Roman Reigns Emerging as Top WWE Heel and Babyface Star...is That a Good Thing?

Roman Reigns kicked off Raw with a promo that carried a smug, cocky tone not befitting of WWE's premier good guy. 

Reigns basked in touchy subjects guaranteed to get a reaction. He brought up his recent triumph against The Undertaker. His more recent triumph against Finn Balor. His track record of headlining the last three WrestleManias. Then he named himself No. 1 contender for SummerSlam. 

"When it comes down to it, I cannot be beaten one-on-one," said Reigns to a designed chorus of boos.

Reigns couldn't hide his joy, wearing a sanctimonious grin on his face throughout much of the monologue, as WWE seemed to have given him free reign (pun intended) to be heel for a day. 

Later in the night, Reigns, in true heel fashion, got his comeuppance, losing to Samoa Joe after outside interference from Braun Strowman, both of whom he disparaged in his show-opening promo. 

It was all quite strange as WWE seems to be moving forward in embracing both the babyface and heel qualities of its top star. 

Reigns' current booking serves many masters. It allows Reigns, who is the most popular full-time star in terms of merchandise sales, per Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Wrestling Inc), to remain a babyface all while creating a character that is self-aware enough to provoke the type of polarizing reactions that nobody else on the Raw roster can touch. 

Reigns in his current incarnation is the most unique WWE Superstar in the entire promotion, even more so than John Cena, whose split reactions carry more of a tongue-in-cheek form of admiration. When people are chanting "Roman sucks," it comes from a place of animosity, and more importantly, deep emotional investment.

WWE is no longer fighting Reigns' detractors but rather compromising with them. The anti-Reigns contingent can boo WWE's top babyface without creating that awkward vibe of "shouldn't they be cheering him?", but he wrestles as a good guy in order to remain congruent with his overall theme as the somewhat embattled hero. 

Social-media culture and the information age have eliminated black and white. In the opinion society, people come to their own, often extreme, conclusions about major public figures for better or worse. LeBron James is both demonized and revered. Cam Newton is both praised and panned. Donald Trump is both vilified and president.

In 2017, anything popular is also polarizing. There will never be a universally beloved figure in the new world. In that category, we're pretty much down to Betty White. 

Roman Reigns' tumultuous rise to the top of WWE is an intriguing character study that will spark thought-provoking debate throughout its existence. And as a top babyface star who is also the subject of angst among a fanbase, he's no different than anything else that is at the peak of mainstream popularity. 

Alfred Konuwa is a Featured Columnist and on-air host for Bleacher Report and Forbes. Like him on Facebook.