At first, I thought Roman Reigns was just a throw-in with Rollins and Ambrose, two guys with lengthy and well-regarded indie backgrounds. I thought Reigns was attached to them solely because of his lineage and his look, and that he’d eventually be forgotten about, like how Luke Harper and Erick Rowan are destined to be footnotes on Bray Wyatt’s Wikipedia page.
I couldn’t have been more wrong. About Reigns’ skill level, that is, not his lineage or his look or the Wyatt Family. Reigns descends from the Anoa’i family tree, which includes The Rock, the Usos, Rikishi, Umaga, and many more wrestlers. There are obviously behind-the-scenes advantages to being part of that line, and it also gives him some potentially interesting storylines on-camera, as well. In terms of his physique, the ex-NFL practice roster player has excellent size and a menacing appearance. Plus he might have the best tattoo in professional wrestling.
But what has surprised me has been how solid Reigns has been between the ropes and on the microphone. Granted, he doesn’t have to do the heavy lifting (figuratively speaking) in either role. When he does speak, he’s articulate and clear, he stays on point, and he occasionally flashes a bit of sardonic humor. And although he looks huge in his SWAT-team vest, he’s not as bulky as an Ezekiel Jackson or a Mason Ryan. He has enough agility to pull off a passable dropkick, and even has some springboard moves in his arsenal.
Reigns is the oldest member of the Shield, but has the least experience as a pro wrestler. Right now, he’s not able to deliver four-star matches on his own, and he can’t carry potential feuds with his promos. The forum posters who believe Reigns to be the future star of this group point out Vince McMahon’s preference for men of Reigns’ size. I think this argument is a bit overstated in the modern era (with CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, and Dolph Ziggler featured heavily on practically every broadcast). Reigns has the raw tools necessary to become a main event guy, but he has the most work to do to get there.
