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seriouslycromulent · 7 years

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OK. Here's why I'm not invested in a Roman Reigns vs John Cena match...

Now, they have 3 weeks to change my mind, and I'll try to give them a chance, but so far, I'm not optimistic.

I see folks saying John decimated Roman on the mic on Monday. I'll concede it was a good promo, but it was flawed and it's just another reason why I don't have any interest in this hastily thrown together feud. But allow me to delineate:

Once again, during the contract signing Cena retreats to break the fourth wall to get over instead of staying in character. To paraphrase The Rock from 5 years ago when they had their feud, it's a poor performer that has to break kayfabe to cut a good promo. If you can't deliver in character, then you're not as good as you think you are.

Roman is getting nothing out of this match or this feud. Say what you will about Braun Strowman, he hasn't put on a bad match yet with Roman. He's constantly delivered and turned into a far more interesting character than who he was before his feud with Roman. And in return, Roman got a chance to play a different tone to his character during his feud with him. With The Undertaker, Roman got a freaking WrestleMania match with The Undertaker, a major feather in his cap even if Taker really isn't retired. With the Authority, Roman got a title and a great storyline. With Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho, he got a title and another great storyline that had millions of us entertained. What's he getting out of this bout with Cena? Nothing. Cena has nothing to offer, because as much as I've defended Cena over the years, he's not bringing anything to the table that any number of other wrestlers aren't already bringing. When he's not a part of PPVs, I don't miss him. And if his match with Baron Corbin is an indication, I won't have a reason to miss him when he leaves again. Roman gets nothing out of this match at No Mercy. He had no reason to sign that contract. I know it's a work, but so far, a war of words in the ring does not a great feud make.

John is only getting cheered in this feud because haters want to see Roman lose, not because they want to see Cena win. It's like people who voted for Trump because they didn't want HRC to win. In the end, are you really "winning?" They don't respect you, love. They just hate Roman more.

For 2 years now, Roman's matches have been a highlight of every PPV. Even when they aren't 5-star matches, they still keep me glued to my seat. The last match John had that interested me the same way Roman's matches do was with AJ Styles at 2016 SummerSlam. That was over a year ago. And a lot of that interest was due to AJ. So again, why would I assume Cena v Reigns to deliver something spectacular? Roman has been delivering consistently. John hasn't created anything magical in a while.

So far, these 2 have no chemistry in the ring. That could change over the next 3 weeks, but for now, it's their names and positions in the company creating momentum for this match. Nothing has shown it will be a good one.

And this is the big one: This storyline keeps perpetuating the falsehood that Roman is booed for legitimate reasons. The so-called same reasons Cena is booed, or something to that effect. And I absolutely hate that lie. I get the company doesn't want to acknowledge the elephant in the room or the bigotry of their audience (especially since the company does a lot to stoke that flame in the name of entertainment). But Roman Reigns is not booed for the same reason as John Cena. Roman is booed because he doesn't play the stereotype the audience wants him to be. Cena is booed because he appropriates a stereotype they know he's not. For all Roman's stilted dialogue that's been written for him, he's an authentic warrior with a heritage by nature and nurture to be a leader among men. On the other hand, Cena wears dog tags as an ornament. He played a thug to stand out from the locker room when he hasn't stepped into a "hood" in his life, and he certainly didn't grow up in one. I respect Cena because he works hard and I believe he genuinely loves the game, but his boos have never been about being a "corporate chosen one." All title holders are chosen ones. If you think otherwise, you've been manipulated far more than you think. Cena is booed because haters think he's inauthentic. And in many ways, they're correct. Roman, on the other hand, is booed by haters because he comes across as someone too real for them to accept. They need him to be a stereotype. They need someone who will make them feel less threatened at the idea that someone like Joe Anoa'i exists -- an intelligent, quiet, thinking man's warrior. And until that's addressed in this "feud," it's always going to feel like a hollow work where John is, once again, leeching off the swag of another culture to stand out from the crowd. Cena crossed brands to come at Roman. Roman didn't come to Smackdown. Cena came to Raw. Because Cena needs Roman's authenticity to bolster his persona. Roman doesn't need sh!t from Cena because Roman -- despite what his haters believe -- is over as hell. And it's based on something far more real than anything John has created in 15 years in the company.

