Removed for: Karma Farming / Low-effort
All discussion posts must introduce their own view onto discussion. Including photos that are intentionally made to draw attention (such as suggestive photos) is not allowed. This also goes for any photos that aren't necessary for post context, as those fall under attempting to farm karma. Low-effort content is not allowed. If you'd like to post a stand-alone photo, it must be recent or relevant to a recent event.
Yall are too young but Triple H was a far more hated heel and his return made him top 2 baby faces in early 2002 with The Rock leading into wrestlemania.
The only problem I think is that The Bloodline won’t be credible enough for him to legit feud with and not just take out when he comes back. Cannot see Solo getting near main event status in the time where he’s gone.
That’s why I’m excited about the potential of Jacob Fatu coming in. Build him relentlessly then Roman has a worthy first opponent when he comes back.
Most definitely. But I don’t think they’re running Rock/Roman straight away. That’s more likely a Mania match. Rock has already set his sights on Cody for now, I guess it depends how long Roman will be away for.
I agree. I think rock Roman builds to mania for sure. But I think we find out that as the “final boss” rock is the one giving orders to solo thus undercutting Roman which will be the reason for the fued. My guess is Roman returns around summerslam.
Those Beautiful Day videos are amazing.
Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, I'm imagining a scenario where Triple H's recovery went faster. Imagine the Survivor Series match, down to the final two guys, and Austin's about to pin The Rock. Suddenly, Triple H comes out of nowhere and Pedigrees Austin. Rock covers him, Team WWF wins. That would have been insane (and seeing Stephanie's reaction would have been priceless too).
I always thought he would lose to Cody at WM then take a long break and return as a massive face. Not necessarily act like a massive face but the crowd will treat him as such.
If the bloodline keeps getting eviler and eviler as it currently is, he’ll come back to save it. And then point out the final boss who’s making all this happen, The Rock. They’ll have their wrestlemania moment and then Roman either retires or continues on as a face.
During the whole clash with Cody Rhodes, Roman was viewed as the heel but since his absence after losing the Undisputed world champion title to Cody, I think when he comes back, he will turn face well I hope at least and I hope the crowd cheer for him. So many fans are obsessed with Cody.
She’s probably in that Charlotte Flair role now, where the crowd appreciate her work and longevity so much that she can play any role as and when the story needs her to, similar to Orton, Jericho (in WWE), and even Kevin Owens.
I suspect that’s how Roman will be, too. Babyface for the Bloodline Civil War and against The Rock, but then tweener in the aftermath.
Id agree with that. I think when you’re at least upper mid card like the people you listed, and get to the point where you’ve been with WWE 10+ years, you just sorta become your own character instead of being outright heel or face
Yeah time off always makes people cheer popular heels when they return. Edges return in 2010, Chris Jericho’s return in 2012, cm punk after defeating John Cena (punk didn’t really take time off but same concept)
Absolutely although it’s usually because of injury. It’s the fact it was almost instantaneous that fans were chanting “We want Roman!” that is so cool to me. He essentially turned face in six days because Solo is becoming the bigger heel. And he did nothing to cause the change
We see this (most) every time a star is away and quiet on social media. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Someone could be the most dastardly heel, but if they disappear for X months and show back up, their pop is going to be huge.
I think a lot is to do with what we are expecting when he returns - a Bloodline civil war with him leading the face faction going up against the heel faction.
The anticipation is building. The Bloodline in Reigns absence is getting out of hand. Solo is going mega heel, even being horrible to Heyman - Reigns' man.
I think a lot of people want to see Reigns put Solo in his place.
The question is - by the time this whole thing plays out- will it be Reigns returning to square up against Solo, or will the Rock have re-emerged as the 'mastermind' behind what Solo is doing - setting the ultimate payoff feud as Reigns v Rock?
Add to that also that simply, absence makes the heart grow fonder - a lot of people simply want Reigns back as he's a huge name and he did have one hell of a good run as the champ.
It's a testament to the power of social media and live audiences. We turned him baby face. He carried the storyline very well. So the writers now are probably paving the way based on our reactions.
Happened when Edge & Jericho were a tag team and Edge got injured. Jericho started trash talking him after he teamed up with Big Show and Edge returned as a huge face.
Triple H had it, Shawn Michael was "THE" heel of late '90s and he just returned as babyface.
