Roman Reigns might be receiving merciless boos on a weekly basis, but that probably won’t deter the WWE from pushing The Big Dog as the face of the company.

He failed in two pursuits of the Universal Championship when he was chasing Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 34 and the Greatest Royal Rumble, but even a placeholder feud against Jinder Mahal is still expected to, eventually, get Reigns into the title picture as a Lesnar exit edges closer and closer.

NEGATIVE REACTIONS

Clearly, the plan to get the former Shield star cheered universally is going to be tougher than expected. The immediate answer WWE fans give is that the company should pull the trigger on an epic heel turn and allow him to cause havoc on Monday Night RAW. Down the line, though, he might be embraced after a face turn where it’s not as forced as it is right now.

Someone else who has been in a strikingly similar situation to Reigns is John Cena, who will arguably go down as the most polarising star in history after managing to remain the top guy in the company despite a rough patch where he was receiving toxic reactions in every arena.

However, during the WWE’s European tour, Reigns was in the UK speaking to several media outlets. Despite their similar situations, Reigns initially didn’t seek out Cena’s advice but eventually gave in and continued to ask more questions with Cena ending up being a massive help to Reigns, especially in the lead up to their match at the No Mercy event last year.

ADVICE

According to GiveMeSport’s Turnbuckle Talk podcast, he said: “Early on, I didn’t really want to take much advice from Cena, just because I I wanted to do things my way, and he’s noted that before.

“That’s the type of guy and type of leader he is.

“But as I got a little further on and a lot more comfortable in my role, I happen to knock on his door, so to speak, and ask him a question or two of ‘What would you do in this situation? What would you do about this? How would you approach this?’

“And he’s been great at helping me. Not only in that regard but in the match and the time I had working with him. It was phenomenal, and it’s really nice to have someone help you and sharpen your tools, so to speak. So, I’m very grateful for him as well.”

Reigns has to be admired for not wanting the easy fix and asking how Cena was able to combat the hate. Instead, trying to carve his career in his own way while trying to overcome the obstacles is the best way for Reigns to remain a character that can be natural - even though the whole act does seem forced at this point.

With Reigns’ focus now on The Modern Day Maharaja, he’ll be hoping that a feud against Mahal can be the turning point in his career.

What do you make of Roman Reigns not initially wanting John Cena’s advice before caving in? Have YOUR say in the comments section below.

LISTEN TO THE FOURTH EPISODE OF THE TURNBUCKLE TALK PODCAST FEATURING ROMAN REIGNS DISCUSSING DANIEL BRYAN, CM PUNK, BROCK LESNAR AND MORE - ALONG WITH AN INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS JERICHO BELOW. OR CLICK HERE TO LISTEN ON ITUNES.