So.... I sit here waiting for the writers to prove me wrong about this match-up. You have 3 weeks to show me this is worth my time. Otherwise, I'll be spending this PPV match making a sandwich.

#roman reigns #wwe #john cena #joe anoa'i

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msbigredmachine · 7 years

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Into The Deep End - Chapter 28

Sasha has always tried to play it safe, to keep her life as simple and risk-free as possible. Things change, however, when she garners the interest of a handsome, charming, younger man from a completely different world than hers. As she starts to question her own rules, is she ready to take the biggest chance of them all? Will she let herself take that dive? Roman Reigns/OC.

CHAPTER 27

If I scare you now Don't run from me I've been hiding my pain, you see...

They were on the road again, driving for half an hour now, each area they passed looking more and more deserted. Where they were going, Sasha had no clue. She wanted to ask him questions but there was no doubt that he would bite her head off if presented with the chance. So she was forced to sit quietly in the passenger side and reflect on what she'd witnessed in the Anoa'i residence.

She'd never seen Joe so angry, never heard him speak like that to anyone, let alone his parents. It was like observing an unwatched pressure cooker explode. And that was exactly what it was. Unwatched. Because this anger and rage hadn't come from nowhere. Joe was hotheaded, yes. But it was nothing compared to this. Judging from his family's reactions, they hadn't seen it coming either, and Sasha had to wonder; how are you not aware that the volcano sitting by your house would sooner or later erupt? Or had they all just chosen to close their eyes and cross their fingers and hope it would remain dormant? It was all very unsettling for her.

At last, they pulled up at a driveway, stopping in front of a secluded house that stood about a hundred feet away from a beach. From her vantage point inside the car Sasha could see the beautiful scenery with the sun setting above the waves. She would probably have taken the time to admire all of it if there wasn't a very pressing matter at hand.

"You shouldn't have talked to your mother like that," she said to Joe once he killed the engine, her voice stern. "Or your father."

His jaw twitched. "I was defending you. Remember?"

"I was handling her."

"And you were doing such a great job," he responded coldly, throwing his door open with unwarranted force. He trudged up the boardwalk and into the house, not looking back once. Sasha followed him, keeping her distance. Standing at the front door she glanced around, immediately noting similarities between this house and Joe's in Tampa. Her thoughts were confirmed by how easily Joe moved around, clearly familiar with the surroundings. He stalked into the kitchen area and pulled out a bottle of what looked like alcohol from an overhead cabinet. Jack Daniels, to be specific. He unscrewed the top with shaking hands and took a large sloppy gulp. Yanking out something from inside his pocket he slammed it on the granite countertop. He took out some of its contents and tossed it into his mouth, then took another drink.

With narrowed eyes Sasha advanced, and was shocked to see that damn prescription bottle again. Even more shocking was that the last time she'd seen the contents, roughly two days ago, it was about halfway full; now there were barely ten of them left. "What are you doing?" she demanded. "You straight-up pill poppin' now? With alcohol?! Are you kidding me?"

Joe snatched the painkillers and stuffed it back into his pocket. He took another swig from the bottle. He wiped his mouth. "Don't worry about it."

There it was again, that robotic, monotonous answer he'd been dishing out for weeks in the hopes of keeping her quiet. But she would be silent no more. She was sick to death of being lied to. "Do not play dumb with me!" she shot back angrily, "I am done hearing that bullshit answer! You been poppin' pills like fuckin' M&Ms for weeks! How long has this habit been going on for, huh? When we started dating? Before? Is this what you're really like?" She planted her hands on her hips and squared her shoulders. "Are you a junkie?"

Joe spun around, looking at her in anger and disbelief. "Really? Is that what you think of me?"

She met his gaze evenly. "What do you want me to think? You're clearly abusing your prescription medicine. The label says four a day but you're obviously taking more. Forget my well fuckin' documented hatred for drugs, how about you think about what you're doing to yourself! And when did you start mixing it with fuckin' alcohol? What are you thinking?"