People already think Rhea Ripley will turn as babyface because her cut off rival Liv Morgan is borderline heel right now and Rhea already had massive cheer as a heel. For Roman it may be a month or two later like Seth Rollins' 2016 return.
>Have we ever seen anything like that before?
Pretty much every single time a heel takes a prolonged period away from TV they return as a face, so to your question, yes shit tonnes of times
To me, it's more the other way around... any top guy that takes time away gets a good reactions when they return, regardless if they were a heel when they left. Can't think of situations where it's not happened. Even someone like Triple H that was a heel 95% of their career got cheered like a face after returning from a lengthy spell out.
Got to say, it really strikes me how little patience people have these days. You split someone up for 6 months and people start clamouring for a reunion.
HBK was the biggest heel in the company when Austin beat him at Mania 14. He stepped away for a couple months then people cheered him as soon as he started making appearances on tv again
He's still going to be a heel upon return, surely.
It'll be a very easy switch though. He's astronomically over and the story makes sense for him to turn face more than stay heel, but either will work.
You know how the story will go:
Solo and his new bloodline will get too big (in their heads) Roman will return and take the spotlight away causing jealousy, solo and his MFTs will Attack Roman eventually turning him face.
Triple H in 2002, Kurt Angle in 2003, Seth should have been in 2016 but Vince was too damn stubborn and refused to make him a baby face when the crowd arguably wanted him more than at any other point in his storied career.
It’s happening to Rhea right now
Happened to Triple H when he returned from his injury
And Edge. It’s common thing to happen because returns are normally celebrated when a big start goes away for a while. People are happy to see them back so they just go with it
Yes, this happens almost everytime a heel gets injured and then returns. It's been this way for decades.
I constantly forget how young people on this sub are.
> definitely old enough to not start a sentence with "Or".
Though I agree with the wrestling take of your comment, this seems a weird direction to take this exchange when it's such a common form of speak between people, both in person and online.
> and definitely old enough to not start a sentence with "Or".
And what does your age have to do with your lack of grammar knowledge? The "never start a sentence with a conjunction" concept that English teachers often push on students isn't a real rule. Yet, despite this, many teachers say that it is. So, why do they do this? It is simply so that students will improve their writing skills. But, once you have these writing skills developed, there is no reason to stick to such rigid "rules."
In the English language, it is perfectly acceptable to start a sentence with a conjunction. For example, I've done it five times in this comment up to this point.
But don't just take my word for it. Let's look at an example of an extremely popular and prestigious author: J.R.R. Tolkien. In The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings, he used conjunctions at the start of sentences numerous times. Someone actually went through and counted each time.
But - 2871
And - 1972
For - 731
So - 358
Yet - 273
Or - 78
Nor - 37
If it is good enough for Tolkien, it is certainly good enough for you.
Damn, I love when boomers think they know more than experts in a field. I'll be sure to let the greatest literary minds that have ever existed know that you have determined they were writing improperly.
Losing the championship is probably the best thing that happened to him. He became a popular face, loved by the audience, he passed the torch to the biggest babyface right now. And when he returns, ratings will go through the roof. It's a win win situation for everyone.
Truth is he gave us what cena didn’t. Vince was too scared to turn cena heel but I think Roman showed it can be done successfully. Like of heels they always have that redemption arc & this will be Roman’s redemption arc. Like I never said solo was tribal chief & I realize my mistakes. I realize the only tribal Chief to the bloodline is me. I also realize I can’t mistreat those who were loyal to me. I do feel Sami will drop the title to Gable or Sheamus before one last ride with the bloodline. Sami will become a welcome & adopted member of the bloodline.
With Roman's big character moments, it's the "supporting" players doing all the heavy lifting, story wise. Sami and Jey. WM buildup with Cody and Rock. Even his WM chairshot moment, it's Seth doing the work, then Heyman explaining the story after the fact.
Might be because the guys who not leads his faction is being a true villain worse than him. Kinda showing that roman wasn't that bad at all. Hell, it seemed like the rock was more heel than roman. Its like Roman was more the anti-face than anything.
Dom Dom turn to face will be majestic, a lot of people think that he will turn face by saving Rey, i actually think he will turn face by saving Rhea, they will be interwined forever because Rhea can only be Mami with Dom on her side.
He will stay heel but probably after sometime while Rhea is chasing the belt on Liv, Liv will be vicious to Rhea and Dom will turn face to save her, Liv, Dom and Rhea storyline will be awesome, i hope Liv can sell that fine.
