Reaching for the brass ring is basically going above and beyond expectations when Vince McMahon gives you the opportunity. Roman and Cena are in the brass ring club. I would say Kofi and Rollins are currently in the process of grabbing that brass ring, they have been given the opportunity at least and I would say they are doing a decent job.
I think you’re missing the whole brass ring thing. Cena didn’t grab a brass ring at all. Sure, he’s a hard worker, fun on the mic, and charismatic, but his wrestling was okay, and he wasn’t a massive standout like the rock or hogan or stone cold, he simply catered to what you call the “casual fans.” They like his look, he’s “entertaining” most of the time, and looks like a poster boy wrestler. He’s marketable, basically. This doesn’t mean he grabbed brass ring, rather he’s got the look and enough charisma to be top dog, so they let him keep running with it. Plus, Cena is kind of an exception to most rules. He captured lighting in a bottle like 4 times if you ask me and most things pertaining to him blow my
Mind as to how he stayed on top for so long.
Also, Reigns is still no where near his level, so saying he grabbed the brass ring is beyond absurd, especially given the fact that tried so damn hard to make him the top dog, it’s far worse then WWE force feeding us Cena for a while. Reigns only sells what like a quarter of sometimes half of what Cena did or does, and he is no where near his charisma and ability to make entertaining feuds.
With that being said, Cena began to prove, in my eyes, how and why he should be a main eventer as time went on, but he became so overplayed in the main event scene, I couldn’t stand him anymore. Drove me nuts. This again, however, doesn’t mean he grabbed a brass ring. Rather, he’s a marketable easy to like character who got better with his in ring game.
With all the above being said, the only person to “grab the brass ring” in my book is cm punk. He truly took an opportunity, ceased it, and literally exploded onto the scene in one foul swoop. He was talented enough to where he could mic talk, wrestle, charismatic, entertaining, and was beyond believable. He broke the 4th wall so to speak. He could do heel or face very well. He grabbed the ring and ran with it if you ask me. He sold well and did everything well. He wasn’t marked on just looks and some charisma and his face, he was marketed because of true, raw talent and made people invested in everything he did.
The point is that the brass ring thing is pretty much a falsehood and is seldom grabbed by anybody. As cm punk even said himself, it’s imaginary, and it wasn’t until he was able to be himself more was he able to truly grab it. If he would’ve kept doing what Vince wanted, he would’ve quit and never exploded like that.
The way WWE works, or wrestling in general, is you do what you’re told. Most of your matches are nearly planned to a T and you act it out exactly how the feud should go. This is not to say how it goes every time, but usually that’s how it works. So, Cena just did what he was told. Sure, he did it well, but he didn’t grab a brass ring, he did what creative said and it happened to catch enough casual fans eyes that it kept people interested for longer than what I ever would’ve though it would. This isn’t saying Cena had nothing to do with it, of course he did and of course he’s talented. But he’s simply marketable and likeabke and fits the mold. Much like reigns kind of does, but he’s a worse version of Cena.
Make sense, hopefully?
