Roman Reigns' Character Work: Why Are Heels More Favored By Wrestling Fans?

In the world of professional wrestling, people are presented with two types of characters: the heels and the babyfaces.

The best example of a great face-versus-heel storyline in recent memory is that of Daniel Bryan in 2014 when he won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship over Randy Orton and Batista at WrestleMania XXX.

It’s such a simple story, but when crafted correctly, it becomes so engaging.

Let’s take a look at the top heel of the company in the form of WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns.

Reigns’ singles career started off as a face and it failed miserably because the gimmick grew stale and it just didn’t fit the character of someone so physically imposing like Reigns.

But when he returned during the Thunderdome era, “The Tribal Chief” was finally accepted by wrestling fans and even celebrated for his heel work.

WWE is notorious for forcing wrestlers to follow a strict script, and it comes off inauthentic most of the time since the verbiage they use does not fit their wrestling persona, similar to Reigns’ first singles run encapsulated by this one, unfortunate line.

In an appearance on the Sports Illustrated Media podcast with Jimmy Traina, Reigns talked about the rare privilege that he has of going off-script.

“There was a portion of my career where I’d either read a script or I would try to adjust a script as much as possible. For a while now, especially since I’ve come back from my little leave during the beginning of the pandemic since SummerSlam, I’m not scripted. I say what I want to. I say what I feel, and if it comes out of my mouth, it’s my verbiage. I come up with it. I deliver it, and that’s why it’s been the way it’s been because it’s mine,” said the WWE Universal Champion.

Being able to create his own promos helped “The Head of the Table” connect with the crowd more and make them feel that he means every word that he says.

Arguably, heels have an easier job than the face since most wrestling crowds of today have grown tired of the family-friendly face characters. However, it can get difficult at times (see: Retribution).

When heels like Reigns can make what they say sound cool and believable, it becomes hard to not cheer for the villain.

Reigns is set to defend his Universal Championship at this month’s Summerslam against John Cena, who made a surprising return to the company last month at Money In The Bank.