How WWE Can Fix Roman Reigns

Four years, four WrestleMania main events and still Roman Reigns cannot get over with the fans.

Aside from Hulk Hogan, no wrestler has main-evented four consecutive WrestleManias. However, unlike Hogan, Reigns has been vehemently booed at every WrestleMania despite being the babyface. Not since the #LOLCenaWins days has a good guy been more polarizing. But fans initially accepted Cena before the inevitable superman routine wore them down.

Rumor has it that WWE CEO Vince McMahon called an audible at WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans on April 8 and changed the main event's finish. According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Corey Jacobs of Wrestling News), McMahon wasn't happy with the reaction to Reigns, whom he has stubbornly pushed as the new face of WWE.

It rendered a yearlong build for Reigns to finally go over on Lesnar relatively moot and left fans scratching their heads.

Unfortunately for Reigns, the position he's in is through no fault of his own. Since debuting on the main roster in 2012, his in-ring work and his promo skills have shown significant improvement. But fans just aren't willing to swallow what the company has been force-feeding them since The Shield split up in 2014. His ascent was transparent, and the WWE Universe wasn't willing to accept he was ready for a position on top of the mountain. Truthfully, he wasn't ready for it back then.

He is now, but something has to give.

Reigns is a three-time world champion, but none of those title runs were memorable. What people do remember are the jeers that have accompanied Reigns once his music hits.

You know it's bad when the supposed top babyface's biggest moments are the ones in which arenas have filled with a chorus of rejection (i.e., post-Mania Raw 2017). In fact, WWE has scrubbed his WrestleMania 33 match with The Undertaker from its YouTube archive.

If you believe another Meltzer rumor (h/t Ringside News), Reigns may win the WWE Universal Championship at the Greatest Royal Rumble on Friday, when he faces Brock Lesnar in a steel cage match.

Supposedly, the crowd at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, will be more welcoming to Reigns. This would explain Lesnar's contract extension, which likely postponed the changing of the guard that was supposed to take place at WrestleMania 34.

Whether that's the plan remains to be seen, but one thing seems a given: A tsunami of animosity will meet Reigns the next time he appears on WWE television in the U.S.

So how do you fix Roman Reigns?

Turn him heel.

No, seriously. But the company can't do it arbitrarily. There's a well-established blueprint that has worked for a number of pro wrestlers, and WWE hasn't followed it in an effort to get over Reigns with fans. Somehow, McMahon and Co. have forgotten an integral part of what has worked for the past two decades when crowning a new star.

Obviously, the heel turn isn't a fresh proposition. However, when digging through the history of the biggest WWE Superstars of all time, the one thing they have in common is an impressive singles heel run that drew immense heat and inevitably led back to babyface territory, at which point they were hotter than ever.

Stone Cold Steve Austin, John Cena, Shawn Michaels, The Rock, Edge, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles are among the names that come to mind.

Even Seth Rollins' heel run as WWE champion is the primary reason why fans have welcomed him with open arms and shout "Burn it down!" at the top of their lungs. He's more over with the audience than his former Shield partner, and it's because of his push as a top heel.

The Hogan plan—in which a babyface remains that way no matter the circumstances—is dated, and fans are too smart to accept when something is being forced down their throats. This doesn't mean Reigns needs to do The Big Show dance of flip-flopping between babyface and heel runs ad nauseam. But it does mean one pronounced heel run in which Reigns has the freedom to develop and showcase his personality would be refreshing for his character.

Although Cena is most noted for his extended run as a babyface, he was also the beneficiary of a heel turn to refresh the vanilla Ruthless Aggression character that had grown stale after his debut feud with Kurt Angle in 2002. The Doctor of Thuganomics showcased a personality that grew on fans. And that persona made them yearn for a face turn in 2003.

Cena hasn't looked back since. And none of it could have happened without him spreading his wings as a heel. 

Those who say Reigns was a heel with The Shield are missing the part where being a singles wrestler is a crucial element. It would also be imperative for Reigns to carry the title as a heel so he can remain in the spotlight and engage in a feud with the top babyface challenger on Monday Night Raw—Braun Strowman, perhaps.

In the event WWE decides to turn Reigns heel, it may need to do so over time. With matches against Lesnar and Samoa Joe—who appears to be primed for a monster heel push on Smackdown Live—the best way to turn Reigns heel could be to have him turn his back on The Hounds of Justice.

Dean Ambrose appears to be set for a return this summer, and WWE could resume The Shield angle it attempted to use to get Reigns over with the fans late last year. The wrinkle would be that Reigns, as the universal champion, would no longer need his brothers and could be positioned as an arrogant jerk.

If Raw maneuvers a Shield reunion for a big SummerSlam angle against the likes of Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and Baron Corbin, Drew McIntyre or Jinder Mahal, WWE could use the second-biggest pay-per-view of the year to have Reigns finally turn on his brothers. The fans would eat it up, and Reigns could immediately engage in a feud with either Rollins or Ambrose.

That would draw tremendous amounts of heat in a similar fashion to when Rollins feuded with them during his heel run. Remember when The Rock turned heel at Survivor Series in 1998, and it drew an incendiary reaction? It eventually led to a nuclear feud with Stone Cold—who also had a tremendous run as a heel before turning babyface—and that helped position him as the next big star.

Heel turns also serve as a hard reboot when a babyface has grown stale with an audience.

Daniel Bryan, CM Punk and Edge all had turns that were byproducts of their yearning to be WWE champion. Bryan's was particularly significant because it developed his on-screen persona to the point that dropping the world title to Sheamus in 18 seconds at WrestleMania XXVIII led to a run as a babyface and the "Yes!" movement going mainstream.

CM Punk's "goody two-shoes" angle was turned on its head during his feud with Jeff Hardy and helped develop a side to his persona that would do more for his character than any happy-go-lucky babyface run. An overhaul could be the best thing to happen to Reigns.

Ron Elkman/Sports Imagery/Getty Images

Fans want their Superstars with an edge and grow weary of noble good guys who fight for honor. Sometimes, a la Eddie Guerrero, they have to lie, cheat and steal their way to the top of the food chain. The audience identifies with heels and, sooner or later, starts cheering for them. See: Kevin Owens and The Miz.

Reigns has what it takes, but WWE must take off the leash so the Anoa'i family member can showcase his personality. There will be some apprehension on the company's part that it will hurt merchandise sales. But it's a small price to pay for what could lead to the next Rock or Cena. 

The heel turn must happen before it is too late.

Follow Andreas on Twitter @AndreasHale.