Roman Reigns should be a WWE megastar, complete with thunderous cheers welcoming his arrival each night.In spite of his good looks, impressive physical gifts and a growing resume of top-notch matches, he's not anything close to that. A good chunk of the audience continues to reject him. Fans spit online vitriol at him.That wasn't always the case. As the muscle for the black-clad badasses known as The Shield, Reigns enjoyed far more favorable reactions.When he charged at the enemy and laid them out with a spear, WWE fans roared in approval. He was a squared-circle superhero and treated as such.So, what happened' How did his push to the top become so painful' Why did crowds turn on him'The short answer is he wasn't Daniel Bryan. The longer version details a shift in attitude as his prominence grew and as WWE missed out on chances to anoint Bryan, the sawed-off, bearded people's champion.Reigns began his WWE career as one third of the white-hot faction The Shield.Reigns, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins barreled into the WWE world at the close of Survivor Series 2012. The group proved unstoppable, both in how the company booked them and how popular they became.As they knocked off superteams left and right, Ambrose and Rollins did more of the talking. Reigns played the mostly silent gladiator.His overflowing passion and high impact were a hit.But soon fans realized that WWE was prepping the throne for him. Chunks of the crowd preferred to see the indy-hardened Rollins and Ambrose or the everyman Bryan take that spot.In many minds, Reigns wasn't yet ready for a top-tier position, but he marched toward it anyway.Reigns and Rollins captured the Tag Team Championship. AtSurvivor Series 2013, The Juggernaut tied an event record four eliminations in one match. He made history two months later, ousting a record12 Superstarsin one night at the 2014 Royal Rumble.That's where the tone of his story changed. Jan. 26, 2014: Royal RumbleFans had fully fallen in love with Bryan at this point. Reactions to his triumphs were at a volume we had not heard in years.Still, WWE underestimated his popularity.The crowd wanted badly to see Bryan win the Rumble and earn his spot in the WrestleMania main event. It was the result that made the most sense, but WWE didn't even put him in the match. He wrestled Bray Wyatt earlier in the night and when Rey Mysterio dashed out as the final contest in the Battle Royal, the beloved luchador heard boos.The company chose to script a victory for the returning Batista, who had been away for four years making movies.When Batista stood in the corner to celebrate his win, chaos broke out in the audience. Boos echoed in the arena. Fans cursed. Anger pulsated.As Pro Wrestling Illustrated put it, WWE simply didn't give fans what they wanted:That decision would cut out Reigns' legs from under him a year later. June 2, 2014: The Shield ImplodesA chair shot to Reigns' back sent him on a solo mission from that point forward.Rollins signaled the end of The Shield by cracking the steel weapon against his brothers' spines. The Architect broke up the faction in order to join forces with Triple H, the rebel becoming one of the tyrants.For Reigns, it meant existing outside of the comfort of The Shield.He didn't have as obvious a direction as his old allies.Lady J wrote for FightBooth, "When the dust settled on the end of The Shield, Rollins was a newly crowned Prince, Ambrose was a wild man seeking revenge, and it was Reigns who was left to wander, without a real purpose." Aug. 17, 2014: SummerSlamReigns battled Randy Orton in hisfirst major singles match.Many wondered what The Big Dog would look like on his own on such a grand stage. The match was solid, but many were unimpressed.The common criticism was that The Viper carried Reigns. Writing for Uproxx, Brandon Stroud referred to the match as "Randy Orton Wrestles a Broomstick."Reigns' performance wasn't enough to erase doubts about his readiness. Dec. 8, 2014: The SlammysEven as his push to the marquee was in full swing, the audience hadn't fully turned on Reigns.When he won the Slammy Award for Superstar of the Year in 2014, he received a good amount of cheers. A"Roman Reigns!" chant even broke out.Reigns was clearly WWE's next golden boy. The backlash to that wouldn't arrive until later. Dec. 29, 2014: Bryan Announces He's Entering the RumbleOn the last Raw of 2014, Bryan told the crowd that he was ready to return to the ring after recovering from the neck issues that stripped him of his WWE title reign after WrestleMania XXX.He vowed to win the2015 Royal Rumble.So many fans saw this as a sign that WWE was going to finally give them the image they wanted, that of Bryan outlasting 29 other men. The company could start over with the Bryan story and let him reclaim the world title. The thought had fans buzzing with excitement.Had WWE simply held back Bryan's return until after the Rumble, things would have turned out far differently for Reigns. Instead, he would soon become a scapegoat.Jan. 9: 2015: Sufferin' SuccotashWWE struggled to find the right role for Reigns.In his feud with Rollins, it tried to mold him into Cena 2.0. The worst elements of the Cena character seeped into Reigns' act. He was suddenly cartoonish and corny.The most memorable moment during that stretch was when Reigns used the line "sufferin' succotash" while talking trash to Rollins. The Big Dog turned to the camera and winked afterward.That