Looking At WWE Superstar Roman Reigns: Can He Wrestle?

It has become a staple chant of the current WWE crowd. The famous “You Can’t Wrestle” chant is the equivalent of the Red Sox fans telling a Yankee pitcher that, “He Can’t Pitch.” Only difference is in baseball, there is a scoreboard. There are things like ERA and these things can be measured by numbers. In wrestling, this can be seen, but it is a very intuitive kind of thing. I know when a guy can’t wrestle, and when someone just isn’t a technical master. For example, Cesaro can wrestle, Great Khali can’t and someone like Curtis Axel is a decent hand, but he isn’t a technical master in the ring, or someone who just downright sucks. To me, the chant just tells a wrestler that they suck in a different way. Because we can’t say suck, ass, hell, or bitch unless Brie Bella needs to get over on the microphone.

Regardless, the WWE audience has no problem with judging someone on their wrestling ability. In fact, it is the main staple of how we judge a wrestling talent. I’d like to think that we critical wrestling fans judge by the following order: in ring work, promo ability, look, name, music and then whatever else comes next. I’d hope this is how we do it, but it probably varies. My point is that is someone’s in ring ability is questionable, we fans will attempt to slaughter their reputation with every chance we get. This criticism doesn’t come from a bad place, but it is blunt. It doesn’t start that way. At first it begins with a simple question, “Can he wrestle”? So, fellow lords and ladies of the wrestling world, let us ask that question now with someone we’ve been seeing an awful lot of lately, Roman Reigns. I’ve heard people saying, “All he does is the Outside Dropkick, Superman Punch, and the Spear.” These thoughts are not good considering Roman Reigns is the next golden boy of WWE. He’s going to be around a lot for the next decade, so if we are already getting critical of him before he even climbs the mountain. Do we have another John Cena on our hands? So, I want to get this done now. Let’s open this can early so we know what we are talking about. Let’s ask the question very clearly: As of today, can Roman Reigns Wrestle?

Okay, we all talk like we know this, but how do you prove it? Alright, I think we go by the move-set and the ability to tell stories in the ring. Let’s start with his style. He’s aggressive and he’s a powerhouse. He’s not going to be a technical master, but he’s not going to suck Khali style. He’s going to use high impact moves, and he’s going to be explosive. I’m personally thinking a much more athletic Batista. Reigns is big, athletic and he has a ton of power. I think his move-set shows a great deal of that so far. We do need to acknowledge that he definitely has his bread and butter signatures and finishers. He knows how to end a match, and he will always end his matches well. The Superman Punch is awesome. I love it, you love it. It is an awesome signature move, and it is hugely over. I think it is perfect for him. In the lead up to it though, he does the shoulder blocks, flying lariats, a Samoan Drop and probably a few other things. He probably does the Running Dropkick on the outside apron too. It’s okay for me, I’m not all about that one, but it keeps momentum building. That’s his thing. His finishing move-set really builds momentum quickly. I also really appreciate the Samoan Drop he does. I think this high impact, momentum building style is exactly why he was the perfect guy in The Shield to start building the end of the match, or get the hot tag. He’ll do a combination of all that stuff in the build up to the end, but that all leads to the Spear. We all have our favorite Spear. Whether it is Edge, Goldberg or whoever, the move looks devastating when done properly. The way Reigns delivers it, it looks like a train wreck sometimes. It is effective, it can come out of nowhere and it is over with the audience. The thing for me personally is I’ve never bought into someone being out cold from a Spear. I believe it can really knock you on your butt, and lead to a finisher, but I have a hard time looking at it like a game over kind of move. I was a Goldberg guy, so the Spear and Jackhammer were perfect for me. For me, I think the Spear leads to something else just like the Uppercut from Cesaro leads to the Neutralizer.

