The Orlando Magic WrestleMania

Aaron Gordon is Roman Reigns

By Bill Johnson

Aaron Gordon and Roman Reigns seem to have it all. From the outside looking it may appear that everything has come easy, but even they have had to deal with adversity and find acceptance in their roles.

Gordon and Reigns could probably have excelled at any sport they wanted to (Reigns was a former football player at Georgia Tech). They both won the genetic lottery. They are both blessed with height, strength, blood lines and good looks. With attributes like those, one would assume life would be easy.  But both men have had to deal overcoming things out of their control, which shows their character.

Roman Reigns’ speaking talents were behind his physical skills. So as a professional wrestler, he needed the help of good writing more than others. And it was still a weakness even as the WWE tried to push him into the main event.

Unfortunately, he did not get it. What Reigns got was to be put in the middle of a battle of corporate agenda versus what the fans want.

At the 2015 Royal Rumble, not even Reigns’ famous cousin, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, could save him from the fans’ boos. But if the Rock could not get a cheer from the crowd and get Reigns over, that is bad. The boos continue sporadically to this day.  It could have broken a lesser man, but Roman Reigns just keeps working on his craft

It could have broken a lesser man, but Roman Reigns just keeps working on his craft

Reigns has shown noticeable improvement the last few weeks with his mic and in-ring work as the WWE tries to turn him into a grayer character — not quite a bad guy, but really not a good guy. He is slowly proving himself to the fans, and they are slowly responding to him.

He is proving he can overcome adversity much like Aaron Gordon has done in his young NBA career.

Gordon had questions about his overall basketball ability coming out of college.  He was a superior athlete at Arizona, so the question was, is he more than just a dunker.  An early foot injury caused his rookie year to get cut short, but Gordon’s development did not.

Gordon has shown dramatic improvement in his brief time in the NBA. He has shown his versatility as a player beyond what anyone imagined coming out of college. The team has not enjoyed success. Some believe he has not been used properly, but he has not complained.  He only worries about what he can control, which is himself.

Adversity shows true character. Neither Aaron Gordon nor Roman Reigns has let the adversity get them down. Whether it be boos, losses or injuries they just keep working.

The book will not be written on these two for years to come.  But from what they have shown early in their careers, Roman Reigns and Aaron Gordon are on the right path.