MR. TITO: Roman Reigns’ BOTCHED Babyface Turn Has HURT WWE Wrestlemania 41’s Hype
The goofy online wrestling community is still on the “Wrestlemania 41’s hype has been terrible” kick, but I disagree. For one, I’ve pointed out how BAD Wrestlemanias 27 through 38 have been and maybe expectations were just too high based on how GOOD Wrestlemanias 39 and 40 were. Even though the Wrestlemania 41 card is loaded with superstars and will likely be a good event, you cannot please the WWE “fans” who love to hate on the promotion that they devote hours per week watching.
Let’s look at the hype discussions that we’ve already covered…
I wrote about LAST WEEK how the uncertainty surrounding The Rock has messed with WWE’s plans and how Triple H’s crew failed to build any back-up plans should the Rock become unavailable for 2025.
But I also wrote in March how Cody Rhodes has peaked as WWE champion and is like Dak Prescott of the Cowboys who needs everything strong surrounding him (OL, WRs, TE, RB) to look great in the NFL. By the way, I predicted Cody winning the WWE Title would be the peak of him during the weeks before Wrestlemania 39 and y’all laughed at me.
HOWEVER – There’s one missing ingredient for the Wrestlemania hype to be complete…
Wrestlemania 39 was headlined by Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes
Wrestlemania 40 was headlined by Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes
My question to you, the online wrestling fans, is this… Is the April 2025 version of Roman Reigns better than the 2020 to early 2024 version of Roman Reigns?
In other words, the babyface return of Roman Reigns and the subsequent storylines and feuds since have been a FAILURE in comparison to what he was before Royal Rumble 2024 and when the Rock became the “Final Boss”.
Now, some of you will make an ignorant assumption that I’m just going after Roman Reigns only because of who he may have supported during the 2024 Election. I can already hear Roman-apologist and mark Virtue crying about this column… Trust me on this one, folks… ANY professional wrestler making 6, 7, or even 8 figures a year who acts as an Independent Contractor and has to hire a tax accountant to figure out what state/federal income taxes they owe along with any other taxes possibly paid is leaning as a Republican politically. Why? Historically speaking, and you can go back to the tax cuts conducted over the last 50 years, one side cuts taxes as a higher percentage on the highest wage earners (assuming it “trickles down”) while other side does not. Thus, if you’re a Democrat, then the majority of the WWE locker room should offend you by now.
Speaking objectively as a wrestling fan, the Roman Reigns babyface return and attack on the “New” Bloodline from SummerSlam 2024 as a failure. Period, end of story. THAT is the issue and why we’re seeing a less popular Roman Reigns for April 2025 versus what we saw through early April 2024.
For one, Roman Reigns took over 4 months off during 2024 and we heard absolutely NOTHING from him, even after Solo, Jacob, and the Haku brothers murdered Paul Heyman in Madison Square Garden during late June 2024. Complete cold water thrown on the character that led the Bloodline stable for the last 3 and a half years.
Secondly, the “New” Bloodline led by Solo was a failure… Solo was a weak and inexperienced leader of men, and just not as menacing or threatening as the leader. It was sad to see Jacob Fatu acquiesce to a much greener Solo, while they tried to give Solo a main event push. The Haku brothers did not excite fans, either.
Roman Reigns vanquished the “new” Bloodline on the first Netflix RAW in a match against Solo and that’s it, nothing more to that Bloodline vs. Bloodline storyline. The Rock did nothing on that show but praise his “cousin”, pretty much derailing any hope of Rock vs. Roman at Wrestlemania 41.
Going back a few months, that Bloodline vs. Bloodline match from Survivor Series 2024 was in clear need of a boost and hence why CM Punk was added to the match. So now we’re simultaneously trying to create a conflict between Roman and the “New” Bloodline while also trying to generate heat with CM Punk?