Joe didn't say a word, merely leveling her with a near-murderous glare. Sasha looked on in astonishment as he snorted derisively and turned his back on her, taking the whiskey with him as he walked to the other end of the kitchen island. Was he really not going to say anything? She trailed his every step. "Fine. If you're not going to tell me about the pills, then at least tell me what that was all about back at the house. That wasn't just about me and Patricia and you know it. Joe, what is going on with you? We're not just dating, we're friends. We're supposed to confide in each other."

He drank again. "Look, just leave me alone, alright? I want to be alone."

He spoke with such contempt that her surprised countenance transformed into one of absolute fury. Seizing his bottle of whiskey, she flung it blindly to the side, hearing it smash somewhere. Joe jumped back in alarm, then stared at her in shock. "What the fuck?!"

"Damn it, you tell me what the fuck is going on or so help me God I'll leave!" she threatened. "I'll walk outta here right now! If I have to walk all the way back to fuckin' Tampa I will!"

"Fine! Go! Nothing's stopping you."

Just the tone of his voice alone as he dismissed her made the mother of two feel as though she'd been slapped. But she refused to retreat or surrender. "Oh I see how it is. I know what this is. If your dumb ass think you gonna get rid of me that easily, you out of your goddamn mind. I'm gonna get answers tonight if I have to fuckin' Superman punch you in the face."

Again, petulant, maddening silence. Incensed, she shoved him. "Motherfucker I'm talking to you-"

"Get off my fuckin' back, Sasha!" Joe roared, his eyes blazing mercury as he rounded on her. "Just stop!"

Sasha flinched, violently, staring at her boyfriend with wide eyes as he towered terrifyingly over her with his fists clenched. For a split second, she was sure he was going to hit her.

Through the haze of rage that surrounded him, Joe caught her cowering stance, the fear in her eyes, as though she thought he was about to strike her. Never had she acted or looked at him that way and it was enough to make his heart wrench painfully. "Sasha...I'm sorry." His strong features crumpled and his shoulders sagged in misery. "Just...I can't. Please don't. I'm sorry. I just can't..."

The words trailed off, and he staggered backwards and turned back to the granite countertop of the kitchen island, hunched over and breathing hard as he gripped the edges, seemingly trying to draw strength from it. His knuckles were quickly whitening, his body so tense that Sasha was sure if she touched him he would break.

And just like that, all the fear and anger drained from her body. Now she was sure she couldn't leave him. Whatever this was had been eating him up inside while he suffered in silence and it had all boiled over tonight. She wasn't going anywhere. Not until they got to the bottom of this.

"You're hurting, Joe," she said quietly. "You've been hurting for years. There's been a haunted look in your eyes from the day we first met. When you didn't want to talk about it back then, I said fine, that's cool, you don't have to tell me. But now you do. I need to know what happened between you and Andrea. What did she do that has your whole family so devastated?"

He turned his head slowly, painfully towards her, and she was taken aback by the anguish in his eyes. "Tell me what happened," she begged softly, gently rubbing his arm. "Please, baby. I've never seen you like this before and it's breaking my heart into a million pieces. I want to understand. Talk to me. Get this off your chest once and for all. "

Swallowing hard, Joe looked into the inquiring eyes of the beautiful woman next to him, still willing to stand by him even after the way he'd just treated her. That was all it took for his tongue to loosen, reopening a wound that had been trying to heal for the past three years.

"I met Andrea at Georgia Tech. She was a year below me. We met up at some party, hung out, hooked up a couple of days later. I wasn't drawn to her instantly but she grew on me and we soon clicked. She wanted to be a chiropractor or something. I remember Colby not liking her very much when he first met her, which should have set off alarm bells because Colb gets along with everybody." His laugh was dry and humorless.

"The first couple of years together was fine. I left College midway and moved to Tampa to join FCW. Andrea came with me to Tampa but when Developmental transferred to Orlando, the trouble started. She complained that I was always leaving her, that I was never home and never had time for her. I was out there in Orlando, trying to live up to my family's name and hell-bent on proving myself so yeah, I'll admit I didn't allow myself much time for her. She was always questioning what I was doing when I was gone, who I was shacking up with behind her back. It was just ridiculous to me. We kept fighting and fighting until I reached a point where I just couldn't do it anymore, and I told her so. I left her. She put up a fight, but I walked away. I had to otherwise I'da gone insane.

