Reigns has to be heel not just to please people or be in with the cool kids but it suits him much better than "let me come out and tell you what vince told me to tell you".
When you see him in interviews, promos and even on Twitter when he just rips on wrestling fans, how can you possibly sit there and say even in time he'll be a great baby face, if he's a cocky, intimidating guy, why are you trying to make wrestlings version of Action Man with the rip off Spider-Man logo and the goofiest sounding fan base ("The Roman Empire"). Couple that with the feeling WWE have gone out of their to make him go over the wrestlers the fans love (Wyatt, Taker, Bryan etc), isn't even close to being the best wrestler on the mic or in the ring, how could you possibly sit there and say he's anything but a heel?
I think the people comparing him to Hogan and Flair are completely deluded imo.