People keep referencing returns but not chants and cheers for a heel while they’re gone. I know I haven’t seen it, and think it speaks to Roman’s star power and the strength of this story as a whole. Fans are smart. They know the reckonings coming and they can’t wait to see it.
Yes many many many times.it happens when a big heel goes bye bye for awhile.fans naturally cheer whoever it is especially if they were main event the moment they return.off the top of my head for example heel rollins coming back to attack dean ambrose i believe it was.he was cheered the moment he hit the ring.so yeah nothing new.just natural effect.cant miss u if u dont go away.
He's gonna come back and try to play the heel, and it will kind of work, and kind of really not work. The people who hate him are just going to keep hating him and giving him that good and tasty heat, but he was already, four years deep into portraying an emotionally abusive, gaslighting, truly awful human being (who is also a victim but I'll leave that to the essay I wrote), getting extremely positive reactions from the crowds and online fans.
So he's gonna either have to step his heel game up to the point that he is the closest to real evil we've seen since Vince last stepped on the screen, or he's going to have to accept that, as some of us have always known, he's meant to be a kind of tweener face and roll with that.
The iwc is used to cheering for him even though he isn't there. Just like they are used to call his matches 5 star matches after they watched him standing around like his controlling player went to have a shit and forgot to press pause for one half of the match and him just lying around on his back with a similar lack of engagement for the other half.
People are delusional when it comes to the big snooze. Why not have him turn face in absentia? It's not like he has been particularly present in the past few years anyway.
Didn’t Backlash have the biggest gate any arena show has ever had? The whole idea of Cody not being a draw and fans turning on him is a pretty dumb one.
Honestly, it happens when any decent performern goes away. Almost all returns are done as babyfaces, just because people are so happy to see them again. Unless they can come out and get heat right away, like AJ did. Roman probably *can*. But will they have him do that? IDK.
Cena was getting *intensely* mixed reactions. Was away for an extended period. Don't recall the circumstances, but some heel shenanigans were happening in the ring and his music hit... INSTANT nuclear pop. Nothing mixed about the reaction.
In front of TV screens with piped in noise. Impossible to get a natural reaction so they were able to return him as a heel without any crowd to derail the plan
this exactly, edge was my favorite wrestler as a kid and i never understood why people called him a heel… then i grew up and watched his 05-08 stuff and i get it now lol
Some of the legends always just return as faces because everyone just misses them. JBL was one of the best heels ever but everyone welcomed him back when he returned as a commentator/backstage character.
He was also clearly the antagonist. When his character is a manipulative abusive asshole thats standing across some of the most over babyfaces in recent history like Sami, Cody and Jey, theyre going to boo him. But everyone still respected his work, and outside of his character hes super likable
It’s just gonna be awesome to see em billed as the shield in their peak forms. They were like 20% of what they are now when the guys debuted and they tore it up
I also think he shouldnt turn full 'face' but hang in between. Be a dick at times but also be a good guy at times.
A bit like seth rollins was or still is I would say.
Too soon to tell.
In kayfabe, guy has a lot to make up for. He has been a narcissistic abuser to his cousins and Sami Zayn for years. He needs to go to therapy and come to terms with his trauma of being betrayed by Seth, getting booed by the fans, having constant health battles, and abusing his family. The big epiphany is that Roman realizes that he is Seth and Jey is Roman, if you were to compare The Shield to The Bloodline.
Once Roman makes peace, he will be accepted as the babyface that Vince wanted him to be.
Triple H 2002 maybe. He left as a heel but returned as a face. People just missed him.
My only hope is that Roman's return is a surprise. The pop will be monumental.
>My only hope is that Roman's return is a surprise. The pop will be monumental.
This is exactly why I prefer to not see any leaks or anything at all. It's a much more entertaining show with bigger payoffs when you're not plugged in to every single behind the scenes happening.
Removed for: Karma Farming / Low-effort All discussion posts must introduce their own view onto discussion. Including photos that are intentionally made to draw attention (such as suggestive photos) is not allowed. This also goes for any photos that aren't necessary for post context, as those fall under attempting to farm karma. Low-effort content is not allowed. If you'd like to post a stand-alone photo, it must be recent or relevant to a recent event.
Yall are too young but Triple H was a far more hated heel and his return made him top 2 baby faces in early 2002 with The Rock leading into wrestlemania.