"About a month into our split, she calls me up and tells me she's pregnant. I'm not gonna lie; I was overjoyed. I love children. I've always wanted a family. I saw how happy my brother was with his, and my sisters too, and I wanted that. I decided to do what was right and I got back together with her. I wanted to be there for her and the baby.

"I'd recently gotten the house in Tampa, so I moved her in with me, and I started making more time to spend with her. I drove home from Orlando every week and I always made sure I got home to see her. I knew I had to give up a degree of freedom because of my new responsibilities and I did. Yet we were still fighting. One time she was pissed that I'd stayed up all night with the boys. Colby and his girlfriend at the time had broken up and we went out drinking to take his mind off things. Andrea said something about neglecting my priorities which pissed me off. I told her that if my friends needed me I'd be there for them. I may soon be a father but I'm still a man and a friend. I told her point blank that my baby came first above everything and everyone, including her, and if the baby was fine, that was my first concern. But I still tried to do what was right by her. I'd drive with her to checkups and stuff. Time went on and the arguing stopped and things seemed to be better between us. It was getting fun, the whole father-to-be thing, and I couldn't wait till my baby was born. Next thing I know her old roommate calls me out of the blue and tells me Andrea was having a miscarriage."

Sasha's eyes widened.

"I don't remember the drive to the hospital. I just remember seeing Andrea curled up in the hospital bed crying and apologizing to me. I remember crying too; for my unborn child, for the plans I had made for my baby. All of it, gone. Things became distant between us again. Tense. I remember her not wanting me to go in with her when I took her back to get checked out by the Doctor. I figured she wanted some privacy with her body and I was okay with that. But basically we left the hospital knowing what we already knew. We lost the baby. It was horrible, Sasha. I just wanted it to be over so Andrea and I could move on with our lives. I didn't think things could get worse after that but boy, was I wrong."

Dread filled the pit of Sasha's stomach. What could possibly be worse than losing a child?

"It was two weeks later when I was driving home and a call came in on my cell. Andrea was in the emergency room. Again, I barely remember the drive. I got to the ER. Had to sit and wait. It was nearly an hour when the Doctor came in and told me what was going on." Joe swallowed back the tears climbing up his throat. He would remember the Doctor's words for the rest of his life...

"It was a close call, Sir. Miss Brewer experienced severe hemorrhaging, but she got here just in time otherwise she wouldn't be alive right now. We just underwent surgery to take out the excessive tissue from the procedure. Belated hemorrhaging is a common occurrence among patients who choose medical abortion and sadly it tends to be fatal, so we're very lucky she got here when she did..."

Sasha felt her heart plummet all the way down to her toes. There was no way she had heard right. But the tears streaming silently down Joe's chiseled cheeks told her otherwise.

Oh my god.

It wasn't a miscarriage. Andrea had an abortion.

Joe was silent for a moment, then when he spoke again, his voice was a little more than a hoarse whisper. "I couldn't believe it. I had to find out the truth. Find out for myself. I know the Doctor only told me about it because he thought I knew. I remember playing it off with him, acting like I knew, while deep down I was fuckin' raging. I've never been so angry in my life. I went to Andrea's hospital room and asked her what happened without giving anything away. Yet again she lied to my face. Said it was complications from the miscarriage. I swear to God I coulda killed her. Killed her like she did our baby. I told her enough with the lies and tell me the truth. And do you know the reason she gave? She thought getting pregnant would finally make her first in my life. Basically the baby showed up and stole her thunder so she got rid of it. She planned it all, Sasha. She planned it from the jump. First she switched her birth control pills so she could get pregnant, then she bought the abortion pills a few weeks after she realized I was 'paying more attention to the baby's wellbeing than hers'," he made the quote signs.

"Joe...I'm so sorry." Never in a million years did she expect something like this to come out of his mouth.

"I ended it then and there," the Samoan soldiered on. "I gave her three days to get her stuff out of my house and get the fuck out of my life. I didn't care where she went. I just wanted her lying ass gone. I remember going all the way to Vegas to stay with Jon because I couldn't bear to be at my place. Too many memories. I didn't tell Management what was going on. Made up some excuse. No one knew what really happened other than my immediate family and the group."

