05/11/2023
Roman's Reign.....
The longest reigning World Champion in "modern" wrestling history Roman Reigns left WWE Crown Jewel with his impressive reign in tact.....
It surely is an impressive run on top that hasn't been seen since the lofty days of Hulkamania. The striking difference between Joe Anoai's run on top compared to the select few who surpass him in length as champion is that he has achieved this feat as a heel....
In the long history of WWWF/WWF/WWE it has during its most successful periods used babyface figure heads. In the 1960's , 70's and 80's that meant that the digest drawing babyface would carry the World Title and headline cards for literal years. This changed in the late 90s during the Attitude era when competition from WCW forced WWF to abandon the tried and tested method for a more unpredictable ratings driven booking theology.
Before the crash TV style changed the rules the early days of WWWF were ruled by babyface Italian hero Bruno Sammaratino who over two reigns held the World Title for over 11 years, after Bruno there was Bon Backlund who had a 7 year run as world champion.....TV and culture switched massively in the 80s as Vince McMahon jr. Took over from his father and expanded nation wide, but even then Hulk Hogans lucrative first reign lasted over 3 years, since then no one has come close to these lengths, .....
Until Roman Reigns.....however when Bruno, Backlund and Hogan constantly prevailed, they were vanquishing hated heel challengers and therefore sending the paying audience home happy......a long reigning heel champion does the exact opposite..
As welcome as an old school long reign has been and as much as it has repaired the prestige of the championship, the fact that Roman Reigns is a "bad guy" could be considered counter productive. It has largely been a huge success, however there is a danger that fans could become jaded with constantly seeing their heroes come up short....this of course can also damage a hot babyface star who can have his rise cut short with a defeat right at the moment a win could have catapulted him to new heights.
The question must be asked....have WWE gone too long with this historic reign? Meaning have they missed the best possible pay off? Many believe Cody Rhodes "finishing the story" at this year's Wrestlemania would have been perfect......WWE chose to keep the gold on Roman Reigns....
If when Reigns finally drops the title it is remembered as a true star making unforgettable moment I will happily stand corrected, but I personally believe a Cody win at Mania was the best possible pay off. Even if Cody wins it this year I don't believe it means as much as it could have last year.....and if it's not Cody who ends it I truly can't imagine anyone else getting that spot that would feel worthy of it in the majority of fans eyes.
Roman Reigns' run has now reached such legendary status that if the man who ends it doesn't have the 100% support of the audience it will be considered a let down......I'm not sure anyone including Cody can achieve that level of support that he did last year....
And if WWE think the same, then they may decide to keep the belt on Reigns even longer.....and if they do....when, where and who will ever truly be on that level to finally pin the Tribal Chiefs shoulders to the mat?
For a company who built there reputation on sending the fans home happy and famously gave a legacy of babyface figureheads, the last 3 years have been atypical to say the least.....
One day a hero will be chosen to defeat "the head of the table"....the question is...when he does will the crown have become to heavy to wear???
Written by Ben Roberts for Ring Wars
