The recent debate surrounding Roman Reigns and whether he truly feels like a megastar caught my attention. Eric Bischoff and Conrad Thompson have discussed Roman recently on their podcast “83 Weeks”, and the conversation has spread throughout the wrestling community.
So, I figured I’d throw my two or maybe four cents into it.
I’m not somebody who has worked in professional wrestling. I’m simply a fan.
I’ve watched wrestling since I was about eight years old. Wrestling has always been my comfort space. Some people have Disney World as their happy place. Wrestling has always been mine.
And maybe that is why I notice how different it feels today.
Roman Reigns Is a Star
I understand both sides of the Roman Reigns argument.
Some people point out that Roman is constantly positioned at the top of WWE. He gets the main events, championships, major storylines and promotional attention.
And yes, WWE putting somebody in that position obviously matters.
But you still have to feel like you belong there.
Roman does.
When Roman Reigns walks into an arena, he looks like a professional athlete. He carries himself differently. His entrance feels important. He understands facial expressions, timing and allowing moments to breathe.
That matters to me.
Roman is currently still positioned at the center of WWE’s main event picture, including as World Heavyweight Champion.
My problem isn’t Roman.
I think wrestling itself has changed.
Wrestling Is Missing Larger Than Life Stars
This might make some people mad, but today’s wrestling sometimes feels like everybody is trying to have the greatest match instead of the greatest story.
There are incredible athletes today. They can jump, flip, dive and move faster than wrestlers from previous generations.
But sometimes there is no breather.
Everything is move, move, move, move.
It’s exciting for 15 minutes.
But does it make me desperate to watch next Monday “RAW”?
That’s where I struggle.
If I just wanted to watch two incredible athletes fight, I could watch UFC. Professional wrestling has always been different because it’s also a television show.
Give me characters. Give me drama. Give me somebody who looks larger than life.
That’s why Oba Femi versus Brock Lesnar grabbed my attention.
Two massive guys standing across from each other instantly felt important. WWE built Femi into a major player by having him defeat Lesnar at WrestleMania 42, and WWE has continued positioning him around its biggest stars.
You didn’t need 25 flips.
You looked at them and thought, I want to see these two fight.
WWE Has Stars But Where Are the Megastars?
That’s the difference.
WWE has plenty of stars.
I’m just not sure it has many megastars like the Stone Colds, Hulk Hogans, The Rocks
Roman Reigns comes closest for me…I think
Even Cody Rhodes, as popular and successful as he is, doesn’t personally give me that same larger than life feeling. Not saying he isn’t a star though
That doesn’t mean Cody isn’t talented. He absolutely is.
It’s simply how I experience wrestling as a fan.
And with Brock Lesnar clearly closer to the end of his career than the beginning, WWE needs that next generation of people who immediately make you stop what you’re doing and watch.
Maybe Oba Femi becomes one.
Maybe somebody else does.
But when it comes to Roman Reigns, I don’t think the question should be, “Is Roman a star?”
He is.
The better question might be:
Has modern wrestling changed so much that even its biggest stars have a harder time feeling larger than life?
That is the debate I’m interested in.
