Roman Reigns Destined to Receive the John Cena Treatment from Fans Going Forward

Roman Reigns knows what John Cena goes through every night more than anyone else on earth.

Both men find themselves both cheered and booed, viewed as superheroes or scapegoats depending on the crowd gathered to see them. And like Cena, it doesn't matter what Reigns does in the ring. He can be a part of any number of classics.

It won't matter; the doubters are already convinced of his inadequacy. 

In the biggest match of his life, Reigns stepped up, as WWE banked on him doing. He and Brock Lesnar capped off WrestleMania 31 with what Jim Ross would refer to as a "slobberknocker." Reigns certainly looked like he belonged on that big of a stage.

Credit: WWE.com

The intense, enthralling performance didn't change the minds of those who were sure he would fail, though. 

His battle with Lesnar (and later with Seth Rollins as well) marked his second straight home run in a pay-per-view headlining match. His showmanship was excellent; his explosiveness was off the charts once again.

Will Pruett, a writer for ProWrestling.net, wondered aloud as to whether WrestleMania had altered the discussion about Reigns:

For many, it hadn't. Some fans have already made up their minds about Reigns. It won't matter how much he progresses or what he produces. The same criticisms fans fire at Cena are now headed Reigns' way and will continue to be.

Fans gripe about other wrestlers "carrying" Reigns and about his limited move set.

Take someone like the fan who calls himself "Rollinator" on Twitter. He dismissed Reigns' contributions to the match:

He wasn't alone. A number of fans responded to Reigns' big night with a collective scoff:

That same language has been used to bash Cena over the past few years. Never mind that Cena has composed a long list of great matches; folks ready to deny his skills are quick to give his opponents the credit for those.

In some minds, CM Punk carried him at Money in the Bank 2011, and Shawn Michaels carried him at WrestleMania 23. In other cases, it was Lesnar, Triple H, Edge, Rob Van Dam or Cesaro who had the burden of carrying the 250-pound load named Cena.

Some wrestlers are certainly better workers than others, but every classic bout is a two-way dance. 

The "Wrestler A carried Wrestler B" idea is silly. Wrestling excellence takes more than one great performer. That's why Ric Flair was incredible against men like Randy Savage and Ricky Steamboat, but his Starrcade 1987 match against Ron Garvin sucked.

The flawed logic of the "carrying" concept has prevented some fans from ever praising Cena. Reigns looks to be on the same track. 

On Monday's Raw, the crowd booed him at every turn. They rejected him before he had a chance to perform. 

Criticism like that will continue to roll in. Once some folks get their minds set in one direction, there is no way to shift things. Complaints about Reigns' moves are a prime example of that.

Fans have longed complained that Cena doesn't perform enough moves. His arsenal has been limited in some minds as the "Five Moves of Doom." Reigns is Cena's heir in that department; he's been called out in similar fashion.

Guys like Jay Scott Smith and Quinn Robinson only give Reigns credit for having two moves:

"

People complain about Cena's "5 moves of doom". Reigns only has two so... #WrestleMania

— Quinn Robinson (@AuthenticQRob) March 30, 2015"

That's bad math even before you consider that Reigns has slowly added to his in-ring weapons. He has worked a neckbreaker, an exploder suplex and a string of corner clotheslines into his recent matches. The "two move" insult won't change to reflect that; it was never based in reality. 

And if having the most moves made one a great wrestler, Dean Malenko would have been a transcendent star, and Hulk Hogan would be a footnote. 

Reigns' strengths are his intensity, presence and athleticism. That made him stand out with The Shield and has him in line to be a top star for years to come. Adding moves is easy; doing the same with "it" factor is not.

Those who reject Reigns outright often refuse to recognize what he brings to the table.

That's been the case with Cena for a long time now. To some, he will always be a wrestler who needs to be carried to quality matches, one who can't perform but a handful of moves and is a locker room diva who "buries" other wrestlers. 

Reigns is set for the same thing. The facts that he hasn't come up through the independent circuit, is the company's golden boy and is more of a Superstar than a mat wrestler will have stubborn diehards fans reject him regardless of his production, just as they have done with Cena.

Years after being a part of some of the very best offerings we have seen in a WWE ring, Cena's worst critics remain unconvinced. 

After he knocked it out of the park at WrestleMania, Reigns' detractors ignored the trajectory of the ball. As he continues his career, he can expect plenty more of that. Cena's career has shown that some fans simply see what they want to see.