, keep the focus on the match rather than the spot) and he now agrees that he lacked the experience to put Lesnar away when he had him on the ropes. Roman can then say that next year he will win the Royal Rumble again and he will face whoever is the champion and this time he will win.

To ensure that, he wants to face the WWE's best, he wants to learn through doing. This will set him up for a year long arc of taking on guys like Bray Wyatt, to master psychology, to face off against Triple H at Summerslam to prove himself against the Game, feuds like that. I'd consider bringing back Jericho as a tweener for a two PPV feud so that Jericho could ensdorse him. I'd also have him win next year's Royal Rumble by eliminating John Cena last and then having Cena v Reigns at Fastlane as the last hurdle Reigns has to get over to get to the WWE Champion, who I'd have made Brock Lesnar again by this stage.

Next year we get Brock v Reigns 2 with the story being that Reigns has spent all year long improving himself to come back to fight again. Classic movie arc of a hero defeated and going off to learn some new tricks to come back to take his opponent down. All of that depends on if the WWE still have faith in Reigns as their next guy and, to be honest, I really hope they do. He looked the part against Brock from the moment he started making his way through the fans to get to the ring. He looked like a bona fide main eventer when he stood across from Brock for the introductions and he was part of one of the greatest Wrestlemania title matches ever.

 

[OYDK]

Between Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose, SOMEBODY is going to have to turn eventually. Right now, both guys look like they may be in limbo for a little while, so why not put them against each other? The logical choice would obviously be a Reigns heel turn as a heel Ambrose vs face Reigns would just screw up the face/heel distinction... the crowd is not going to cheer Reigns no matter who he faces. Honestly, I think that RTW gave Reigns a ton of experience and he's NOW ready for a legitimate push, but WWE is going to have to completely re-build given the hostility of the fans. Dean Ambrose needs a big win going forward and Reigns can now afford a loss, so I wouldn't mind seeing this happen.

I also wouldn't mind seeing Dean Ambrose as a heel, as I think he'd be much better at it than being a face. However, it wouldn't make sense to put a heel Ambrose against Reigns, so I say turn Reigns heel. I mean, the "face of the company" plans seem to be out the window, at least for the time being, so what harm can it do, really?

 

[N!CKALAS CAGE]

If Roman is gonna have any shot at getting over with the crowd, he has to turn heel. Even dropping him back to the midcard won't help much.

I remember him getting very little boos and mostly cheered before he got injured. Fans turned on him, not cause they hated him, but because he's too green and preferred Bryan. Now that Roman lost and appears to not be getting pushed to the moon as the new face of WWE yet, fans will still boo him anyways because its just the cool thing to do. The crowd is just too cynical these days.

I believe Roman can still be the man, but he needs a good heel run before he can work as a face again. I just can't see him winning over the crowd at this point, Vince and WWE really screwed that up for him at the moment.

 

[Supreme Knowledge]

They screwed Reigns over, they honestly did. They should have never built him up to be superman, but all of the blame can't go to WWE, the internet deserves a good portion of the blame for why certain things can't get over now.

Wrestling will never be the same because of the internet ruining it. I hope Reigns finds his way, I feel for him.

But I think the only way to go, is to make him a tweener, someone who truly doesn't care, he does business for himself. He's someone who is pissed, one week he attacks Rollins, the next week it may be Bryan. Give the fans a real reason to HATE him, have him Beat Bryan for the IC title eventually. This is a good spot where everyone from Ambrose, Wyatt, Rollins, Reigns, Rusev, Ziggler, Barrett should have started anyway. They should have been tearing up the mid card scene over the titles. Have Reigns win an #1 contender IC tournament knocking off Barrett, Ziggler, and then Ambrose in the finals( even though I'm an ambrose fan). That'll set him up to beat Bryan in maybe a ladder match. Something along those lines maybe.

 

[CharlesKane]

Turing him heel doesn't change anything if you leave him at the top of the pyramid. He has to start over, pay his dues and do it without Seth and Dean carrying all the water for him.

He also needs his character tweaked badly. He is not a powerhouse. He uses almost no power moves, so tweak his nickname or his moveset.