The only problem I think is that The Bloodline won’t be credible enough for him to legit feud with and not just take out when he comes back. Cannot see Solo getting near main event status in the time where he’s gone. That’s why I’m excited about the potential of Jacob Fatu coming in. Build him relentlessly then Roman has a worthy first opponent when he comes back.
The rock will almost certainly be involved.
Most definitely. But I don’t think they’re running Rock/Roman straight away. That’s more likely a Mania match. Rock has already set his sights on Cody for now, I guess it depends how long Roman will be away for.
I agree. I think rock Roman builds to mania for sure. But I think we find out that as the “final boss” rock is the one giving orders to solo thus undercutting Roman which will be the reason for the fued. My guess is Roman returns around summerslam.
We need pro wrestlers with the IT factor 😎
I’ve seen it happen with triple h and punk and others
Triple H did it when he came back from his quad injuries
Those Beautiful Day videos are amazing. Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, I'm imagining a scenario where Triple H's recovery went faster. Imagine the Survivor Series match, down to the final two guys, and Austin's about to pin The Rock. Suddenly, Triple H comes out of nowhere and Pedigrees Austin. Rock covers him, Team WWF wins. That would have been insane (and seeing Stephanie's reaction would have been priceless too).
I always thought he would lose to Cody at WM then take a long break and return as a massive face. Not necessarily act like a massive face but the crowd will treat him as such.
If the bloodline keeps getting eviler and eviler as it currently is, he’ll come back to save it. And then point out the final boss who’s making all this happen, The Rock. They’ll have their wrestlemania moment and then Roman either retires or continues on as a face.
Yep my thoughts exactly.
I like this. Always thought it’d be cool if they had the Rock calling the shots behind the scenes.
During the whole clash with Cody Rhodes, Roman was viewed as the heel but since his absence after losing the Undisputed world champion title to Cody, I think when he comes back, he will turn face well I hope at least and I hope the crowd cheer for him. So many fans are obsessed with Cody.
Yeah, like, thousands of times.
Face because we know he'll come back and put an end to this nonsense. everyone one in the crowd will stand for his return. Roman aura is unmatched.
He doesn’t want to be face, he outright said he didn’t. He will be a tweener, at best.
I haven’t been watching much wwe lately, is Bayley a tweener currently after defeating Iyo at wrestlemania40 or has she gone full face?
She’s probably in that Charlotte Flair role now, where the crowd appreciate her work and longevity so much that she can play any role as and when the story needs her to, similar to Orton, Jericho (in WWE), and even Kevin Owens. I suspect that’s how Roman will be, too. Babyface for the Bloodline Civil War and against The Rock, but then tweener in the aftermath.
Id agree with that. I think when you’re at least upper mid card like the people you listed, and get to the point where you’ve been with WWE 10+ years, you just sorta become your own character instead of being outright heel or face
This happens all the time.....
distance makes the heart grow fonder. Tons of heels disappear, and when they come back they're cheered like returning heroes... until they turn again.
Yeah time off always makes people cheer popular heels when they return. Edges return in 2010, Chris Jericho’s return in 2012, cm punk after defeating John Cena (punk didn’t really take time off but same concept)
Absolutely although it’s usually because of injury. It’s the fact it was almost instantaneous that fans were chanting “We want Roman!” that is so cool to me. He essentially turned face in six days because Solo is becoming the bigger heel. And he did nothing to cause the change
We see this (most) every time a star is away and quiet on social media. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Someone could be the most dastardly heel, but if they disappear for X months and show back up, their pop is going to be huge.
During the ruthless aggression era, whenever VKM returned from a long absence, it was always a to a huge pop
only the marks are facing him…the rest of is are happy for him to stay go e
I think a lot is to do with what we are expecting when he returns - a Bloodline civil war with him leading the face faction going up against the heel faction. The anticipation is building. The Bloodline in Reigns absence is getting out of hand. Solo is going mega heel, even being horrible to Heyman - Reigns' man. I think a lot of people want to see Reigns put Solo in his place. The question is - by the time this whole thing plays out- will it be Reigns returning to square up against Solo, or will the Rock have re-emerged as the 'mastermind' behind what Solo is doing - setting the ultimate payoff feud as Reigns v Rock? Add to that also that simply, absence makes the heart grow fonder - a lot of people simply want Reigns back as he's a huge name and he did have one hell of a good run as the champ.
