Steve Austin On Roman Reigns Being A Star, If WWE Should Turn Him Heel, Advice For Big Cass, More
Recently on The Steve Austin Show, WWE Hall Of Famer Steve Austin shared his thoughts on Roman Reigns and the feud between former tag partners Big Cass and Enzo Amore.
On the subject of Reigns, Austin praised 'The Big Dog”s look and his in-ring work. According to 'The Texas Rattlesnake', Reigns' storylines have been hit or miss, but he enjoyed Reigns' program with AJ Styles.
"I think he [has] got a great physique, a good looking guy, a pretty damn good worker. Storylines have been kind of on and off, hot/cold. Roman Reigns in and of himself, I think he has 'star' written all over him. He has still got to find his way. He still has to climb his way up the ladder. He's built to take the road. He's always in shape. He doesn't get gassed out in his matches. There's a lot to like about the guy, so when they came out as The Shield, those three guys, him, Seth [Rollins], and Dean Ambrose, when they came out as The Shield, they were really hot as heels. And all of a sudden, they split them up. And Roman, I don't know, came out of that? All of those guys had to find their way and Vince [McMahon] kind of picked him to be the babyface and because of the response he was getting when he hit the ring. He really draws your attention. If they get his storylines straightened out, I think the kid's going to be fine. I just think they need to keep running him like they're running him. He's doing [well] in the ring. I loved his matches with AJ."
In Austin's view, Reigns should not be turned heel for its own sake, as it should be done organically if at all.
"I think you keep him on the road that he's on and you don't turn him heel just for the sake of turning him heel to make the fans happy because you're not pushing him anymore because if you're going to turn him heel, you're going to push him even harder. Then, if you were tired of him to begin with because he was overpushed to begin with, in your opinion, then you're not going to like him as a heel either. So if he keeps going down the road in the fashion that he is, but then turns, in an organic fashion, heel, when the time is right, or just stays down the road, the kid is going to be just fine." Austin added, "he still has things to learn in the ring. He still has to work at getting to the top level, but he's a top guy, in my opinion."
During the podcast, Austin compared Reigns' mixed crowd reaction to Cena's and argued that Reigns has the confidence to take the boos from the crowd in stride.
"Look at John Cena. Now, he [has] been on top for over 10 years and has had a [pro wrestling] career that is absolutely phenomenal, but he still sometimes has those divided chants. But, nonetheless, there's electricity in the air and everybody is engaged. And he has been able to have such a strong mindset to not get in his head and mess with him. That's the confidence of John Cena. I think that Roman Reigns has the same type of confidence and self-belief that he is going to weather those bad chants and he'll end up getting over."
Austin claimed that Reigns is moving in the right direction, as 'The Guy' is loosening up and continuing to get over.
"He's starting to loosen up and show some personality and I like it. And so I'm looking forward to see Roman keep developing. To me, here's a guy who's starting to get some confidence behind him." Austin continued, "whatever role Roman's in, he's really settling into a groove here. I have here Braun [Strowman] is really over as a baby. Roman continues to get over. I'm really looking forward to this match."
'The Bionic Redneck' also had some advice for Cass, suggesting that the big man should perhaps study the oeuvre of the heel Barry Windham.
"All he has to do is good, solid work. Don't fly like a cruiserweight. Don't worry about taking the big bumps. Just work logic. Be mean. Be vicious. Sell when it's your time to sell. Don't turn into super coward mode. Don't oversell. Just sell. And learn. And sometimes when you're working a guy that's smaller than you, register and if they get you into sell mode, then you sell, but be vicious in your heat. Good luck to Big Cass. Good luck to both of them."
Austin said, "right now, in this heel vein that he's going, maybe even heel Barry Windham. But I liked Barry better as a baby. I don't want to say Bruiser [Brody] because anybody could study Bruiser because of just the generality of what he did was awesome."
Click here to check out this edition of 'Audio Whoop Ass'. If you use any of the quotes that appear in this article, please credit The Steve Austin Show with an H/T to WrestlingINC for the transcription.
Source: The Steve Austin Show