I think he needs two more moves. You know what I love about The Shield: Triple Powerbomb. That thing was devastating. I bolieved that someone was done after being thrown to the mat by three guys like Ambrose, Reigns and Rollins. Reigns was the centerpiece of the Powerbomb with the yell and the force he used. I think Reigns needs to bring that back. I think the yell worked, and a bih devastating Powerbomb would put an exclamation point on a match after he hit the Spear. Let me run it down for you. Reigns is hurt, but then he gets some life. He starts building with punches, clotheslines and a Samoan Drop. He regains himself and sets up for the Superman Punch. The crowd is going crazy as he hits it. There is probably some more back and forth until he pushes off somehow, gets some space and then hits a big Spear. He charges up to his feet and lets out the big yell as the crowd is ecstatic. He picks the guy up, gets him into position and throws him down for a big Jackknife Powerbomb for the 1-2-3.

It works. I think it gives him even more power. I bolieve he could put down John Cena, or anyone else he wanted like that. I think his finishers are all set after that, but wrestling is about more than that. If he is going to be “The Guy”, he needs another 10 to 15 minutes of match. He needs to be able to take bumps, build the other guy and make him look good. I think his selling thus far is fantastic. I can never remember a moment where I said to myself that Reigns over, or undersold a move. I think he knows how to take a beating. Look back on those clashes with Evolution. Those beatdowns they gave The Shield were epic, and if you watch each guy specifically. They all sold very well.

I think he knows the basics, can sell a beating and has a damn good set of signature/finishers. The thing is though that a big time match has a lot of rest time. It has submissions, and ring work. Look at Orton, he just pounds on body parts the whole match. He does rest holds because it looks intense, they slow the match down. It signifies his dominance in a match. I think Reigns has it in him to control a match and be a general, but I think he needs submissions. People really underestimate how much a great submission can drastically change a match. I don’t mean in finishing a match, I mean in the middle of a match. If Daniel Bryan is getting killed by Orton, or whoever and he looks in the Yes Lock out of nowhere, the whole match changes. Submissions to me are the most important part of a match because they shift things just as drastically as a surprise finisher. I’d want Reigns to use a submission like The Rock used the Sharpshooter. You knew he wasn’t going to win with it, but it added another layer to him. I think with Reigns’ move-set, a submission would really push his matches. I think he could make an Abdominal Stretch look awesome, but I really want him to start using a Dragon Sleeper. I blows my mind that no one uses it on the WWE roster. Remember when Heel Undertaker started using it to crush people. It looked incredibly devastating, and I think a guy like Reigns could be the one to bring it back. I think he can tell stories in the ring with his moves. I think he will be fine. He’s underdeveloped guys. Let’s give him some time. He’s got plenty of veterans to learn from too.

I started this with the question: Can Roman Reigns wrestle? I consider this match with Randy Orton on Sunday to be a major test for him. Orton has a slow style, but has a few big moves that really floor someone. Reigns is going to be the one with the high energy to bring the match up to 11. That is a great place to be in. That is why he is over. It is his look, his big moves and presence. He has a ton of presence, and if he learns to sound more natural on the mic, he’ll be near perfect. It isn’t that he is ridiculous on the mic, but he’s doing that inexperienced thing where he is trying too hard to sound tough, or be a babyface. I think he’d be better at heel promos, but then who isn’t. We always say that. I think the mic work with come. He’s going to be working with guys who will carry him for awhile, so if we lighten up a little, I think it’ll be okay. Sometimes pointing out the problem isn’t helpful. But do we have our answer? Can Roman Reigns wrestle? I bolieve the answer is yes, but I’d also give him a 6, or a 7 out of ten. I think a marquee guy needs to be an 8, or better. I think he’s improving, but I also think it’s too early to start giving him crap about how he only uses four moves. It’s not easy to get the mega push when you aren’t ready for it. The last few guys that have gotten major pushes have been guys like Punk and Bryan. Those guys were phenomenal wrestlers who were 100% ready for the level of match quality. Reigns is not, I’ll admit that. I think he is going to struggle a little, but let’s go easy on him. It isn’t easy to be the golden boy so early. Let’s give this one a chance. He certainly doesn’t seem like the guy who is going to tell us how much he “loves this” every week. I think he’ll be fine. Do you?

By the way, I’ll be appearing on Harrell Wrestling Talk’s podcast this Friday on behalf of PWMania to give my Summerslam predictions, and just talk about wrestling with some cool people. If interested, please come on an listen this weekend before Summerslam. If you like hearing me talk about wrestling that is.

What do you think? Comment below with your thoughts, opinions, feedback and anything else that was raised.