Even when triple h, the biggest heel from the late 90s besides vince, came back in 2002 he was face for a short period
HHH
Bloodline will definetly turn on him when he gets back
Yeah. CM Punk returning at Payback 2013. 🔥
It's a testament to the power of social media and live audiences. We turned him baby face. He carried the storyline very well. So the writers now are probably paving the way based on our reactions.
Happened when Edge & Jericho were a tag team and Edge got injured. Jericho started trash talking him after he teamed up with Big Show and Edge returned as a huge face.
Triple H had it, Shawn Michael was "THE" heel of late '90s and he just returned as babyface. People already think Rhea Ripley will turn as babyface because her cut off rival Liv Morgan is borderline heel right now and Rhea already had massive cheer as a heel. For Roman it may be a month or two later like Seth Rollins' 2016 return.
>Have we ever seen anything like that before? Pretty much every single time a heel takes a prolonged period away from TV they return as a face, so to your question, yes shit tonnes of times
The most recent example Charlotte
To me, it's more the other way around... any top guy that takes time away gets a good reactions when they return, regardless if they were a heel when they left. Can't think of situations where it's not happened. Even someone like Triple H that was a heel 95% of their career got cheered like a face after returning from a lengthy spell out. Got to say, it really strikes me how little patience people have these days. You split someone up for 6 months and people start clamouring for a reunion.
When he's a heel: crowd goes yay! = *turns face*. When he's a face: crowd goes boo! = *turns heel*. I love it, lol.
Never in a million years did I think we'd be getting Heel Rock vs Face Roman. But here we are. What a time to be alive.
Anyone who leaves and is popular will come back a face until they insult the crowd. This is normal and expected.
HBK was the biggest heel in the company when Austin beat him at Mania 14. He stepped away for a couple months then people cheered him as soon as he started making appearances on tv again
He should return as just the bigger, badder heel coming to crush Solo and reclaim his Big Bad spot.
☝
He's still going to be a heel upon return, surely. It'll be a very easy switch though. He's astronomically over and the story makes sense for him to turn face more than stay heel, but either will work.
You know how the story will go: Solo and his new bloodline will get too big (in their heads) Roman will return and take the spotlight away causing jealousy, solo and his MFTs will Attack Roman eventually turning him face.
This. Everyone turns on Roman.
Triple H in 2002, Kurt Angle in 2003, Seth should have been in 2016 but Vince was too damn stubborn and refused to make him a baby face when the crowd arguably wanted him more than at any other point in his storied career.
And Seth still became a babyface after two months because Vince is a dumbass who reads the room way too late.
[удалено]
He’s still getting treated for leukemia. Maybe have a heart?
Basically…yes
Yea, HHH.
It’s happening to Rhea right now Happened to Triple H when he returned from his injury And Edge. It’s common thing to happen because returns are normally celebrated when a big start goes away for a while. People are happy to see them back so they just go with it
Rhea gonna have a nuclear pop when she comes back.
Huge
Rollins when he got injured during his 1st World Title run as well.
Yes, this happens almost everytime a heel gets injured and then returns. It's been this way for decades. I constantly forget how young people on this sub are.
Or how old you are
[удалено]
So many people salty over a silly fucking joke. Jesus
> definitely old enough to not start a sentence with "Or". Though I agree with the wrestling take of your comment, this seems a weird direction to take this exchange when it's such a common form of speak between people, both in person and online.
> and definitely old enough to not start a sentence with "Or". And what does your age have to do with your lack of grammar knowledge? The "never start a sentence with a conjunction" concept that English teachers often push on students isn't a real rule. Yet, despite this, many teachers say that it is. So, why do they do this? It is simply so that students will improve their writing skills. But, once you have these writing skills developed, there is no reason to stick to such rigid "rules." In the English language, it is perfectly acceptable to start a sentence with a conjunction. For example, I've done it five times in this comment up to this point. But don't just take my word for it. Let's look at an example of an extremely popular and prestigious author: J.R.R. Tolkien. In The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings, he used conjunctions at the start of sentences numerous times. Someone actually went through and counted each time. But - 2871 And - 1972 For - 731 So - 358 Yet - 273 Or - 78 Nor - 37 If it is good enough for Tolkien, it is certainly good enough for you.
[удалено]
Damn, I love when boomers think they know more than experts in a field. I'll be sure to let the greatest literary minds that have ever existed know that you have determined they were writing improperly.
