PWTorch.com - REPORT: John Cena & Roman Reigns at a cross-roads for WWE's future business (w/Quotes from Ambrose & Michael Cole)

CALDWELL'S TAKE
REPORT: John Cena & Roman Reigns at a cross-roads for WWE's future business (w/Quotes from Ambrose & Michael Cole)

Mar 23, 2015 - 2:35:27 PM

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By James Caldwell, PWTorch assistant editor

John Cena and Roman Reigns sit at the cross-roads of a short-term and long-term identity crisis for WWE in the wake of the Attitude Era.

For Cena, it's been polarizing crowds and okay-to-decent business during his time on top. It would be impossible for anything to touch what happened during the Monday Night Wars, which was a one-time occurrence that will likely never be re-created.

However, what if Cena were presented in a way that was more balanced toward WWE's older audience? After all, WWE's TV audience still skews to the upper-40s and the big spenders that drive ticket sales are adults with disposable income to drop $100-500 on front row tickets. They're also the ones who propped up WWE's PPV business until the Network came along.

Now, Roman Reigns is next in-line to sit next to Cena in the 1(b) chair. Reigns is also drawing mixed crowd reactions and WWE announced today their latest re-branding in attempt to lure in better ad rates aimed at families and kids (standing on the shoulders of Cena's PG work). Reigns, who has already appeared in ad campaigns encouraging dads to be dads, will be a central figure in a new era of marketing WWE stars as role models and "heroes," trying to make the product more acceptable to adult decision-makers in households with kids.

"Our conflicts are resolved in the ring but what is interesting is everything that is going on around that match to get us to that point," Michael Cole told SI.com in a new interview discussing WrestleMania preparation.

"So it is hard to serve all masters and we just have to do what we can do. The other thing is, from the standpoint of women who watch our product, that demographic is growing immensely over the last number of years... Women watch our product so you have to serve that master. You have to serve kids. You will never please everyone but you have to go out and try do what you can to at least please the majority of the masses."

Reigns has potential to be accepted by the older audience down the road. The complaint, though, is that others are being passed over in favor of Reigns, whose weaknesses in the ring and on the mic are being glossed over, similar to how that audience feels about Cena's shortcomings in the ring. Most of the audience that is not in Reigns's corner is rooted in ten years of frustration with Cena and seeing a similar situation with Reigns.

The mindset in WWE, though, is that noise = good; if people are booing or cheering, they at least care.

"Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao are going to fight at the MGM Grand finally," Dean Ambrose said in a new interview with Brian Fritz for BetweentheRopes.com. "Which sound is the crowd going to be on? Who are the people going to be behind? Who cares? You’re not even thinking about it. You just want to see the product. Nobody’s considering who the fans are going to be behind in this match (Reigns vs. Lesnar at WrestleMania). Nobody cares. So to me, as long as they're into it and making noise, cheer for whoever you want. John Cena has been steadily booed in arenas for ten years. It doesn’t mean he’s any less popular. It just means sometimes people boo him because he’s that big of a star. The bigger of a star you are, the more backlash and hate you’re going to get. So, it’s not really that big of a deal to me."

That mindset has resulted in okay-to-decent business for the Cena Era and seems like it will carry on to the Reigns Era. Especially when WWE is trying to reach everyone while not really appealing completely to anyone.

Instead, what if WWE held off on the obvious, in-your-face movement of Reigns toward the top spot? Waited until he was clearly more ready and developed? Even if that meant delaying the heat-transfer of Lesnar breaking The Streak until Summerslam or even next year's WrestleMania if Lesnar re-signs with WWE?

The issue is not that Reigns has zero upside and will never reach main event level. He has tremendous upside. It was evident in The Shield faction. It's that Reigns, individually, is clearly not ready when looking at the entire body of work in the ring, on the mic, and in interviews. And, that a lot of the audience is also not ready to accept him on the top line, and looking for someone else in the spot.

