Roman Reigns Must Find His Niche as a Main Event Superstar

Roman Reigns is evidently on his way up in WWE.  The former Shield muscle won the 2015 Royal Rumble, securing a shot at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 31.  Even though his Mania spot will be on the line at the upcoming Fastlane event, Reigns is in a great position to make an impact on the company's main event scene.

But the real question on the minds of many fans remains, is he ready?  Is Reigns ready for the pressure, for the spotlight, for the amplified amount of intensity of being elevated to the top tier?  For Reigns to succeed as a main event Superstar, he must find his niche.

The irony of this situation is that just a year ago, the notion of Reigns being in trouble and not making it may have been a laughable prospect.

Reigns looked good then; he looked as though he had a world of potential at his fingertips.  

The Shield was nearing its peak in terms of popularity, and Reigns was reaping the benefits.  He fit right in to the three-man system, the one that had propelled The Hounds of Justice to the top of WWE.  Dean Ambrose looked like the cagey wild card, Seth Rollins was the brilliant strategist, and Reigns was the big, good-looking star in the making.

credit: WWE.com

The world was at the feet of The Shield, and the individual futures of its members were bright indeed.

But a year later, Reigns is perhaps the most embattled Superstar on the WWE roster.  No longer does he appear to be a man with a lot of potential; now, he looks like a man who cannot handle the heat and doesn't deserve to be in the spotlight.

And it seems to be getting worse.

However, the fault may not lie with just Reigns as a performer.  Maybe some of the blame can fall on the fact that he has just not found his niche yet.  That must be addressed before he can hope to be successful.

Being the brawler, the big tough guy, is not enough.  Being a Shield alumnus is also not enough. Being The Rock's cousin is not enough either.  Being anointed by WWE as the next top guy will not convince fans that he is.  

Reigns needs something more.

credit: WWE.com

Reigns needs a hook: a connection to the fans that's more than what he has.  The crowd can love him or hate him, but it must believe he belongs on the top tier or, at the very least, that he deserves a chance to be there in the first place.

Some fans believe that hook does indeed lie with his character.  After all, of the three Shield founders, Reigns is really the only one that has not found something new.  Ambrose is The Lunatic Fringe, capable of doing anything at anytime, and Rollins is the supposed future of WWE, always at Triple H's command.

Reigns is just sort of there.

His gear is basically what he wore in The Shield, and his attitude is really the same.  He's just the big guy who has strength and intensity; that's what he's known for, and that doesn't seem to be changing anytime soon.

However, a heel turn would change everything for him.  Fans can likely envision a scenario in which he joins Paul Heyman, becoming his new star attraction while Brock Lesnar is left out in the cold.  It would definitely open the door for the hate many of Reigns' critics have to be showered down upon him, allowing it to become a positive rather than a negative.

credit: WWE.com

WWE has tried ignoring crowd response for over 10 years with John Cena, and it's never really worked.  By doing the turn now, the pressure would be off Reigns to be the No. 1 protagonist in the company.  It would let him hopefully grow as a performer until the time comes when he's ready to make that change and make it successfully.

The good news for Reigns is that he has plenty of time.  His rise to the top is still happening, and that means the company has choices when it comes to what he will do and how quickly he will do it.  He has time to mature and grow into the role he seems to be taking in the near future.

But WWE must find a way to create a stir with him.  Fan interest is there, but it's there for all of the wrong reasons.  His career could continue the way Cena's has, with his character smiling and joking and being content to be hated.  Or WWE could remedy the situation right now, while it's still early.

Reigns needs to find his niche, and he needs to do it as soon as possible.

The love/hate relationship Cena has with the fans is unique to him.  Perhaps no other Superstar in WWE history has had to endure the intense amount of scrutiny and criticism he has.  He's done an admirable job.

But this should not be Reigns' fate.  WWE still has time to right the ship if he is to become the No. 1 babyface and the top guy in the company.  Fans have had a lifetime of Cena and likely do not want to go through it again.