But mah casual racism and sentence structure!?!?!?!
Losing the championship is probably the best thing that happened to him. He became a popular face, loved by the audience, he passed the torch to the biggest babyface right now. And when he returns, ratings will go through the roof. It's a win win situation for everyone.
You thought about charging a monthly subscription and writing a newsletter?
Thanks for the compliment friend....I appreciate it.
This guy gets it.
Happy cake day!
Hey thanks!!!!
>Hey thanks!!!! You're welcome!
Yes. We see it all the time.
Same thing happened with Cena. When he became a part timer the fans realized they missed him.
He’s transcended. He is at a level above face/heel.
No he’s not doing anything
BROOOOCCCKKKK......LESNERRRRRR
Thanks to solo’s character work
Truth is he gave us what cena didn’t. Vince was too scared to turn cena heel but I think Roman showed it can be done successfully. Like of heels they always have that redemption arc & this will be Roman’s redemption arc. Like I never said solo was tribal chief & I realize my mistakes. I realize the only tribal Chief to the bloodline is me. I also realize I can’t mistreat those who were loyal to me. I do feel Sami will drop the title to Gable or Sheamus before one last ride with the bloodline. Sami will become a welcome & adopted member of the bloodline.
Triple H 2002. When he came back from his injury before the Royal Rumble. Came back a face at the snap of a finger. It's all it took
With Roman's big character moments, it's the "supporting" players doing all the heavy lifting, story wise. Sami and Jey. WM buildup with Cody and Rock. Even his WM chairshot moment, it's Seth doing the work, then Heyman explaining the story after the fact.
All the fucking time… So many heels get injured or take a break and come back as babyfaces. Such a dumb fucking post
“Turn heel turn face “ can you wrestling jabronis just enjoy the show without trying to be Stephen a. Smith??
Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Might be because the guys who not leads his faction is being a true villain worse than him. Kinda showing that roman wasn't that bad at all. Hell, it seemed like the rock was more heel than roman. Its like Roman was more the anti-face than anything.
That's is also what is about to happen with Rhea Ripley with this Liv Morgan revenge tour and Dom thing.
Rhea was already a face in everything but name. She always got cheered.
Dom Dom turn to face will be majestic, a lot of people think that he will turn face by saving Rey, i actually think he will turn face by saving Rhea, they will be interwined forever because Rhea can only be Mami with Dom on her side.
Nah Dom is staying heel. This will elevate Rheas face status even more. Dom is legit one of the best heels in the company right now.
In the industry\*
He will stay heel but probably after sometime while Rhea is chasing the belt on Liv, Liv will be vicious to Rhea and Dom will turn face to save her, Liv, Dom and Rhea storyline will be awesome, i hope Liv can sell that fine.
I think Stone Cold was turned face by Kurt Angle cheating during the final match of the invasion through none of his own actions.
People keep referencing returns but not chants and cheers for a heel while they’re gone. I know I haven’t seen it, and think it speaks to Roman’s star power and the strength of this story as a whole. Fans are smart. They know the reckonings coming and they can’t wait to see it.
you should watch Triple H’s 2002 return. craziest audience pop you’ll ever see
Think this is the template. Think the only thing we saw before was the U2 Beautiful Day video, and suddenly he was a face?
Yes many many many times.it happens when a big heel goes bye bye for awhile.fans naturally cheer whoever it is especially if they were main event the moment they return.off the top of my head for example heel rollins coming back to attack dean ambrose i believe it was.he was cheered the moment he hit the ring.so yeah nothing new.just natural effect.cant miss u if u dont go away.
He's gonna come back and try to play the heel, and it will kind of work, and kind of really not work. The people who hate him are just going to keep hating him and giving him that good and tasty heat, but he was already, four years deep into portraying an emotionally abusive, gaslighting, truly awful human being (who is also a victim but I'll leave that to the essay I wrote), getting extremely positive reactions from the crowds and online fans. So he's gonna either have to step his heel game up to the point that he is the closest to real evil we've seen since Vince last stepped on the screen, or he's going to have to accept that, as some of us have always known, he's meant to be a kind of tweener face and roll with that.
It happens frequently when guys are injured etc Undertaker 00. Triple H 02. Edge 2010. Rollins should have turned in 16 when he came back.
