Adding More Realism to Roman Reigns Persona Will Endear Him to WWE Audience

There is no doubt that Roman Reigns has struggled to remain popular with a significant portion of the WWE fanbase over the last three years, though what we witnessed on Monday's Raw might have been a major step in the right direction.

During his contract signing with John Cena, Reigns took shots at Cena for being a part-timer and his tendency to "bury" up-and-coming talent, exhibiting more intensity on the stick than usual. Granted, Cena clearly won their war of words, but Reigns deserves credit for cutting one of his better promos in recent memory.

Cena made an interesting point when he brought up how Reigns is nothing more than a "bootleg" version of the 16-time world champion, and technically, he wasn't wrong. The company's booking of Reigns in recent years has closely mirrored that of Cena's from earlier in his WWE run.

When Cena initially embarked on his rise to the top of the card, he was a fairly cookie-cutter babyface who won a majority of his matches in predictable fashion. It wasn't until he entered the twilight of his career that his promos finally began to feel more authentic.

Today, Big Match John is one of the strongest talkers WWE has, and Reigns can be as well if he eventually follows suit in adding more realism to his on-air persona.

Some of Reigns' best work on the mic has come when he's shooting from the hip and isn't overly scripted. That was what killed most of his mystique back in 2015, with the infamous Jack and the Beanstalk promo being a prime example.

Having headlined the last three installments of WrestleMania, Reigns cannot be considered a flop, but he hasn't resonated with fans as a face the way officials had hoped. As the heir apparent to Cena, he shouldn't be as despised as he currently is.

Turning him heel first would be the smartest course of action, but it's already apparent WWE has no intention of pulling that trigger anytime soon, if ever. Fans must simply accept he will be a face for the foreseeable future, but the company should be doing all it can to make it work.

Tweaking his character ever so slightly could be the key to endearing him to the audience, specifically giving him an extra edge and not appearing so manufactured. Promos are a weakness for him at the moment, but more of what we saw on Monday will get him to where he needs to be.

At a time where WWE largely lacks realism, Reigns can lead the charge by showing signs of frustration over how he has been portrayed by the WWE Creative team and how he has so far failed to fill the void Cena left behind before journeying to Hollywood.

Credit: WWE.com

Reigns has all the tools to be that babyface the entire organization is built around, given he has contested countless classics over the years and obviously looks like a superstar. With improved mic skills, he can certainly be seen as a viable successor to Cena.

Thus, these coming weeks will be crucial for Reigns with his No Mercy match against Cena on Sept. 24 looming large. If he can get the better of his adversary on the mic on at least one occasion, he will be closer to becoming a more well-rounded performer—but that sense of realism should be a pivotal part of his character.

That can be accomplished by exploring his struggles and connecting with crowds more by relating to them. Reigns does indeed have a larger-than-life aura about him, which is rare these days, but fans do not see themselves in him similar to how they have in the past with the illustrious likes of Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, Stone Cold Steve Austin and others.

Fighting the machine and feuding with The Authority is not the answer, of course, as WWE has played that card one too many times before. Positioning him as an underdog against Brock Lesnar would also be a poor use of him, but tapping into that human side of Reigns that fans have been exposed to in interviews outside the ring could do wonders.

As long as WWE is determined to cement Reigns as WWE's lead revered and beloved hero, it is imperative that he evolve and is booked to be more true-to-life than he is right now.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is an Endicott College alumnus and aspiring journalist. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.