Sasha nodded in understanding. By now she knew who 'The Group' was: Colby, Jon, Trinity, the twins and Lauren, Colby's girlfriend. His inner circle. His most trusted friends that had no doubt rallied around him during that terrible time.

"Trinity and Lauren actually drove down to my house to make sure Andrea took all her stuff out. They got rid of everything that belonged to her. And I mean everything. By the time I returned it was as though she never existed. She was erased, according to Trin and Lauren." Joe laughed but again, the sound had an acrimonious texture to it, devoid of humor. "I haven't seen her since and I never want to see her again. What she did to me is worse than betrayal. She murdered my unborn baby in cold blood, Sasha. If the abortion pills hadn't fucked up I probably would have never known what she did and she was gonna keep lying to my face, laughing at me behind my back. What kills me the most is that she got me involved. She said she was going for a checkup when what she was really doing was finishing off the process. She made me part of it when I drove her to the fuckin' hospital to finish it off. I never even got to know the sex of our child." His voice shook. "I've never hated anyone in my life but I hate her. I hate Andrea Brewer and I probably always will. She sacrificed my baby, all for what? To get my attention? She didn't even care about her own body and what the repercussions of having an abortion could do to her in the future. She was just mad that she wasn't getting her way."

The bright fluorescent lighting above them bounced off Joe's tear-stained features. His arms continued to tremble. "It's been well over three years. I thought I would recover eventually, but I guess I was wrong. My mother supported her while we were together and she'd betrayed her too by denying her another grandchild. That's why she's so angry. It hurt me. It hurt us all." His clenched fist met his forehead as memories assaulted him, the disappointment when he learned he would never get to hold his baby in his arms, that he would never see his child grow up, take its first steps or utter its first words. A lifetime of dreams and illusions snatched away from him. The wound was still deep, still very, very painful.

"It's getting late. It's been a long day and you need to rest." Sasha didn't know what else to say. He looked so drained from the effort of unloading this story. She could see and feel every ounce and every inch of his pain, and all she wanted to do was take them away for him.

Joe gaped at her for a moment, then chuckled wryly. "You're still taking care of me even after how I acted. I don't deserve you."

Her eyes stung. Ignoring his statement, she asked, "Where's the bedroom? Come on." She took his hand and led him in the direction he pointed. She found the room and pushed him towards the bed and he climbed in, shoes and all. She followed him in and allowed him to curl his big body around hers and rest his head on her shoulder. Sasha put her arms around him, running her fingers through his hair as he held her tightly, as though afraid she would disappear if he didn't.

"I was glad when you first told me you had kids," Joe whispered through the silence of the room, his voice sleepy as the effects of the alcohol took over. "You already had children; you would never stoop to such lows." He yawned. "You would never...kill my baby."

She didn't hear another word from him after that. His hold on her loosened a little and his breathing became less labored and more even. Sasha lay there on the bed holding the broken man in her arms. Closing her eyes, she began to sob.

At last, we know what happened with Andrea. Do things make a bit of sense now or are they even more complicated? Should Sasha run while she still can? Will she?

There are some questions Joe is yet to answer but we'll get to all of it soon.

Kindly review, pweety pwease!

Song lyrics from 'Decadence' by Disturbed

CHAPTER 29

#roman reigns #roman reigns fanfiction #roman reigns fanfic #roman reigns smut #roman reigns fic #into the deep end #jasha

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acknowledge-reigns · 2 months

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People tirelessly speculate about Roman's health without taking a moment to read. It's amazing after 5 years they still have no grasp of his condition keep making up stuff in their heads.

This is an excellent source that debunks all of their speculations.

https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/chronic-myeloid-leukaemia-cml/living-with

This is from a CML patient, her analogy explain what "remission" means in CML.

https://heather-hopes.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-journey-liver-abnormalities-and.html?m=1

💯👏🏾 This!! Absolutely. Thank you, Anon, for helping to spread awareness about what Roman and many others fight through everyday. The things that man does is nothing short of amazing and to those of us with any chronic illness, he is our hero.