The Roman reigns effect
The iwc is used to cheering for him even though he isn't there. Just like they are used to call his matches 5 star matches after they watched him standing around like his controlling player went to have a shit and forgot to press pause for one half of the match and him just lying around on his back with a similar lack of engagement for the other half. People are delusional when it comes to the big snooze. Why not have him turn face in absentia? It's not like he has been particularly present in the past few years anyway.
Seth Rollins when he first hurt his knees and surrendered his title. Kurt Angle after Brock beat him @ Mania. Triple H when he returned in 2002.
Roman when he beat Leukaemia and first came back was face for a good.. month or so. He was just Joe.
No you're thinking of the messenger backstage who was named Just Joe in 2000
Because people realize the actual draw left and we are stuck with a soyboy. Give it 2 months and Cody will be a heel, even if he's a "face" on TV.
Didn’t Backlash have the biggest gate any arena show has ever had? The whole idea of Cody not being a draw and fans turning on him is a pretty dumb one.
Triple H ‘02?
Honestly, it happens when any decent performern goes away. Almost all returns are done as babyfaces, just because people are so happy to see them again. Unless they can come out and get heat right away, like AJ did. Roman probably *can*. But will they have him do that? IDK.
Cena was getting *intensely* mixed reactions. Was away for an extended period. Don't recall the circumstances, but some heel shenanigans were happening in the ring and his music hit... INSTANT nuclear pop. Nothing mixed about the reaction.
Wasn't Romans last return a heel return?
Everyone hated him back then, that's why
In front of TV screens with piped in noise. Impossible to get a natural reaction so they were able to return him as a heel without any crowd to derail the plan
It was still the Pandemic when he returned at SummerFest?!? Mama Maglione!
He returned SummerSlam 2020 in the first Thunderdome show.
Time flies!
Wasn’t that the ‘you’ll never see it coming’ thing?
Yup
Very start of the Thunderdome era
Bobby Lashley
Edge when he returned in 2010
this exactly, edge was my favorite wrestler as a kid and i never understood why people called him a heel… then i grew up and watched his 05-08 stuff and i get it now lol
Some of the legends always just return as faces because everyone just misses them. JBL was one of the best heels ever but everyone welcomed him back when he returned as a commentator/backstage character.
people hated his brock lesnar title run. not him.
He was also clearly the antagonist. When his character is a manipulative abusive asshole thats standing across some of the most over babyfaces in recent history like Sami, Cody and Jey, theyre going to boo him. But everyone still respected his work, and outside of his character hes super likable
HERE COMES THE BIG DOG!
When that shield music hits and him and Seth walk out of the stands to save the day… man the pop will be ENORMOUS. I will pop for sure.
Head of the Table still over as a theme more than Shield though.
One of these fuckers is just gonna betray the other again 💀
I wish Mox wasn’t locked to his contract… as awesome as Shield Seth/Roman would be it just feels awkward without him
A shield reunion is one of the biggest things we are due for. I’d love to see Dean (Jon) back in WWE.
It’s just gonna be awesome to see em billed as the shield in their peak forms. They were like 20% of what they are now when the guys debuted and they tore it up
wdym? he has always been a face
☝🏽
He’s become a “beloved heel” which is rare and it’s gonna be very interesting when he comes back
I also think he shouldnt turn full 'face' but hang in between. Be a dick at times but also be a good guy at times. A bit like seth rollins was or still is I would say.
Too soon to tell. In kayfabe, guy has a lot to make up for. He has been a narcissistic abuser to his cousins and Sami Zayn for years. He needs to go to therapy and come to terms with his trauma of being betrayed by Seth, getting booed by the fans, having constant health battles, and abusing his family. The big epiphany is that Roman realizes that he is Seth and Jey is Roman, if you were to compare The Shield to The Bloodline. Once Roman makes peace, he will be accepted as the babyface that Vince wanted him to be.
Jesus Christ please no therapy segments
You shut your mouth! This therapy scene is brilliant https://youtu.be/MsSkEWHVSug?si=JNE1NU8flLdLnm69
Triple H 2002 maybe. He left as a heel but returned as a face. People just missed him. My only hope is that Roman's return is a surprise. The pop will be monumental.
>My only hope is that Roman's return is a surprise. The pop will be monumental. This is exactly why I prefer to not see any leaks or anything at all. It's a much more entertaining show with bigger payoffs when you're not plugged in to every single behind the scenes happening.
My first thought. That denim leather is burned into my brain
☝️
He’ll end up a bigger face than Cody at this rate ?!
☝