poor booking planted seeds of the backlash to come. It stripped Reigns of his likable side, leaving a shabby imitation of Cena behind. Jan. 23, 2015: The 'Guy Getting Rich' InterviewAs the relationship between Reigns and the audience grew more tense, the wrestler refused to use a politician's tact. He chose to instead fire off controversial statements.Appearing on theSam Roberts Wrestling Podcast(h/tJack Jorgensenof FanSided), Reigns said of his critics:"The fans have to realize that as opinionated as y'all are in the way you want it, the company is the same way and they're gonna do what they wanna do. ... At the end of the day I'm just a guy getting rich."Not exactly the way to endear one's self to a fanbase. Reigns came off as elitist, worsening the situation. Jan. 25, 2015: Royal RumbleFans started booing once Wyatt knocked Bryan out of the Battle Royal. The dream of seeing the everyman prevail was over. It was then clear that victory awaited Reigns.The ending dragged as the The Authority dumped out Dolph Ziggler, as Kane and Big Show ganged up on Reigns.WWE tried to sell Reigns as an underdog. It brought in The Rock to help Reigns win over the crowd. It all failed.As Dave Tach wrote for Polygon, "In his moment of victory, poor Roman Reigns, sweating and bloodied from his performance, ascended the ropes, put his hands above his head and was met with pure, unadulterated vitriol."Reigns garnered the same angry response that Batista had a year before. Online, fans threatened to cancel the WWE Network. A feeling of unrest permeated the arena. Jan. 26, 2015: The Snowed-in RawA snowstorm whipped through Connecticut the night after the Royal Rumble, forcing WWE to hold Raw inside its corporate headquarters. The interview-heavy show featured no live in-ring action.Reigns was saved the flurry of booing that would have welcomed him to Raw that night. WWE had a spare moment to recover from the poor reaction to The Big Dog's win.All those fans talking of not watching WWE as long as Reigns was on top apparently didn't live up to their word. Despite it being a studio show, Raw's numbers were excellent.James Caldwell of PWTorch noted that the show earned the "highest rating since the post-WrestleMania Raw drew a 3.70 rating on April 7, 2014." Feb. 22, 2015: FastlaneIn 2014, Bryan fans were so loud and forceful that WWE decided to add him to the Batista vs. Orton WrestleMania main event. A year later, they were clearly hoping to do the same thing, to leave WWE no choice but to adjust its plans.Bryan got a crack at claiming Reigns' spot at the Fastlane PPV. If he knocked off Reigns, he would challenge Lesnar for the world title, and the booing, restless part of the crowd would get the David-vs.-Goliath story they demanded.It didn't happen.Reigns received a mixed reaction; Bryan earned a hero's welcome before the bigger man outlasted himin an excellent matchup. As tremendous as The Big Dog did that night, his critics still weren't convinced.Twitter was awash with fans dismissing the performance as being the result of Bryan having carried Reigns. March 29, 2015: WrestleMania 31Reigns walked to the ring to anunderwhelming response from the fans inside Levi's Stadium. And despite him playing a heel role, the fans roared for Lesnar.The audience was firmly behind The Beast Incarnate the whole night, cheering Reigns' destruction.WWE threw a curveball in the bout's climax. Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank contract mid-match and pinned Reigns to steal the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.The company seemed to realize that it wasn't yet time for Reigns to rule. One has to imagine that the incessant rejection of Reigns played a role in that move. Aug. 8, 2015: Fan Attacks ReignsA replica Money in the Bank briefcase struck Reigns in the head during a match against Wyatt at a house show in Victoria, British Columbia.The blow stunned him.A 31-year-old fan had, as the Canadian Press (viaCTVNews.ca) detailed, "tossed the briefcase into the ring, hitting wrestler Roman Reigns in the back of the head."Whether or not this fan did this out of protest, the incident felt symbolic of fans' frustrations with WWE and Reigns. Nov. 22, 2015: Survivor SeriesWhen Rollins went down with a torn ACL, he had to drop the WWE title.A tournament for the vacant belt culminated at the Survivor Series PPV. The finals were an all-Shield affair with Reigns facing Ambrose in the finals.Reigns took down the more popular Ambrose, but only held the championship for a moment. Sheamus charged in, cashed in hisMoney in the Bank contract and stole the gold from The Big Dog.Sheamus received a few cheers for his misdeeds, and the audience didn't seem too upset about Reigns' heartbreak.WWE was looking to create more pity for Reigns. It may not have worked in that moment, but change was in the works. Dec. 13, 2015: The Attack at TLCIt looked as if Reigns was finally steering the crowd in the direction he wanted them to go.At TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, he and Sheamus battled in a match that fans showed disinterest in early on. The two warriors beat each other senseless until apathy turned to excitement.And then whenSheamus and The League of Nations cheated him out of his chance to reclaim his title, he lost it. Reigns attacked the heel faction. When Triple H came out, he blasted him, too.The powerhouse left his boss in need of a stretcher. The crowd clearly loved that image