Jim Cornette Weighs In On WWE’s Roman Reigns Problem and How to Fix It

– Jim Cornette appeared on Busted Open Radio and discussed WWE’s dilemma regarding Roman Reigns’ reception by the fans. You can listen to the video below, plus highlights per WZ’s Bill Pritchard:

On fans rejecting Reigns: “It’s a situation that has never actually arisen in the wrestling industry before. Think about it. This is the first time that a guy has been rejected by the fans—not because of his lack of ability— but because the people know that the ‘Evil Empire’ wants him to be the guy over a guy that they really wanted to be the guy. In some cases, it’s a few guys [the fans] wanted to be the guy. They have revolted against establishment, management by…they shit all over him. They feel like they are getting back at the company for not featuring their favorites, and specifically Daniel Bryan. Would you say that’s a fair overview of the situation? In that case, and the reason this never happened before, now they found out the reason why ever other wrestling promotion in history—until Mr. McMahon became one of the greatest performers in the history of television—every other wrestling promoter and promotion wanted to be the babyface. They didn’t want the fans mad at the company because when you think about it at the root logic, why am I going and buying a ticket or buying merchandise from a company that I’m mad at? It’s bizarre, you talk about the [United States] and Canada bizarro world—this is a bizarro world situation. Vince McMahon was good enough to pull it off. He had Steve Austin; they were the ultimate version of ‘take this job and shove it’ against the establishment management program, and it can never be repeated, no matter how often people try. Now after 20 years and a whole generation or more of fans have grown up thinking ‘the management is trying to hold my favorite wrestlers down.’ So yes, they root for those wrestlers, but at the root of it, at some point it was going to bubble to the surface that [WWE] is saying ‘no, fuck you! We like this guy!’ [laughs] It’s manifested itself on poor Roman.”

On what WWE needs to do about the situation: “Since there’s never been a situation like this, there’s never been a way to get out of it. It just seems to me that battling against the tide because it’s what you want to do—and because I’m sure all of the little kiddies love Roman—but the base audience that pays the most per capita and is involved the most on the internet and with the programming, is going to do this thing until they get tired of it. They really haven’t gotten tired of it so far because it hasn’t changed anything. I would somehow, because Daniel Bryan was the root of it—and we can go back to [Wrestlemania 30]—if he’s the root of it, he’s got to be involved in it. They should somehow get those guys together. I’ve talked about this on my podcast before—I brought some stuff out of my ass, this might be the same or different—but in some way get those guys together in terms of an interview or a tag team match. Maybe even Roman bails Bryan out of a situation, where then Roman could turn around and sodomize Daniel Bryan with a rusty fishing knife. Just heinously do something to him, and then just unleash it!

In the 2018 or 2019 version or whatever of their ‘Die, Rocky, Die!’ Unleash it. [Have Roman say] ‘I have deserved this. I was born into this. I was going to have all of this, and it was because of [Daniel Bryan], you little prick!’ And unleash it, hopefully some of it real, but at the same time he doesn’t have to be a ‘heel’ heel, because he doesn’t trust anybody and doesn’t like anybody. Don’t Trust Anybody—have you heard that before? It got over once before, and when Stephanie [McMahon] comes out to congratulate him and seeing the light, it’s ‘fuck you too, and anybody named McMahon. Shane can shove it, and if Vince wants to drag his bag of bones out, y’all put me in the position.’ He wouldn’t say ‘y’all’ because he’s not a Southern Samoan [laughs] But Roman would say ‘The McMahons put me in this position as much as that uncircumsized, prick-headed guy over there.’ Now I’m starting to book it, but the point is [Roman] doesn’t need to like anyone in the company. You don’t need to feed him everybody in the company, but feed him some underneath babyfaces that he can just ridicule and sodomize, and some heels too. I wouldn’t have him lay Stephanie out right off the bat, but depending on which way this goes, if he just starts running roughshod all over everybody on both sides of the roster, he doesn’t like management, he can’t give a shit about the fans. If you want to boo him, give them something to boo, and grab some kid’s t-shirt and wipe his butt with it and throw it back in his face.

I don’t care, just let this guy be the most unsavory, anti-everybody [guy], and keep the writers away from him. Let him do his own promos about how he feels. If you don’t make it a project, he doesn’t have to be in the top angle right off the bat. Just leave him be to cause chaos. Put as much emphasis on him being against everything and everybody as you have trying to make him this ‘smiley ice cream bar’ guy, and see what the people do. At least this gives him a fair chance, and if he gets heat it’s the right reaction, but if he gets ‘go away’ heat, he might have to go away. After all, as we all know; how could I miss you if you won’t go away? Maybe they’ve just botched it, and it might be unfair to him, but give him a chance by doing something different.”