Reacting to B/R Wrestling Community's Takes on Roman Reigns, Kenny Omega, More

Welcome to the Bleacher Report WWE and All Elite Wrestling mailbag.

The B/R community has always been outspoken, especially when it comes to opinions on pro wrestling and its biggest stars.

We will answer your questions and react to your hot takes about WWE, AEW and the world of pro wrestling.

A wide variety of questions about everything from specific Superstars to broader topics have been submitted. Check out what was on the minds of the B/R community this week.

If you'd like to have your question or hot take included in a future article, be on the lookout each Tuesday afternoon for the crowdsourcing thread on the WWE and AEW streams in the B/R app.

"The brand split should end. There are too many worthless feuds that drag on for too long. Having one main title and one set of tag titles makes them seem more important." (@kuzmakoz)

As much as I like the idea of having one world title, getting rid of the brand split would be a big mistake in my opinion.

The last time WWE did that, Raw and SmackDown featured the same handful of big stars while everyone else fought over the limited screen time that remained.

WWE's roster is too big and there are too many people who deserve to be pushed to take the risk of combining the locker rooms. 

However, Kuz is right about having one world title. The company already allows the women's tag team champs to work both shows, so it should be the same for the WWE champion.

I also think WWE should have one main women's champion and introduce a women's midcard title for each brand. 

"Brock Lesnar, The Rock or John Cena. Which one takes the title off of Reigns in 2022? Yes, I said 2022." (@AnfieldBlack)

"Who will be the next WWE or universal champions?" (@euphoniumryan)

Anfield is making a bold claim that Reigns is going to hold the universal title for at least another seven months. As long as his character remains strong, I don't hate that idea.

Long title reigns are fine as long as the person with the belt remains interesting. So far, The Tribal Chief has managed to keep the attention of the WWE Universe.

When it comes to who beats him, the only one of the three names mentioned who seems like a realistic possibility is Lesnar. The Rock and Cena both have too much going on in Hollywood right now, especially with both of them joining the DC movie universe as Black Adam and Peacemaker, respectively. 

As for who I actually think will take the belt from Reigns, Big E is the best choice if it's not going to be Cesaro. 

The WWE Championship will probably end up in the hands of Drew McIntyre again at some point. He and Bobby Lashley may even trade it back and forth a couple of times before somebody else gets their shot. 

"If WWE continues down its current path, AEW will not only beat them but crush them." (@OG2001)

Even if AEW manages to overtake WWE with the weekly ratings, it would take years for WWE to get to the point of shutting down or being sold to somebody else.

The one thing WWE has over every other company on the planet, besides international reach, is its backlog of content. That is what got the company its billion-dollar Peacock deal.

The other thing that will keep WWE alive is its hardcore fanbase. Even when the product is at its worst, there will always be fans who stick around.

It's kind of like how the Chicago Cubs were one of the most popular teams in baseball despite not winning a World Series for over 100 years. We never gave up on them, and some fans will never give up on WWE, especially when it has a roster as deep and talented as it has right now.

WWE might not use everyone the way we want, but it still has an incredible wealth of talent in the ring and behind the camera. With that said, the product could definitely use some improvements. 

"WWE does not need anyone legendary to return. They need to work with what they have. They need to push the young guns while still maintaining the credibility of current stars." (@CMan9158)

I completely agree with C Man about WWE needing to focus on the talent it has instead of trying to use legends, but WWE has been better about this in recent years than it used to be.

The pandemic definitely affected who was brought in to help. Other than Ric Flair showing up to taunt his daughter for some reason, we haven't seen many legends on WWE TV. Even WrestleMania 37 didn't use them in any meaningful way.

Unfortunately, the thing we need to remember is WWE is an entertainment company, not a sports brand. Bringing in popular stars from the past is always going to be part of the product because people love the nostalgia they feel when one of their old favorites shows up.

The moment I always go back to is the 2008 Royal Rumble when Roddy Piper and Jimmy Snuka reignited their feud for one brief moment. It was fun and brought back memories for anyone old enough to remember their original feud, but I accept it might have seemed dumb to younger fans who did not grow up with them.

As long as WWE devotes most of its time to its full-time roster, having a few old-timers show up now and again isn't such a bad thing. 

"Zombies in wrestling? Enough said." (@SuperDave64)

I was in complete agreement with Dave for a couple of days after WrestleMania Backlash, but then it dawned on me that it wasn't the zombies that made me mad, it was that the whole thing was done so poorly.

Had WWE gone over the top with this and treated it like a cinematic match in the middle of a zombie apocalypse with The Miz and Damian Priest fighting their way through some kind of dilapidated building, it might have been a lot of fun.

We've put up with ridiculous gimmicks and matches before, but what determines the popularity of those segments is their execution. 

The Firefly FunHouse match between John Cena and Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 36 was as out there as it gets, but most critics lauded it because it was creative and entertaining. 

Pro wrestling can be anything to anyone. That is what is great about it, but the zombie stuff from Backlash missed the mark by a mile. 

"Push John Morrison and Ricochet." (@jahloveprotectus)

You have to admire Jah for keeping it simple. I can't argue with this statement. Ricochet and Morrison are both deserving of a push. 

"Let's gather all of our collective energy and hope the Eva-lution is finished as quickly as the Emma-lution was." (BobbyHeenanFC)

As somebody who wasn't a fan of Eva Marie during her first WWE run, I am willing to give her a chance to prove she has gotten better. There is no point in assuming she will be bad when we haven't seen her in years. If she puts in the work, she could be a valuable asset. 

"Omega should take the WWE title as well." (@EGFam5)

Response: "No, the hell he shouldn't!" (@Nktek)

As much as some people would love to see AEW and WWE work together someday, it still feels like a fantasy. Omega would be better off going after the IWGP Championship than the WWE title. 

"We need fewer Mysterios, not more. Nepotism at its worst." (@brendanvincenzo)

Dominik Mysterio has impressed me in the ring on more than one occasion, but anyone who says he is ready to be on the main roster without his father is fooling themselves. He needs more time to develop, which is why he should have started in NXT. 

"Roman Reigns' heel work is the best in the business since Hollywood Hogan." (@NYCSports321)

It's hard to compare different generations of talent, but The Tribal Chief is arguably the best heel in the business right now because he makes you believe he is the badass he claims to be. Time will tell if he has the same kind of longevity as somebody like Hogan.