as Reigns was earning hearty cheers. Dec. 14, 2015: Rematch on RawThe upward trend continued the next night. Reigns didn't care who was in his way, even if it was WWE owner Vince McMahon.Triple H, McMahon and The Authority tried to prevent him from winning once more, but he fended off every foe. Reigns punched out McMahon en route to beating Sheamus.The against-all-odds story clicked.Ross Bentleywrote for Uproxx: "The reason that storyline got over is because Reigns actually had obstacles in front of him that he had to overcome. He didn't just up and win everything because he's the best. He had to fight through an evil Vince McMahon and Triple H as well as Sheamus to win the championship."The crowd gave Reigns his best reaction in a long time. It seemed that WWE's persistence in pushing Reigns had paid off. Feb. 22: BloodiedThe good vibes didn't last. Reigns' momentum faded once he had the belt.Triple H attacked Reigns on Raw, leaving his face smeared with blood.The ambush followed Reigns' clash with Sheamus that night and was clearly an attempt to generate pathos for the struggling babyface.The moment didn't work as expected. Fans cheered along with The Game as he slammed Reigns' face into the announcers' table. Fans chanted "Triple H!" even as blood covered Reigns' nose. April 3: WrestleMania 32Triple H had won the 2016 Royal Rumble to win the WWE world title and set up a showdown with Reigns.Many fans were less than enthused about the idea. The pushback wasn't as strong, but it was reminiscent of the audience's rejection of Orton vs. Batista. This time, it was Ambrose a vocal portion of the crowd wanted to take Bryan's place. As PWTorch columnist Wade Keller pointed out, WWE used the animosity as part of the storyline:As expected, Reigns won. There was no heel turn, no plot twist; just a standard babyface story with a babyface that wasn't over. The audience openly rooted for Triple H the entire match.And when Reigns celebrated at the end of a marathon WrestleMania, some fans cheered, some fans stood stoically. May 22: Extreme RulesAJ Styles challenged the big man for his title. The athletic, in-ring artist was supposed to play the heel, but the fans loved him.His work at TNA and New Japan Pro Wrestling made him an internet darling. Reigns, meanwhile, faced a barrage of verbal rejection. Fans booed him for much of the night.When champion and challenger proceeded to tear the house down, it didn't matter. Fans chanted to Reigns, "You still suck!" June 13: Record-Low RatingIn contrast to the boost he gave Raw's ratings after the 2015 Royal Rumble, Reigns found himself the scapegoat for the show's terrible viewership.With Reigns as world champion and top dog, Raw hit a startling low withonly 2.97 million viewers.TheNBA Finals, featuring the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers, were partly to blame. But that's not the whole story.As Cageside Seats' Geno Mroskowrote,"The first hour ran unopposed and was still the lowest drawing first hour of 2016."Fans were clearly not thrilled with Reigns at the helm. June 21: 30-Day SuspensionReigns screwed up. He generated bad press for the company byviolating the company's wellness policy.WWE announcedthat it had suspended Reigns. It didn't elaborate on which banned substance it had busted him for.A contrite Reigns responded on Twitter:Reigns certainly isn't the first wrestler to get caught taking something he shouldn't. The last thing he needed, though, was to arm his critics with more ammo.And his absence made it tough to hype the Reigns vs. Ambrose vs. Rollins match set for the Battleground PPV. July 22: Return from SuspensionAn indication of just where Reigns stood with fans is how the crowd in Newark, Delaware, treated him when he came back from suspension.Ahead of Rollins, Ambrose and Reigns'Triple Threat match, Reigns returned to a house show to chase off the villainous Rollins. There were claps and cheers mixed in there, but much of the audience booed:This was no hero's welcome. Sept. 25: Wins United States ChampionshipWWE decided to move Reigns away from the world title picture and instead have him focus on a midcard title. After months of feuding with the anti-America bully Rusev, Reigns dethroned him at the Clash of Champions PPV.The Big Dog speared the heel and clutched the U.S. title in his hands. The Indianapolis crowd wasn't electric with celebration, but the response was mostly positive.The cheers overshadowed the boos. Things were moving in the right direction. Oct. 30: Hell in a CellReigns walked in as the champion and the babyface in the PPV's opener. Many of those in attendance in Boston's TD Garden booed him.A fan unfamiliar with the storyline might have assumed that Reigns was the heel.His win generated a more fitting reaction. The cheers were louder at this point, but it was a muted response.Reigns' journey has been where he follows one step forward with one step back.The tone of the reaction he generates is dependent on the city WWE is in that night.Several towns have warmed up to him. Some remain underwhelmed or unconvinced.It's been nearly two years since the 2015 Royal Rumble and still WWE has to ask itself if things will ever change for Reigns. Will the crowd stop being so split on him'Shifting the crowd's perception of him has been like trying to redirect the tide.Reigns did for a short while at the end of 2015, though. And he can again in time.
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