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Confessions of a Roman Reigns Hater

By Jordan Campbell

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Roman Reigns is either loved or hated by the WWE Universe. Speaking as a former Reigns hater, the time has come to praise the WWE Superstar. 

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I was a Roman Reigns hater, and at one point, I was proud of that.

My disdain for Reigns ignited last January at the Royal Rumble pay-per view. It was at that pay-per view that it was fairly obvious that WWE was trying to push Reigns as the next top guy within the company. Reigns was penciled to win the Royal Rumble match, and to prevent a disastrous finish, WWE had The Rock interfere in the match as a way to gain a cheap applause.

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The move didn’t work as Reigns was still booed heavily during his celebration after the match. That would be when WWE lost me in their attempt to sell Reigns as the company’s top guy. To me, that honor should be bestowed upon someone who has earned that spot as opposed to it being handed to him.

Then there was Reigns’ feud with Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 31 for WWE World Heavyweight championship. I was disgusted by the concept of that feud. At the time the feud between Lesnar and Reigns started, there was a strong belief that the former would leave WWE for UFC after WrestleMania 31. Meaning, once again, WWE was going to simply hand Reigns’ an achievement that should have been earned.

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    • It was during Reigns’ match with Lesnar that my feelings changed. Reigns was actually booked perfectly in his Wrestlemania 31 match with Lesnar. Reigns took a beating from Lesnar and he sold it perfectly. Of course, with Lesnar re-signing with WWE, that created endless possibilities for the finish to the match. The finish was perfect as Reigns wound up being pinned by Seth Rollins, who had cashed in the Money in the Bank briefcase. That marked the first time that I was impressed with Reigns.

    After being pinned by Rollins, Reigns’ ascension towards the ceiling of WWE was seemingly thwarted.

    Post-WrestleMania, Reigns had feuds with The Authority and was successful in his booking as he defeated The Big Show in a Last Man Standing match at Extreme Rules. Reigns also looked strong during the Fatal-Four Way match at WWE Payback for WWE World Heavyweight championship. Reigns rode his post-WrestleMania booking into being included in the Money in the Bank ladder match during the Money in the Bank pay-per view.

    It was at the Money in the Bank pay-per view that Reigns’ opportunity at winning the briefcase was thwarted by an outside interference from Bray Wyatt. Reigns proceeded to lose to Wyatt at WWE Battleground and that was the same result when Reigns teamed with Dean Ambrose against Wyatt and Luke Harper at SummerSlam. Ambrose and Reigns lost once again at WWE Night of Champions when they teamed with Chris Jericho to face Wyatt, Harper, and Braun Strowman.

    Despite the string of losses, Reigns has been impressive in his feud with Wyatt. Reigns has been so impressive in his feud with Wyatt that the time has come to praise the former Shield member. Reigns will always have his detractors because of his mic skills but his matches have been among the most compelling on WWE programming over the course of the past six months. During those six months, I have went from having a strong disdain for Reigns to getting goosebumps when he makes his way to the ring.

    That should be a tip of the cap to WWE’s creative team. WWE creative has quietly propelled Reigns into being ready to be the next top guy in the company. I was a Roman Reigns hater, and now, I can confess that I have turned into a Reigns believer. Bring on the Roman era.

    Next: Is Reigns vs. Wyatt Inside HIAC a Smart Idea?

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