Old Articles - Reigns vs. The Rock
Roman Reigns vs. The Rock for WrestleMania? Oct. 28th, 2020*
by Nicole Alexis
The new and improved version of Roman Reigns has a lot of fans speculating. Now a focused heel, the possibilities have people’s imaginations conjuring images of a dream match. Presently, given the family storyline, people are jumping to the conclusion this will lead to a showdown against his cousin, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson at WrestleMania 37. As fun as that sounds, currently, that’s more likely to be a bad match waiting to happen.
Reigns’ career hasn’t been a smooth ride. When The Shield first disbanded in 2014, WWE made an ardent attempt to establish Reigns as the face of the company. The only problem was they may have pushed too soon. Reigns, a bearer of good looks, wasn’t known for being a great wrestler. Regardless, WWE insisted on making him the “top guy”. Fans resisted and this clash came to a head at the infamous 2015 Royal Rumble where Reigns won to contentious boos. Even The Rock’s endorsement couldn’t prevent unrest. WWE has been trying to find a way to get the WWE Universe to accept him ever since.
Life appeared to intervene when Reigns took time off to tend to a leukemia diagnosis in 2018. The bad luck gained sympathy and fans softened as they realized there is a person behind the persona. With COVID making its presence known at the start of 2020, Reigns opted to not tempt fate. He sat out until this year’s Summer Slam. Returning with Paul Heyman at his side, he made it clear that he was ready to play the big, bad heel fans had been asking for.
So far, the transition has been well received. Reigns’ cousin, Jey Uso, won a Fatal-4-Way for a shot at the Universal Championship in September to begin Reigns’ first “family feud”. Reigns, having callously defeated Jey Uso twice, is now “Tribal Chief” of his family. Given the “dissension” many think a match against The Rock is inevitable. Yet, the experimental nature of this year’s Hell in a Cell makes it hard to trust WWE would guide the story to a satisfying conclusion.
Moreover, if WWE intends to keep the title on Reigns until then, would this one-off be a non-title match? Would it simply settle a family feud? Could WWE hold an audience’s interest in this angle from now to next March? To make the whole thing worth The Rock’s time, there would have to be a good reason for him to do the match. With the current set-up, Reigns seems primed to take a beating since he’s operating as a heel. That makes the match very open and shut. Conversely, why would The Rock waste his time and show up to just take a loss that would serve no real purpose? It’s unlikely WWE’s creative department could come up with plausible explanations.
On top of that, Reigns is just starting to get a steady foothold on his characterization. To rush into a big fight could indicate WWE prefers offering what looks better on paper. Reigns’ Royal Rumble win could be considered a humbling example. WWE has yet to make a case that a Rock vs. Reigns match at WrestleMania wouldn’t be more of the same.
Also, we can’t forget The Rock’s busy schedule. Many feel this would be the main stumbling block to booking a showdown. It’s no secret he’ll be overseeing his newly acquired XFL franchise set to re-debut in 2022. According to IMDB, he’s currently filming Red Notice and has several projects under pre-production status. Who knows what else is on his calendar. This puts even more pressure on the creative department to come up with a solid plan. When people ask for this match under these circumstances, they’re requesting to be disappointed. Without proper motivation the match is simply what it is, a spectacle to sell tickets and gain viewers. Both gentlemen should aspire towards something more inspired than that.
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