Roman Reigns: Centerpiece Or Face?

I once talked about separating the face of the company from the centerpiece of the company. I brought it up when Daniel Bryan was extremely over and the WWE was not interested in pushing him as the #1 guy. I had seen some fans bring up that maybe Daniel Bryan doesn't want to do all the talk shows, charity events, and all that stuff that John Cena does. The fact that John Cena does all that stuff is used to validate him being pushed at the level he has been pushed, despite his connection with the fans not being what it should. Okay, but what if you push Daniel Bryan as the centerpiece, as the top star of the company, and continue to treat John Cena as the face, as the "poster boy" of the company? Cena would still be pushed, but not at the annoying level he has been pushed for so long.  You can look at it as separating the head of state from the head of government.

With the recent drama involving Roman Reigns, it might be a good idea to bring back up the centerpiece/face discussion. The WWE had shown all the signs of developing this guy to be the next top guy. They didn't even seem to be hiding their intentions. Roman Reigns did not win at Wrestlemania. That does not mean the WWE has given up on him. But should he be developed to be the centerpiece or the face of the company?

The centerpiece is that guy that will dominate title matters and main-event matters. Even if title matters are involving other workers, do not be surprised to see the centerpiece trump that in a non-title feud. You would expect this guy to have a great connection with the audience. And he has to be talented. That will help him get that great connection with the fans. Is Roman Reigns that guy? It does not look like it. He is not the greatest in the ring. He has done some poor promos in the last few months. As far as his overness goes, he isn't a D player, but there are some vocal fans that boo him. He is in the same category as John Cena. There was a time when the centerpiece did not need to be an amazing wrestler to connect well with the fans. These days, a lot of fans are more rabid when it comes to wrestling talent. I do not know if Roman Reigns will ever win his haters over, but I do not think he is talented enough to deserve to be pushed as the centerpiece. He can play a badass character well, but he needs more depth than that. Without that, he shouldn't really go beyond being an upper-midcarder.

Treating him as the face of the company might seem perfect. His look is his best attribute. The face will still be pushed and be pushed well, but not too hard. But there is more to being face than just having a look. You have to have the right attitude and be charismatic. I have heard Roman Reigns be somewhat rude to his critics in some interviews. Even some WWE workers have gone out of their way to defend him in interviews. The face is the guy that is supposed to be a great promoter of the company. He is not supposed to be a guy that comes off sounding greedy and possibly like a jerk. If fans are extremely rude to you, I can understand standing up for yourself. But I do not think fans have gone too far with Roman Reigns. He has gotten the kind of treatment Cena has had. And Cena typically takes it well. It does not appear Roman Reigns can handle the pressure at times. A lot of these fans can get obnoxious. Even I speak up when they really annoy me sometimes. But we are pretty much on the same level. A wrestler being pushy with a vocal number of fans is something else. Reigns has not even reached legendary status. A guy like Jericho can get away with being argumentative with the fans. Roman Reigns may never win over the fans with his attitude. And that is not what being the face is supposed to be about. It is supposed to be about representing the company. I do not think Reigns has what it takes to be that guy. I am not saying he is evil, but I do not think he has the right mindset for it.

Of course, you can always improve and the WWE can groom him to be better. Should Roman Reigns be developed to be the top star or the poster boy? What does he fit the best? Because of his lack of character depth, I do not know how interesting he would be as the face. A lot of people have the look, but what they lack is a great personality. I also do not know how dedicated he is to the company. If he is not pushed as the top star, would he still be willing to spend so much time for the company? I think he should be developed to be the centerpiece, if that is the only other option. He has shown here and there that he can do some impressive spots. He can improve on the mic. Even The Rock was not liked very much at one time. He found a character that worked and became a huge success. But Roman Reigns will need to step up.