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For what seems like years now (but isn’t), there has been a vocal element of the WWE fan base that boos lustily whenever Roman Reigns appears on Raw. Hell, they go crazy at the mere mention of his name. If you ask them why they go so rabidly insane at just thee sight of a guy that they loved not all that long ago, the common answer is: “Vince McMahon is pushing him down my throat so I am sending the old man a message that I don’t like it one bit,” or something very much along those lines.
Whether you take issue with their sentiment or not isn’t the issue here. I could write a whole separate column on the veracity of their claims, but that is another story for another day. The fact of the matter is that it’s what they believe and as George Constanza famously said, “It’s not a lie if you believe it to be true”.
For many, many months, the point that I have been making to those that boo Reigns is simple: You are wasting not only your time, but also your money. While you think you are sending Vince McMahon a negative message, you are actually doing just the opposite. While you think you are hijacking the show by going against what Vince wants you to do, you are in reality being worked by the master.
You see, Vince has already adjusted to the current contrary fan. They probably used to drive him nuts every single time they took over a show or booed John Cena lustily but over time, he has obviously decided that while he would love for you to cheer the hero he is presenting, he will glad take your money while you pay for the privilege of coming to his shows to just to do the opposite. He also knows that a strong reaction, even if it’s not the one that he wants, still makes the wrestler, and his show, seem pretty important when it’s sent out over the airwaves.
If you are one of those fans and you doubt what I am saying, let’s go back to the Raw after WrestleMania. He knew exactly what you would do when he sent Reigns out to start the show and guess what? You did it. Right on cue. You gave him exactly what he knew you would and it made for a great segment for his guy, which was the complete opposite of what you wanted.
Just to prove to all of you that he had your number completely, he even came out later in the show, offering himself to his harshest critics. You had the man you wanted to send your message to right there in your crosshairs, and you blew it. After you meekly tried to boo him “about Reigns”, he worked you right into forgetting about that and cheering him. I wouldn’t be shocked if he went into the back and said, “They are just a different kind of mark. I can get them to do whatever I want them to do, Pal!” And if he said that, you all proved him right. Why? Because you paid top dollar to be at that Raw (and most probably at LEAST one of the other events he sold tickets to that weekend). You paid him, and that is his goal.
Now don’t think I am running you down. Whether I agree with your attacks on Reigns or not is immaterial. I understand that you pay to go to shows because you love wrestling and once you are there, you tell Vince and the rest of the world how you feel. You have passion and I respect that. I also see your frustration in a tired and stale booking and show presentation process. I share your anger at the loss of excitement that the product you love used to give you, and very easily could again (and does down in NXT and over in the UK). I understand how you watch talents get booked so well under Triple H’s watch, only to be booked so badly when they get called up to the main roster. I too see the repeated mistakes that WWE makes in their booking. I get that it makes you frustrated and angry and want to lash out. I really do get it. But, as I have been saying for a while now, you were reacting in the wrong manner. You were paying for the privilege of being frustrated, and that just isn’t the best way to make an impression.
The best way to send a message to a business that won’t listen to you, and it’s very clear that is the case with Vince and you guys at this point, is that you don’t keep paying your hard earned money expecting him to change. You do the opposite.
If you really want your voice to be heard, the best way to do that at this point is not to open your mouth but rather close your eyes, and your wallet.
Do you know what is worse for Vince than you paying to go to Raw and booing Roman Reigns? That would be when you DON’T pay to go to Raw and boo Roman Reigns. You know what will send him a real message more than watching Raw and yelling at your TV every time you see Reigns? NOT watching Raw and yelling at your TV every time you see Reigns.
The point is, as Eddie Murphy’s Billy Ray Valentine said in the classic movie Trading Places, “You know, it occurs to me that the best way you hurt rich people is by turning them into poor people.” Yes folks, that is how you do it. How do you get through to Vince? You stop giving him your money. Expecting a man who only left his comfort zone when WCW was beating him and his company was on the ropes to change now just because you want him too is lunacy. If change will happen, it will be due to real factors, like dropping TV ratings and lower house show and WWE Network revenue.
Sure, if a few people boycott, it’s no big deal. He will just attribute it to normal churn. But as we have seen in the Raw numbers lately, it’s not just a few people doing it.
The Raw after WrestleMania did 3,767,000 viewers. Monday’s show did 2,613,000. If you want to say, “Well, it was a holiday,” the previous week’s show did 2,615,000. Since that April 3 show, the audience has gone down every week but one, and they are now down over 1.1 million viewers in less than two months. That, my friends, is how you send a message if that is your intention.
So if a significant percentage of those fans are former Roman booers who have finally lost the desire to try and change Vince’s mind and given up the fight, in your concession to futility you may have finally stumbled onto the most impactful way to get your message across.
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