#roman reigns #the tribal chief #wwe roman reigns #my hero 💖#he's Superman #head of the table #the head of the table #the only one #joe anoa'i #the bloodline #the samoan dynasty #i will defend joe anoa'i with my life #samoan dynasty facts

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acknowledge-reigns · 3 months

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Somebody truly had the nerve to say Roman has never had to deal with or wrestle with injuries/set backs in his career and that he "could never power through like C*dy did with his torn pec". First of all, comparing how these two athletes deal with injuries is big fucking weird but since we're going there and I take my role of #1 Joe Anoa'i defender to heart what I'm not about to do is let y'all set up here on this internet and make it seem as if my Tribal Chief ain't ever fought through shit because this man is a WARRIOR, do you hear me???

(HE'S A TWO TIME LEUKEMIA SURVIVOR SINCE Y'ALL MOTHERFUCKERS LIKE TO FORGET HE KICKED CANCER'S ASS TOO.) Generally speaking, not just that situation but in many others in Joe's life, some of your faves would have folded. (especially those two yt men that run from company to company when they don't get their way) . Really this ain't shade to C*dy, I give him his props for powering through injuries and shit too. Most of these superstars have. And saying some of them would probably fold (hell, I would. Most of us would.) Isn't saying they're weak. I'm saying Roman is a badass on a different level and you can argue with your momma or with the wall on that one, not me.

List of injuries/illnesses known to us throughout Roman's career -

Back + Hip injury 2023 (Sumerslam, v Jey Uso.)

Ruptured Ear Drum 2022 (Survivor Series, v Kevin Owens who surprised him with a spot that was not planned and resulted in the injury. There however is no bad blood between the two.)

Had COVID 2022 (https://www.espn.com/wwe/story/_/id/32974962/roman-reigns-wwe-biggest-star-tests-positive-covid-19-scratched-atlanta-event)

Lingering affects from COVID 2022 (due to being immunocompromised https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/roman-reigns-discusses-his-covid-experience-says-he-still-feels-chest-tightness)

Shoulder/Arm injury 2022 (Wrestlemania 38, v Brock Lesnar)

Reveals Leukemia treatment side effects (including Nausea and arthritis in arms and legs, mentioned in 2019 and 2020 interviews. Ex. https://www.leukaemiacare.org.uk/support-and-information/latest-from-leukaemia-care/inspirational-stories/roman-reigns-wwe-cml-and-me/#:~:text=Previously%2C%20Reigns%20revealed%20to%20the,in%20terms%20of%20being%20sick.)

Knee Injury 2019 (Hell in a cell tornado tag with Daniel Bryan, v Erick Rowan and Luke Harper.)

Second battle with Leukemia 2018

Eye injury, required stitches 2018 (after 6 man tag match on RAW https://www.wrestlingnewsworld.com/wwe/roman-reigns-gets-stitches-raw)

Shoulder injury + Cracked ribs 2017 ( RAW, v Braun Strowman)

Shattered nose + Surgery 2016 ( v Triple H. See attached article https://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2016-02-22/article/reigns-surgery)

Needed stitches May 2016 (live show, see photos https://www.wwe.com/worldwide/gallery/roman-reigns-receives-stitches-in-melbourne-australia-photos#fid-40042095)

Head Injury that required staples 2014 (https://youtu.be/OYMce1GDiDc?si=KtbVybtoQVr7FKDL)

Emergency surgery for Hernia 2014 (which he wrestled for some time while dealing with, see WWE.com article herehttps://www.wwe.com/shows/nightofchampions/2014/roman-reigns-breaking-news)

This list does not include FCW injuries, football injuries or his 2007 leukemia diagnosis durring which he was unhoused with a child on the way. And these are just the instances we know of!

Say what you will about Roman in kayfabe but do not minimize the struggles Joe has been through or his resilience. And if you're a Roman "fan" buying into the the rhetoric that he hasn't faced any adversity then as my dear friend @love-islike-abomb says, Please "Go whistle in the woods". IYKYK.

Oh and while we all here...

Acknowledge him, Bitches ☝🏾☝🏾☝🏾☝🏾.

#i will defend joe anoa'i with my life #no shade tho to most of c*dy nation #but be so fuckin for real #roman reigns #the tribal chief #wwe roman reigns #head of the table #the head of the table #the only one #joe anoa'i #the bloodline

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