The creative writers of the WWE should take "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's advice to Roman Reigns.
The leader of the Roman Empire has been a polarizing figure for the WWE ever since his mega push to the top of the company began. Austin, a WWE Hall of Famer, said he believes that Reigns needs to "go for it" with his character.
"With respect to Roman Reigns, dude, you just got to go for it," Austin said on his podcast. "I think you just throw caution to the wind and say, 'what the f-?', and just go for it. There's not enough fire and it's not just within his promo. I would dare say it's also within his work, so, dude, just channel it out. And be offensive with it. That means, like [Vince Russo] said, be on offense. Don't be on defense. Don't be afraid. Just go out and do it."
Austin's pointed criticism of Reigns isn't unfounded. While he's taken some steps to improve his in-ring work, Reigns' skills on the microphone have left a lot to be desired. The former Shield member could use a major shakeup.
Though the "Texas Rattlesnake" didn't directly say a heel turn was in order, perhaps turning Reigns into a villain is where the WWE needs to start pointing its endgame. He hasn't won the entire WWE Universe over by playing the role of the babyface that is shoved down everyone's throats.
It's time for the creative team to improvise, and it could start at WrestleMania 32 on April 3.
Reigns is set to face Triple H for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, but it's quite possible that the fans at AT&T Stadium in Texas treat Reigns as the heel and "The Game" as the face. The WWE should find a way to work with that and have the challenger turn into a full-blown heel.
It'll be hard to have Reigns change his character when he's going up against a would-be heel in Triple H, but there are ways around it. Reigns could always show a more volatile side during the match and then turn on his "brother" Dean Ambrose when he comes out to celebrate with him to end the show.
The heel turn doesn't even have to occur at WrestleMania, but as Austin pointed out, something needs to change with Reigns' direction soon.