 

[Navi]

The problem with Reigns is that VKM built him up to be the second coming of Superman. What the hell can you do with Superman if he was defeated by Lex Luthor? The character would have no further credibility. VKM never learned the lessons from Lex Luger: just because you say someone is Superman does not mean that he can fill the role, nor does it mean anyone else will believe it. What I think finally destroyed Reigns was when Big Show yelled in mic shot "You hit like a girl". Whether he did or not does not matter. The fact it was actually HEARD LIVE on RAW made the difference.

Right now, Reigns has zero credibility with the audience. No amount of booking or sprucing up will matter. Yes, he'll get cheered by the kids and women. However, there is a lot of money left on the table. Reigns will need an entire makeover, which may mean he turns heel. But, even if he turns heel, he will still be below Rollins in the pecking order. Rollins has cemented and bronzed himself into the Main Event picture for years to come. Reigns is not even in his league. As for hooking up with the Usos as Too Cool 2.0: you're kidding, right? That will do far more harm to the Usos than do anything for Reigns.

The bottom line is that VKM rushed Reigns for no rhyme nor reason. All it did was destroy a promising career. Is it still salvageable? Yes, but it will take a long time, 3-5 years to do it right. So much harm has already been done to Reigns that I question whether he will still be with the WWE in 3-5 years. That much re-working needs to be done.

Yea I have to agree with most of what you say here. He really needs a repacking and quickly, because as I said before what he's got going isn't working.

The one thing I do disagree with though and it's only in part, is where Big Show made that statement about him hitting like a girl. I don't think that hurt Reigns, but what did was the fact that he seemed to struggle against Show for some reason. He wasn't booked like a Superman in that feud, quite the opposite.

When Lesnar comes out and destroy's Show and Kane with two F-5's, then it's asking a lot to suspend disbelief that Reigns would be able to go over Lesnar. Reigns should have destroyed Big Show from the get go, just like Rusev did. It would have gone a long way for his credibility as a powerhouse.

I'm not a wrestler, but I can run rings around Big Show, he's just not as quick as some seem to think he is.

Also don't think they should put him with the Uso's. A lot of bitching has been done about him not having much of a singles career, most of it by me admittedly, so why put him with another faction. It makes no sense whatsoever.

Wyatt is a good choice, but he has his own agenda. I have no idea what it is, don't think he does either, but I don't see Reigns as a good fit for him. I would love to see Reigns go after Cena for the US title then start a feud with Rusev. They have to put him with someone who is hated more than he is, but not sure who that is.

 

[Mustang Sally]

They can take Reigns in one of two directions, depending on where in the pecking order management deems him to be.

If the WWE braintrust wants to break Roman down in order to build him up again, he might start a program with Ryback. While Rollins and Orton are dealing with each other, Reigns can be conquering the big guy; eventually overpowering the power wrestler will win points for Roman. Ryback is two steps below main event status, but he wins enough that victories over him should count for something as Roman takes a few months to gain experience.

If they're looking to put him in against someone who is technically above him in status, why not Rusev? Wouldn't he currently be above Reigns in the rankings? If Rusev is truly on track for featured status, he might be a fine opponent for Reigns to rebuild his reputation. Plus, I don't see the fans supporting Rusev even if they're determined to keep "hating" Reigns. Might be a good way to lure people back to Roman's side.

It would be a tough series of matches, but that's good. If Roman comes out victorious, they might then decide to launch him up to fighting the Ortons, Lesnars & Rollins brigade at the top of the standings.

 

[L@RISANO]

They can take Reigns in one of two directions, depending on where in the pecking order management deems him to be.

If the WWE braintrust wants to break Roman down in order to build him up again, he might start a program with Ryback. While Rollins and Orton are dealing with each other, Reigns can be conquering the big guy; eventually overpowering the power wrestler will win points for Roman. Ryback is two steps below main event status, but he wins enough that victories over him should count for something as Roman takes a few months to gain experience.

