Examining WWE's Deviation from Traditional No. 1 Superstar Formula

Ric Flair has always said that to be the man, you've got to beat the man. Right now, many assume that man in WWE is Roman Reigns. He is the champ, and there's no one higher on the totem pole than he is.

But is he really the man? Even though he is wearing the gold in the biggest pro wrestling company in the world, can he be thought of as the top guy? If so, where does that leave John Cena? Maybe this isn't about the top guy anymore—rather, a top roster.

From the time professional wrestling went from a sport to a business, there has traditionally always been one guy.

In the NWA, it was, of course, Flair. In WWF, it was Hulk Hogan. In WCW, it was Sting. Every top company has typically always had its one major draw who could be depended on to sell tickets and keep that company moving in the right direction.

There were always gears moving around him, but the top guy was the main cylinder, and he had to be firing all the time.

Credit: WWE.com

This was true in any era, and it was true up until late 2015 in WWE. But things in WWE have changed dramatically. Reigns may be the guy, but he is arguably not the top guy. There has been no formal passing of the torch from Cena to him, and Reigns' WrestleMania match with Triple H did not provide that moment, either.

Despite how long he's worked or how hard he tries, Reigns cannot get over in the role he's currently in. He cannot be depended on as that top draw, that guy that fans just can't wait to see perform in the ring. Even with as much hate as Cena gets, fans wanted to see him—if only to see him possibly lose.

Cena is the complete package in terms of what WWE looks for in its top guy. He weathers the storm, he always says and does the right thing and he never changes. He always delivers, and he never fails to impress in the big matches.

Can all of that be said of Roman Reigns?

Credit: WWE.com

This situation has put WWE in a unique position. Instead of leaning on Reigns as the primary draw, WWE has been forced to heavily spotlight the rest of the roster as well as embellish that roster with NXT talents. While fans are happy about this, it's a different way of doing business for WWE.

In the past, many fans felt as though Monday Night Raw was the John Cena show.

Talents came and went, championship matches took place, but all of it took a backseat to Cena and his storyline. If Cena crossed paths with any of the undercard, he did so because he had to. Even friendships with guys like Zack Ryder led to much of nothing, as Cena always ended up back in his own little world, with no one that could touch him in terms of popularity or moneymaking potential.

Even CM Punk and Daniel Bryan couldn't change that.

Punk's rise became the stuff of legend, but he did not supplant Cena as the top guy. Bryan's career was unfortunately cut short, but there had been no real indication he was going to perhaps one day eclipse the star of Cena. These two men became part of Cena's supporting cast, and that's just the way it was.

But now the spotlight has shifted.

Credit: WWE.com

Reigns may be in Cena's spot, but he is not the top guy. The rest of the roster is being utilized like never before to not only take pressure off Reigns, but to also sell the company to fans as well. Now the focus is not on a one-man show; rather, it's on the new faces that put in the work every week on TV.

AJ Styles, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Apollo Crews, Baron Corbin—all of these men have something to offer, and all of them have championship-caliber potential. This is about them as well as tag teams like Enzo and Big Cass, The Vaudevillains and The New Day, who consistently get the best pop of the night.

The WWE World Heavyweight Championship is important and must always be the focus, but with a beleaguered champion like Reigns, steps must be taken to ensure the rest of the product is as good as it can be. That is where the new talents come in and why they're so important to WWE's success.

In reality, this is what a pro wrestling company should be. WWE embraced the "top guy" system so much that it left many Superstars lying by the wayside. There were not enough opportunities for anyone else to get over in Cena's WWE. But all of that has changed.

Though it was perhaps not done by design, Reigns is leading a WWE that is not dependent on him. He might be up to the task, but fans don't want it, so the rest of the locker room is being given a stage on which to shine.

This is about boosting the rest of the men's card and refocusing on the women's card to provide a well-rounded company that everyone can enjoy. The booking may not always be right, and the match outcomes may always be up for debate, but at least now there is more parity on TV.

Of course, when Cena does return, it could all change.

But with any luck, WWE has seen the advantage to running TV the way it is now. It's about entertaining the fans, and that cannot be done in this day by featuring just one man above everyone else. The men and women who worked to get to WWE deserve the chances they're now getting, and that should not change anytime soon.

Tom Clark can regularly be found on Bleacher Report. His podcast, Tom Clark's Main Event, is available on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Android, Windows Phone and online here.