GiveMeSport.com recently spoke with WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair. In the conversation below, Ric Flair talks about why people are hating on Roman Reigns.

On why fans hate Reigns:

“I don’t pay a lot of attention to him talking on the mic but I think he’s okay. Fans look at Roman and they want him to sound like The Rock and that isn’t going to happen. The Rock didn’t become The Rock overnight either though. It took him a few years as well to nail down who he was and what he was about.”

On his future:

“It takes time for young talent to grow. It’s not just a name, they’ve got to build a brand. Fans have to become attached to the brand and that’s hard to do and it takes more than one or two years. Legends like Steve Austin didn’t just turn up and start talking like that either, it took him time as well. Roman [Reigns] has got so much talent that fans are going to have to be patient with him. It doesn’t happen overnight. If people are upset with Roman it’s not over a lack of talent. Fans are always going to have their opinion, but Roman has a fantastic future ahead of him.”

I don't disagree with Flair, but fans are mostly upset because WWE doesn't seem to have any patience with him, either.

I can almost guarantee you that the casual audience doesnt have a clue that the Rock and Reigns are related in anyway.

I think Flair has it mostly right in his second paragraph. WWE fucked Roman with the way they booked him. Kind of like how they fucked up with The Rock when debuted in WWE. The question is WWE going to be able to turn it around like they did with The Rock.

Well at least Roman Reigns didn't look a complete dork when he debuted, thanks to NXT.

People just want Roman to be as good as R-Truth and that just isn't going to happen.

I agree. Like I've said a million times, I don't dislike Roman. In fact, he's my third favorite wrestler and I'm still a Reigns mark. What I dislike, is WWE and their shitty booking. Reigns should not have won the Rumble, and Reigns is NOT READY. They are trying to force him into something when he is not ready for it.

It's too bad the midcard titles mean nothing. He would have been chasing one of those instead.

I agree with Razor. I think Reigns is the least talented of the three Shield guys, but he IS really talented.

I really like Reigns, personally, but he's not quite there. I mean, just look at his appearance, as a small example; he's still wearing his stuff from the Shield. He should of had his own look developed by now like the other two guys from the group.

Batman wrote:

I agree. Like I've said a million times, I don't dislike Roman. In fact, he's my third favorite wrestler and I'm still a Reigns mark. What I dislike, is WWE and their shitty booking. Reigns should not have won the Rumble, and Reigns is NOT READY. They are trying to force him into something when he is not ready for it.

You're exactly right. I'm a fan of Roman Reigns as well, and it's really unfortunate to see him put in this position - which is a super odd thing to say, given that that position is the winner of the Royal Rumble and possible headliner of Wrestlemania. By giving him this brass ring at this moment in time, they're setting Reigns up for disaster.

I don't think the fans hate Roman Reigns; they hate not being heard. They hate that for the second year in a row, WWE's answer to the question "Why not Daniel Bryan?" is "Because I said so." Last year, Batista was the unfortunate soul to take the damage from WWE's stubborn decision-making, but at least he had already had his time in the spotlight. It's a shame that Roman Reigns, who has serious potential in the company, may very well get buried as a result of all this.

I think Roman can and will recover from the backlash, though. Wrestling fans seem to have pretty short memories (present company excluded).