Roman Reigns Should Not Be Portrayed as a John Cena Clone

Fans are still debating Roman Reigns' win at WWE's Royal Rumble event on Sunday, January 25.  Many think the former Shield strongman does not deserve the right to work the main event of WrestleMania 31, while others feel his career is right on track.

Regardless of which side fans choose, there is no denying that Reigns should be his own man.  But lately, the comparisons to John Cena have become more frequent.  Much of the blame falls on WWE, and it needs to stop now.  Reigns should not be portrayed as a Cena clone.

The similarities between the two men were not evident before.

Truth be told, there has never been a reason to put them side by side.  Cena and Reigns are two different animals, two individual personalities with seemingly nothing in common.  Fans have been content to allow both of them to remain separate and either hate or love them on different terms.

But they have become more similar than likely anyone believed possible.

credit: wwe.com

The reason lies with Reigns' Royal Rumble win. Despite having been a fan favorite in the past, Reigns was struggling with his pop among WWE crowds.  The problem began after his return from injury in 2014, as many fans had become accustomed to seeing Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins tear it up on the main event stage.

Suddenly, Reigns was back, but no one seemed to care.

However, WWE carried on with Reigns and booked him in prime spots as a strong protagonist.  Though his reaction from audiences could not compare to Ambrose or Daniel Bryan, Reigns managed to hold his own, doing all the right things and facing all the right heels.

It was apparent that the company was sticking with Reigns despite what anyone thought.

But good or bad, he was still judged based on his merits as a WWE Superstar.  Fans may have realized Reigns could be headed for big things, but that topic didn't necessarily include Cena, unless it involved a potential passing of the torch.

credit: wwe.com

Of course, The Royal Rumble has changed everything.  The response to Reigns has turned into contempt, and his probable elevation as the next top guy is being met with criticism and ridicule.

Basically, the sentiment among many fans is that Reigns is becoming the next Cena and shouldn't be promoted to the next level.  And that is a fate practically no one saw coming.

Cena is the brave, fearless hero.  His character is beyond reproach and loyal to the end.  Despite how many fans hate him, he is unchanging, remaining the same from one storyline to another.  WWE features him as the biggest babyface on the roster, but he constantly gets either a mixed reaction or a wave of hate from the fans.

And WWE does nothing to change it.

It has to be one of the more curious cases in recent WWE history.  Cena is in need of a character change, something to reinvigorate his career, but he continues to stay in one place.  He is presented as an advocate for the people, as the one they can depend on, but a good number of them want nothing to do with him.

WWE is evidently happy with all of this and even seems to celebrate it at times. Dismissing Cena's mixed reactions and ignoring his stale character, the company continues to move along with him as the No. 1 guy.

But that should not happen to Reigns.

The hate being leveled at Reigns is similar to that thrown at Cena.  Reigns is a babyface and has no quarrel with the crowd; he seems to rise above the criticism and take it in stride.  Judging from fan reaction, no one seems to be on board with him rising to the top, but he's headed there anyway.

He's becoming a clone of Cena, and it needs to stop.

Reigns does not deserve this.  Nothing he's doing now is different from what he did before his injury last year.  His promos are not top-notch, but his ring work is as solid as it ever was.  He may not be as technically sound as Bryan in the ring, but he does have the basics down, and he can work a good match.

And the fact that the aforementioned Bryan did not last longer in the Rumble is not Reigns' fault.  WWE obviously had a plan for Reigns, and that plan was likely set in motion long before January 25.  It seems as though Reigns is the victim of a weakened character and unfortunate booking.

But the answer is not to allow him to become Cena 2.0.  

Reigns has a golden opportunity to help lead WWE into a new era, to move the company forward.  That evolution is necessary to ensure WWE remains profitable and relevant in the coming years.

Starting him out behind the eight ball, as Cena's career has ended up, is not the answer.  WWE needs to right the ship, whether that means turning Reigns heel or doing something different altogether.

Reigns has an edge to him that Cena does not have. He has the ability to change now, and that change would not be detrimental to his character; it would likely help him in the long run.  WWE has the chance to fix this for Reigns before it's too far gone, as it is for Cena. But it must happen soon.

Reigns could become the most popular Superstar in WWE.  But modeling him after Cena is not the answer.  He must be his own man and either succeed or fail because of what he does, not what someone else did.  Reigns is not Cena, and WWE needs to realize that as soon as possible.