And all of this hype for the CM Punk “favor” only to get Punk wanting Paul Heyman to be in his corner. The Roman BEFORE Royal Rumble 2024 would have found that idea ridiculous and would have wanted a massive beatdown on CM Punk for even suggesting that. Now, we have just bad storylines trying to justify a Triple Threat match that is just about bragging rights and NOT World Titles. Paul Heyman in Heyman’s corner is like a poor man’s Wrestlemania 5 hype of which corner will Miss Elizabeth be in for Hogan vs. Macho.
Folks, I’m just not feeling this “OTC” babyface character, especially WITHOUT the threat of the Bloodline without him challenging his role as Tribal Chief. Where is his tribe, anyway? Hard to be a tribal chief when you have no tribe to lead… Both Usos have moved on, so has Jacob Fatu as he’s going after LA Knight’s title…
What made 2020-2023 great business and an upward swing for the WWE was NOT just Roman Reigns’s heel turn, but the Bloodline itself. Paul Heyman played a pivotal role, as he gave Roman instant credibility for his heel turn and allowed Roman to not be as over-exposed as a character when he could simply have Heyman speak for him. Hell, Roman could take weeks off at a time and let Heyman speak for him, much like Brock Lesnar did when using Heyman’s services. Then, you had the Bloodline stable of wrestlers… Started off with Jey Uso and then Jimmy… Sami Zayn was soon added and that caused the storyline to boil over, as the ending of Royal Rumble 2023 was pure electricity.
As you can see, Jey Uso is pretty damn over on his own… I know that everyone wants to give credit solely to Roman Reigns for the Bloodline, but Jey has more than proven himself lately that he was a major part of the storyline. Look at merchandise numbers, folks, and that justified why he won the 2025 Royal Rumble. Sorry, but Roman Reigns DID NOT have the merchandise sales as Jey Uso when Roman won the 2015 Royal Rumble. FACT!
Then, The Rock joins the fold after Royal Rumble 2024. Could have been Roman’s crown jewel with his heel character, but online fans went nuclear about “finishing the story” for Cody Rhodes and WWE Creative abruptly changed storylines. A heel “Final Boss” Rock was completely undercutting Roman Reigns as the leader of the Bloodline. Can’t be important as “Tribal Chief” when another character in your Bloodline group calls himself the “Final Boss”.
The correct conclusion of the storyline was that the Rock was 100% behind Solo Sikoa’s moves to hijack the Bloodline and that would set up Wrestlemania 41 to be Rock vs. Roman after their Bloodline factions fought it out. Nope, instead, Roman Reigns was instantly changed to a babyface and fought a faux Bloodline group that had ZERO backing by the Rock. In fact, the Rock has ZERO to do with Roman Reigns now. But Roman is now left, on his own, to be a babyface and trying to feud with 2 tweeners in CM Punk and Seth Rollins. Nobody is the clear-cut heel in this feud, although they tried to do it with Seth Rollins and the various attacks he’s done to both Roman and Punk.
It’s CLEARLY a botched babyface turn for Roman Reigns and he’s had NOTHING strong as a heel to fight against to solidify that babyface role.
And because Triple H and the TKO/WWE corporation couldn’t lock down the Rock to wrestle Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania 41, we’re left with the rigged together card that you see today.
Let’s sum up WHY Wrestlemania 41’s hype feels shallow compared to previous years:
(1) Cody Rhodes is a better title chaser than champion. The Rhodes family story has been told.
(2) The Rock waffling on participating in the WWE, focusing back on his Hollywood schedule. We have no real conclusion to the great Wrestlemania 40, just unanswered questions. The best ability, Dwayne, is availability.
(3) Roman Reigns’s babyface turn was BOTCHED after 4 months of “load management” time off.
THAT is why Wrestlemania 41 feels lame with its hype…
The characters of Cody Rhodes, The Rock, and Roman Reigns ALL FEEL DIFFERENT during 2025 than they did during this time for 2024.
History will show that BOTH Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes both PEAKED at Wrestlemania 40, and the same goes for the Rock’s returning “Hollywood” Rock heel character.
You’re welcome. Once again, I solved the riddle of “why does Wrestlemania 41’s hype feel weaker than previous years?”.
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