Will Roman Reigns Return to the Top by WWE WrestleMania 33?

Following his suspension, Roman Reigns’ status as a top star in WWE is in question. Will the Big Dog find his way back to the title picture in time for Wrestlemania?

The past month has seen Roman Reigns in a position he is not too familiar with: a possible descent down the card. After virtually being booked to look strong during the duration of his meteoric two-year rise to the top of the mountain, Reigns has since been pinned cleanly three times in the span of about a month: by Seth Rollins at Money in the Bank, by Dean Ambrose at Battleground in Roman’s return match, and by Finn Balor on Monday Night Raw, in Balor’s main roster debut.

With rumors circulating that Vince McMahon had lost his high on Roman Reigns in the aftermath of the sudden suspension, it can be assumed that we are witnessing Roman being de-pushed. After his loss to Balor on Raw, an impromptu interview segment took place, where in Roman declared that he wanted another shot at Finn Balor down the road, in reference to Balor’s upcoming title bout against Seth Rollins for the vacant Universal Championship at SummerSlam. Roman essentially hinted that he would like to insert himself into the title picture and challenge whoever becomes champion by SummerSlam’s end.

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A Seth Rollins win would theoretically be Roman’s quick ticket back into championship contendership and main event status

However, despite calling his shot here, Roman’s future spot on Raw may entirely depend on who wins the Rollins vs. Balor match. A Seth Rollins win would theoretically be Roman’s quick ticket back into championship contendership and main event status, as the feud between Rollins and Roman would seemingly pick up where it left off prior to his suspension and build up into the rematch between the two former Shield members.

A Finn Balor win would mean that Roman’s de-push would essentially have him start at the very back of the line

A Finn Balor win would mean that Roman’s de-push would essentially have him start at the very back of the line. It can be assumed that a Balor win at SummerSlam would start a fresh, new rivalry on Raw between the former longest reigning NXT Champion and the very first NXT Champion in Rollins, effectively putting Roman’s potential rematch with Rollins on the backburner or an indefinite amount of time. While Balor and Rollins feud over the Universal Championship, Roman would have spend to potentially the remainder of 2016 in the upper mid-card, away from the main event spotlight, possibly feuding with the likes of Kevin Owens, Cesaro, Sami Zayn, and even Brock Lesnar, as he climbs his way back to the top of WWE.

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The timing of this is critical, especially for Roman Reigns. WWE had invested so much time, effort, and money strapping a rocket to Roman’s back and propelling him into the stratosphere the last two years. He headlined consecutive Wrestlemanias (31 and 32) for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, and had he not gotten suspended, would most likely have headlined the next three as ‘The Guy’. Consider that next year’s event, Wrestlemania 33, will emanate in Roman’s home state of Florida, WWE would naturally want their chosen one to be the main event of the biggest show of the year in his stomping grounds, banking that the Florida fans in attendance will give Roman the heroic pop and admiration the beleaguered superstar has sought for but never truly attained.

Roman’s status moving forward may come down to who wins the Universal Championship at SummerSlam. If it’s Rollins, the feud resumes and Roman is back in the title picture, presumably by the time Survivor Series rolls around in November. If it’s Balor, the long, arduous climb up the ladder begins again for Roman Reigns, much like Daniel Bryan’s legendary 2013-2014 feud with The Authority that began at SummerSlam and culminated at Wrestlemania XXX by winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

Roman would find himself in a familiar comfort zone, feuding with popular wrestlers on the rosters with their own huge, respective fan bases in Owens, Cesaro, Zayn and Lesnar, and possibly beating them all on his way to the top, and once again being serenaded with boos, a place Roman is rather used to by now. He may potentially win his second Royal Rumble.

Next: WWE: Can a Heel Roman Reigns Still Be 'The Guy'?

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Roman may go on to headline, truthfully, his Wrestlemania in his home state, for the WWE Universal Championship, against either his arch-nemesis, Seth Rollins, or the man who pinned him on Raw, the man he claimed to not know much of but had an immense amount of respect for, Finn Balor. As all eyes descend on SummerSlam for Rollins vs. Balor, a toss-up outcome and a sense of unpredictability the fans have not been able to have in quite a while, Roman Reigns is surely closely monitoring the situation. A championship is on the line, but on a personal level, his spot on the card hangs in the balance.

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