Daniel Bryan was that someone else. It was a chance for WWE to package a Redemption and David vs. Goliath Story together for WrestleMania 31. Bryan's redemption from WM30 to WM31 combined with Brock Lesnar looking down at this puny, bearded underdog would have brought in the masses. For WWE, Bryan is an 8-to-80 guy who reaches kids, adults, grandpas, and grandmas joining in the Yes! chants and then his in-ring work. It's a more complete story with broader appeal than what WWE has drawn up for Reigns.

The lack of a captivating, deep story for Reigns's Road to WrestleMania, combined with many adult fans feeling like their voices are not being heard has to be considered a factor in one of the lowest-rated WrestleMania Seasons in years.

A 2.73 rating two weeks out from WrestleMania and no Raw above a 3.0 since February 2 is inexcusable. Especially when WWE markets their TV product as "DVR-proof," eliminating the excuse that more and more people watch TV on-delay versus live.

"To me, the whole ‘Will the fans accept Roman Reigns?’ - well, they’re going to have to because he’s probably, if he wins the WWE Championship, well, then he’s going to be a big star and you’re going to tune in and watch him every single week," Ambrose said.

"You’re going to watch him every single week on TV and you’re going to pay for the Network and you’re going to buy pay-per-views and buy tickets and you’re going to essentially pay his bills. To me, the whole will the fans accept Roman Reigns thing is, I’m pretty bored with that."

Ambrose added his perspective from being in the Royal Rumble match when Reigns was heavily booed: "That night at the Rumble - it was a story. It was a pretty wild scene, unexpected or not, whatever. To me - I’m not a fan of wrestling because I care what the crowd is doing. I want to watch the match. I want to see these two guys go at it. I want to see how it plays out."

For many paying customers, that match to see play out was Lesnar vs. Bryan, not Lesnar vs. Reigns. Now it's up to the audience to decide whether they're going to continue tuning in hoping to see change or buying tickets to voice their displeasure with the product. Or, voice their opinions by not buying tickets and not tuning in. Like a 2.73 rating in the thick of Mania Season.

What I'm hearing from callers on the Livecast is a desire for a more balanced product. It's not that Reigns will never be ready; it's just that his time is not now. WWE sees it differently, whether it's to justify breaking The Streak or Vince McMahon wanting to create a final big star to set things up long-term or getting good reports from house shows. I can vouch for the positive "family & kids" reception to Reigns, who got a solid 85/15 split of fan support at a basic Sunday night house show in January.

For Cena, and now for Reigns, though, is "good enough" good enough for WWE? The Network will prop up WWE business for the next decade-plus, and WWE's dependency on their brand will ensure people continue to buy tickets and watch PPVs. But, for business to be better than "okay-to-decent," WWE has to find an identity. Trying to draw in adult fans who spend big money and kids & families who show up at the house shows and buy merchandise has proven over time to be a conflict of business interest.

For the past ten years, John Cena captured the conflict on a weekly basis at TV and PPV. Next up is Reigns, at least in the short-term, unless something dramatically changes once Reigns sits next to Cena. After all, WWE is banking on Reigns's long-term success after Cena served as a bridge from the Attitude Era to the Network Era.

But, would Bryan or another "over-looked" potential top star set up WWE for more success and a more united fanbase if given the type of 100 percent support that Reigns has received during his ascension at a critical time for the company building up the Network?

The mission, though, is to push through with Reigns on top, chalk up fan resentment to the cost of doing business, and wait for the audience to get behind Reigns. Or, wait for fan resentment to become so habitual that it just becomes part of the "Let's Go Cena / Cena Sucks" ritualistic nature of addressing John Cena's presence at Raw, eliminating its effectiveness.

But, when the audience gets behind Reigns, as WWE expects, how much of that audience will remain? A consistent 3.0 rating, a poor 2.7 rating from the middle of Mania Season, or a figure even lower going forward? If the audience does not get behind Reigns, what role will NXT call-ups have in creating positive fan sentiment toward the product? Time will tell, but WWE has to ask themselves whether "okay-to-decent" business will be "good enough" for a new era in company history.

[ LINK: Ambrose's full interview with Fritz HERE. Cole's Interview with SI.com HERE ]

[Torch art credit Travis Beaven (c) PWTorch.com]