Steve Austin’s Message to Fans Begging for Roman Reigns’ Heel Turn

Roman Reigns and his potential heel turn has been one of the hottest subjects in WWE for multiple years now. The “will he or won’t he” melodrama has grown into one of the company’s best subplot. And now, Stone Cold Steve Austin has his official take on Reigns turning heel.

On a recent episode of his podcast, The Steve Austin Show, Stone Cold weighed in on the psychology behind a Reigns turn. He thinks that fans may want to reconsider what they’re asking for:

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“I think you keep him on the road that he’s on and you don’t turn him heel just for the sake of turning him heel to make the fans happy because you’re not pushing him anymore because if you’re going to turn him heel, you’re going to push him even harder. Then, if you were tired of him to begin with because he was overpushed to begin with, in your opinion, then you’re not going to like him as a heel either,” he said.

“So if he keeps going down the road in the fashion that he is, but then turns, in an organic fashion, heel, when the time is right, or just stays down the road, the kid is going to be just fine.” He still has things to learn in the ring. He still has to work at getting to the top level, but he’s a top guy, in my opinion,” Austin continued.

Reigns is a fascinating exhibition of psychology. He is vehemently booed anytime he appears on WWE camera. Yet, he’s equally cheered in the same moment. His detractors don’t like him because they think he represents the next version of the invincible John Cena. To fight against another lily-white babyface era, these same fans are begging for a Reign heel turn. While their concerns may be valid, their request isn’t.

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As Austin mentioned, a Reigns heel turn looks different in WWE’s execution than fan’s ideas. Fans don’t like him because he’s overexposed. But as a heel, the inflated Reigns would only expand his presence, continuing to dominate the sport. In fan’s minds, they are quick to associate him with The Rock who needed a heel turn to evolve his character en route to becoming the most electrifying man in the industry. The fans that boo Reigns want to cheer an evil Reigns, but Austin and some deductive reasoning says that it’s just not that simple.

Reign’s “turn” is in the process of happening. Instead of betraying a tag-team partner or spitting on some old ladies, his gravitation to the dark side has been gradual. But that’s not to say that he will ever be fully heel. The best characters in TV and Movies are complex, honoring the good and giving in to the bad in life. Reigns as a polarizing character is working to a potent level. I mean, does the whole building erupt when he appears or not?