Turn Reigns heel later rather than sooner

[Red Rain]

I'm such a fan of Reigns' position at the moment that I created this thread. It's an idea, a concept rather than a 100% endorsement.

Let's suppose Reigns is being manipulated, trained would be a more operative term. He's being trained to withstand social backlash for accepting opportunity. I presume he loves this business and it must be a struggle for him but this could also create animosity. Suppose Reigns could successfully channel this animosity to unleash his full potential.

He isn't getting the acceptance, so milk the potential 'bitterness' for as long as possible. This could create in him the best heel that he can be and create sustainable business from his character.

Reigns is not doing the community work in Cena's absence (Titus O'Neil is apparently), so its likely he doesn't aspire to. Turning him heel too soon might just appease his ego and little else. Turning him later creates more frustration, the kind that drives normal men to overacheive.

Edit: This company is stock full of talent that fickle fans will cheer (or boo). My proposal is based more on Reigns' growth as a potential star, then the demographic disparity of crowd reactions.

 

[Mr. Roman Empire]

The only way I see Reigns ever going heel in the future is if him and Seth Rollins switched rolls when Rollins returns.

 

[Neptune]

LOL'd at your avatar @Red Rain

And I want Roman as a heel now. He needs to be a heel sooner than later so the crowd can get behind him. Think of how Cena was built. Why try to bake something another way when you have the right recipe?

 

[Swift]

Brooke Hogan > Charlotte

Reigns should just become a The Rock clone. It'll either get him over or a ton of heat :rock:

Roman says this. To all you trailer park trash booing me. Find a local vanilla midget, shine it up real nice, turn the sonofabitch sideways and stick it straight up ALLLLLL YOUR CANDYASSES! IF YA SMELLLL WHAT ROMAN IS COOKING. Believe that. :

 

[Red Rain]

LOL'd at your avatar @Red Rain

And I want Roman as a heel now. He needs to be a heel sooner than later so the crowd can get behind him. Think of how Cena was built. Why try to bake something another way when you have the right recipe?

A recipe is exactly what i'm referring to. If you bake a cake and remove it from the oven too soon you risk it being too runny. Waiting too long and it will be too dry.
My proposal is to wait long enough for him to resent the company that built him. I cite Bret Hart and CM Punk as examples of talent whose resentment spilled over onto their onscreen counterparts.
Reigns is not Punk nor Hart but there is a suit wearing aristocrat hidden beneath his vest, a guy with all the luxuries and connections that just needs to get his a** kicked.

Reigns has great babyface potential just not yet. Turning on Seth Rollins some time into his redemption storyline would be optimal. Rollins will return a changed man who eventually will regain the title he never lost. Supportive at first, Reigns could turn then turning the tables and accepting golden boy heel position that Rollins ultimately took.

 

[Neptune]

Brooke Hogan > Charlotte

Reigns should just become a The Rock clone. It'll either get him over or a ton of heat :rock:

Roman says this. To all you trailer park trash booing me. Find a local vanilla midget, shine it up real nice, turn the sonofabitch sideways and stick it straight up ALLLLLL YOUR CANDYASSES! IF YA SMELLLL WHAT ROMAN IS COOKING. Believe that. :

Roman noodles.

 

[Mr. Roman Empire]

Reigns has great babyface potential just not yet. Turning on Seth Rollins some time into his redemption storyline would be optimal. Rollins will return a changed man who eventually will regain the title he never lost. Supportive at first, Reigns could turn then turning the tables and accepting golden boy heel position that Rollins ultimately took.

This is what I'm thinking too. Rollins and Reigns have a similar look, which is what WWE is trying to market. Rollins would make a better baby face because he just has all around more talent than Roman, in every catagory.

 

[Joseph86]

Read somewhere that Dean Ambrose would interfere and help Roman Reigns defeat HHH at Mania

 

[Roadster]

Read somewhere that Dean Ambrose would interfere and help Roman Reigns defeat HHH at Mania

That's rubbish. WWE wants fans to see Reigns as a champion and a legit threat. Having his buddy help him beat the biggest heel in the company would be heat suicide.

 

[Joseph86]

That's rubbish. WWE wants fans to see Reigns as a champion and a legit threat. Having his buddy help him beat the biggest heel in the company would be heat suicide.

It doesn't surprise me as WWE is capable of making horrible decissions

 

[Neptune]

It doesn't surprise me as WWE is capable is making horrible decissions

 

[Prince Bálor]

You're probably right.

Knowing Vince, he'll probably ignore the hostile reaction towards Reigns' victory at WM and won't pull the trigger on the heel turn there or the night after. I hope I'm wrong, though.

 

[Stopspot]

Have you listened to an out of character Roman interview? The dude is a natural cocky asshole. He should have been heel from the start.
Hell, his heel character on NXT, albeit brief was much better than his current one.

 

[C.M. Shaddix]

I feel like Texas is going to force him heel when he wins the belt

 

[The GOAT]

The way the crowds have been less than accepting of his main event push for the last year, coupled with the fact that he isn't the same significant money maker that Cena already was when Cena won his first world title, I have no doubt that if things don't suddenly turn around for him for the better, then they'll eventually turn him heel at some point. It'll basically be what Cena never allowed himself to become - The top face that eventually caves into the pressure and pent-up bitterness/frustration over not being appreciated and decides to resort to being a self-centered, narcissistic asshole heel from this point forward. It'd be interesting to see them incorporate that element into a feud between a heel Reigns and a face Cena, too... Reigns will tell Cena that he did what Cena should have done years and say fuck the people and look after only yourself.

Reigns has great babyface potential just not yet. Turning on Seth Rollins some time into his redemption storyline would be optimal. Rollins will return a changed man who eventually will regain the title he never lost. Supportive at first, Reigns could turn then turning the tables and accepting golden boy heel position that Rollins ultimately took.

If they went about it that way (joining The Authority is the most expected way of turning him), then I wouldn't have Seth regain the title. Just book a championship match between he and Reigns for either Battleground or Summerslam (Battleground would be the more viable choice, since what I'm about to type would logically lead directly into a HHH/Seth program for Summerslam afterwards) and have HHH unexpectedly help Reigns defeat Rollins much to the surprise of everyone.