WWE: Do RAW’s Writers Understand Character?

I’m going to say something and I’m pretty certain that you’re gonna take issue with it. It’s a controversial opinion to say the least. The type of thing that the odd wrestling fan might think, but wouldn’t dare say out loud, never mind put it on the internet for all to see. Writing this statement down and sharing it is undoubtedly career suicide, and this is only the second article I’ve written for this website. But I’m going to say it anyway. I’m going to put my neck on the line for the sake of journalistic integrity and honesty. I’m going to stick to my guns and admit to the world the type of person I am, regardless of what others think of me. Ready? Brace yourselves. Here it comes…

I think Roman Reigns is cool.

There, I said it. I genuinely think Roman Reigns is really cool. He carries himself like an absolute star. He’s got a really unique and neat look and his fair share of awesome moves. He’s got strength and athleticism. He looks like a superstar. He is related to the Rock – WWE claim they’re cousins although I vaguely remember someone saying that was a lie. I could look it up but I’m not going to because in the grand scheme of things it doesn’t matter and the point still stands. Roman Reigns is a cool guy.

Now before you get annoyed and think this all part of some sort of corporate scheme where the WWE pay internet nobodies like me to write a positive article in which I praise the company and their top guy yet give it a title which suggests I’m going to be critical off them as a way to trick people into clicking on it. Just hear me out.

Whilst I admit to liking Roman Reigns an awful lot, I simply can’t get behind him. I would never even consider buying some Roman Reigns merchandise. He’s nowhere near my top 10 list of wrestlers right now and I don’t find myself wanting him to win. I genuinely feel like he should be one of my favourites, but it simply isn’t happening. He wrestles consistently good matches, has improved on the microphone tremendously, is involved in a lot of WWE’s most interesting stories and angles, yet I just can’t get on board the Reigns Train (You’re welcome for that one, WWE).

If you’re a clever little SOB, you’ll probably deduct that the reason I can’t get behind Roman Reigns is something to do with that dagger-eyed title of this article. It’s a simple question, but one that absolutely should not be asked of a TV show that’s bringing in millions of fews every week.

Being a professional wrestling fan, people often say that they don’t get professional wrestling and why I enjoy it. The simplest and most easy explanation to give people is to tell them that I enjoy it like anyone enjoys any fictional TV show. I am aware it’s not real, but I suspend my disbelief and get invested into the characters and the story. Whilst it’s a slightly different kettle-of-fish compared to your Breaking Bad or your Game of Thrones, there are a lot of similarities, and the basic storytelling devices and basic character work is one of them, or at least, it should be.

One guy who is one of my current favourites on the WWE roster is the underdog from the underground, Sami Zayn. Much like Reigns, he’s great in the ring and good on the mic but I can get behind him so much more. Not because he’s an “indie darling”, but because his character follows the conventional rules of storytelling.

Sami Zayn, as his nickname suggests, loses a lot. In fact, he seems destined to lose pretty much every match he is in. Not only does he lose an awful lot, but he doesn’t complain about losing, and he certainly doesn’t lash out. He gets angry, like any sane person would, especially given how often he’s blindsided or cheated, but he never resorts to underhanded tactics. All Zayn wants to do is impress the crowd and prove himself to everyone. Even in defeat, Zayn makes sure to give it his absolute best and not leave anything in the tank. That’s admirable and it’s enjoyable and if it ever comes, the day Zayn wins the big one is going to be incredible.

Compare that to Roman Reigns. He wins literally all the time. He gets put in the biggest matches time and again. He seems to end almost every segment on RAW with his head held high. He looks incredibly strong going against the Tag Team Champions in handicap matches, and he moans an awful lot. It’s hard to root for someone when they constantly win and now obstacle put in their way seems to actually have a chance of beating them.

Reigns’ feud with Strowman was one of the best Reigns storylines in ages because Strowman seemed to pose a genuine threat to Reigns and I feel I can root for characters who are threatened. Unfortunately, an albeit great match later, this threat was disposed of and once again Reigns looked unstoppable. I’m not saying our good guys can’t win matches, but Reigns is an unstoppable force and makes winning look almost effortless. They’re the attributes of a bad guy. Could we root for Walter White if he was constantly in control? Would pantomime work if the villain was the one struggling and the hero did everything with ease? Would Spider-Man be as compelling a character if his abilities meant he could beat his villains sat down and nothing bad ever happened to him? No. Obviously not.

And that’s how Reigns feels. Every program he’s in feels like he’s going to win it with relative ease. That’s why a heel turn feels so right, because he behaves like a bad guy. It’s not just Reigns, though. Whilst not winning all the time, Enzo and Cast consistently behave like total jerks. You and your opponent can trash talk, but the bad guys need to do more harm and win more than the good guys. That creates intrigue and investment and it makes us actually care and root for people.

As a final example, take a look at John Cena. Cena used to be the type of guy who won every single feud he was in. He was unstoppable. Whilst the commentators liked to try and paint him as the underdog, no matter what happened to Cena, the audience knew he would kick out at two. He never ever ever lost, so as you’d expect, a lot of people turned on him. Since heading over to Smackdown, John Cena has lost some big matches, most notably to AJ Styles and Dean Ambrose. Did this make love for him lessen? Of course not. Cena is more loved now than he has been in years and when he beat Styles to win the title in a match few could predict: people cheered for him.

It’s a simple mistake, but an irritating one. How can WWE expect us to root for characters who win time and time again? Professional Wrestling is not a sport, it is a TV show, and should be treated as such. There’s no satisfaction in watching the same guy beat everyone else again and again with the same mild smugness as usual. We need characters that try and fail time and again until eventually they overcome the obstacles. It’s been proven throughout history that this approach in wrestling works. Heroes aren’t people who win all the time, they’re people who stand up in the face of adversity. Get beaten down and lose time and time again, but keep fighting anyway.