If they're looking to put him in against someone who is technically above him in status, why not Rusev? Wouldn't he currently be above Reigns in the rankings? If Rusev is truly on track for featured status, he might be a fine opponent for Reigns to rebuild his reputation. Plus, I don't see the fans supporting Rusev even if they're determined to keep "hating" Reigns. Might be a good way to lure people back to Roman's side.

It would be a tough series of matches, but that's good. If Roman comes out victorious, they might then decide to launch him up to fighting the Ortons, Lesnars & Rollins brigade at the top of the standings.

Eh? Pretty sure the same people who boo Roman mercilessly are the same who will surely pick Rusev over him.


At the end of the day, Roman Reigns is hated because he is quite obviously being groomed to be "the Guy" and those who boo him in droves are adamant that he shouldn't be in such a position.


I think that with Brock suspended 'indefinitely', Roman Reigns' best direction is to actually GET a proper character direction going forward.
It has been;
One vs All
All about Family
I Can. I Will.
Etc.


With Brock gone, Roman should take over as the one hunting Seth for doing yet another major 'cheapshot'. His Interview w/ Byron this week, said that he will be going after Seth as expected.
Thus, the direction is rather simple... keep Reigns close to the Main Event and looking strong as he has been, but yet, make it impossible for him to get to Seth Rollins(the Chicken Shit Heel)... Yes, Brock will return, and he will also want Seth, but that shouldn't mean that Roman is to forget his part in the Mania Main Event and just be in limbo until then...

A storyline is there to execute with a proper backstory as well. It is on WWE to let Roman Reigns go out of the Face/Heel stuff and embrace the One vs All mantra in his quest to get to the top, and going through the Authority(and hopefully Triple H as well) would be the perfect route to get there.

 

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

Well, I believe that Rusev is going to lose again to John Cena at Extreme Rules, so that feud will be over. Which leaves Rusev open after ER. Now, Reigns can participate in a triple threat match at Extreme Rules for the title. Of course, Rollins retains.

So, after Extreme Rules you can have Rusev vs Reigns. Upper-mid card feud. Let's see how Reigns can carry a feud on his own. Have him work his craft, while Rollins is feuding with Orton, Ambrose through the summer, until Lesnar's return.

 

[DirtyDickSlater]

Perfect time to bring in Samoa Joe and start a NASTY BITTER PERSONAL FEUD with some history in Samoa. Have Reigns vs Rollins on Raw and Joe cost him the title. That keeps him away from the title picture and away from Rusev and Bray who are strong heels who needs to bounce back after WM defeats

 

[Michael J. Fox]

They could have Rollins and Reigns feud without the title being on the line. It's personal now since Rollins robbed him and Lesnar. Since Lesnar is "suspended" indefinitely it can help build Reigns up. Keep Seth champ for when Lesnar returns, whenever that is.

 

[L@RISANO]

They could have Rollins and Reigns feud without the title being on the line. It's personal now since Rollins robbed him and Lesnar. Since Lesnar is "suspended" indefinitely it can help build Reigns up. Keep Seth champ for when Lesnar returns, whenever that is.

The title will be on the line, as Roman 'lost' the title match due to Rollins' cash-in, so Reigns'll probably first bite, tho a certain Viper will also be in the picture.

 

[goalieman31]

I think reigns should turn heel and start destroying everything. Kinda like steen in roh when he returned. Then he could tear through some guys in squashes and attack people after their matches. Then he can battle Cena after he is done with Rusev. This could take them to SummmerSlam for the US belt. If booked correctly i think it could help restore his credibility among the older crowds.

 

[rokuma]

My biggest problem with Roman Reigns is he just comes off as cheesy. The whole jumping in the air and punching the mat thing is so stupid. Does he think he's Iron Man? The Superman punch isn't much better. Oh and the whole grinning like an idiot thing while he was getting destroyed by Brock Lesnar? That's straight out of the John Cena playbook. He just doesn't come across as cool.

I could really see Roman Reigns being one of those guys that turns heel and finds his niche as fans start cheering him for being a heel. He just needs something to make him seem cool again. Right now, he seems like a cheesy wrestler with cheesy moves who can't talk and is being shoved down our throats. It's no wonder he failed.