When fans clamor for Roman Reigns to turn heel, it’s easily dismissed. But apparently, so are similar pleas from “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.
After the May 6 Backlash pay-per-view, Austin asserted that it’s time for Reigns to finally become a villain. However, in an interview with The Mirror, Reigns expressed that although Austin’s opinion is certainly valid, it’s by no means obligatory.
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“I think everybody has their opinions. Like ice cream, everybody has their flavor, everybody has their opinion. It’s Stone Cold Steve Austin. He definitely knows the area and the territory that I’m in. He knows what it’s like to pull the trigger and be a workhorse. So I think there’s definitely a lot of truth in what he has to say and I value his opinion,” said Reigns.
“Is it going to happen? I can’t guarantee that. It’s one of those situations where you kind of got to take it week by week and just understand the role,” he continued. “I definitely think there is a lot of great truth to what he’s thinking and his knowledge in the game. But Stone Cold is not my boss.”
This was Reigns politely saying “thanks but, no thanks.” But is he right for doing so?
Well, we have no idea what Vince McMahon’s plans are for Roman Reigns. Right now, it looks like we’ll be getting a steady dose of Jinder Mahal vs. Roman Reigns. After a rough April, Reigns is once again forced to rehabilitate his babyface character. While WWE and Reigns will happily tell you that they are pleased with the reaction Reigns is getting, I have a hard time believing they don’t wish he’d get more cheers. I mean, he was just paired with Mahal, one of WWE’s most effective heels—if they don’t care about fans accepting him, they’d have gone in a different direction.
The arc of Reigns has proven to be one of the most interesting meta storylines in WWE history. I’ll guess we eventually do see a heel turn, but not until WWE has exhausted all options. But if it were up to Stone Cold the time is now. Here’s the full quote from the Steve Austin Show:
“So what do you do with Roman Reigns at this point? For him to have the biggest run … you’ve got to turn him heel and he’s got to perform and let loose. He needs to be aggressive and go out there, ‘This is what you wanted, this is what you get … I don’t need your damn support.’ He needs to bring a mean streak and go on a total heel run.”
