Roman Reigns: Once More into the Fray
Roman Reigns has that close to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship multiple times but when will he ever reach it?
It was just over three years ago when Roman Reigns made his – along with Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins – main roster debut by interfering in the WWE Championship Match that involved CM Punk, Ryback, and John Cena. The trio focused much of their attention on Ryback, putting him through a table, and essentially helped Punk retain his title, which continued on, as they became Punk’s paid mercenaries.
For all of 2013, The Shield was booked as one of the most dominant stables ever in wrestling history, thanks in large part to their undefeated streak, that lasted until May. Rollins and Reigns won the tag titles, Ambrose won the U.S. title, and the group continued strong as one of the most popular attractions the WWE had at the time. Even as heels, fans cheered the group’s success, popularity among each individual may have fluctuated, but each had a very solid fan base.
ALSO ON DAILY DDT: Ranking All 28 WWE Survivor Series Main Events
For Reigns, it wasn’t until the end of 2013, when whispers started that the group would break up and Reigns would become the new “chosen one” to eventually replace John Cena as the “face of the company”. The Shield turned good, had some amazing matches against the Wyatt Family and Evolution, and during these feuds, Reigns began being pushed as the clear leader of the group, along with coming up one short of winning the 2014 Royal Rumble. In June, Rollins – the treacherous brother – turned on Rollins and Reigns, effectively breaking up the group and clearing the way for Reigns singles’ career.
via WWE.com
“Once more into the fray…”
It didn’t take long for Reigns to get his first crack at the WWE title, when he was involved in a Money in the Bank match involving 6 others. Indeed, the odds were not in his favor, and he was unable to capture the title. The very next month at Battleground, he took on Cena (champion), Orton, and Kane in a Fatal 4-Way match, less opponents, but didn’t change the outcome, he came up short, yet again.
via WWE.com
“Into the last good fight I’ll ever know…”
For the rest of 2014, Reigns wouldn’t get another PPV WWE title match, instead, he feuded with Orton and Rollins, which was cut short due to a incarcerated hernia that kept Reigns out for a period of time. The 2015 Royal Rumble was Reigns first big step towards another title match, when he outlasted everyone to a chorus of boos, that not even The Rock could quell, even in victory, he lost. At this point, Brock Lesnar was champion, so WWE had to push Reigns to the sky before this match occurred, and Reigns would respond in an awesome match against Daniel Bryan, beating Bryan was one thing, but convincing fans he could defeat “The Beast” would be a whole different story.
via WWE.com
“Live and die on this day…”
Reigns put everything he had into defeating Lesnar, including taking four F-5’s, but when both men were down, Rollins cashed in his chance at glory, and after a flurry of finishers, he was able to pin Reigns in the middle of the ring, running out of the arena as champion. In term of PPVs, chance number four at the title came at Payback, when Reigns took on Ambrose, Orton, and Rollins, to which – and this is starting to sound like a broken record – he lost again. Continuing his quest for the title, Reigns lost his chance at a Money in the Bank contract, when Bray Wyatt interfered, this story would continue on all the way until Hell in a Cell, when Reigns was finally able to defeated “The Eater of Worlds.” This leads us to the recent tournament for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, where Reigns defeated Big Show, Cesaro, and Del Rio, to get to the finals against his former Shield brother, Dean Ambrose. That match itself was not the best, but Reigns finally won the title, only to have Sheamus cash-in his MITB contract, swiftly taking away the title from the battered and beaten Reigns.
WWE.com
“Live and die on this day…”
It’s clear WWE wants Reigns to be “the man” in the company, but fans continue to give him mixed reactions, so the only story WWE can tell is one of redemption. He’s had five chances at the title, two of which were lost to MITB cash-ins, one of those he actually won, but held it for only five minutes. So, now we inch – oh, so painfully – towards the Royal Rumble; will Reigns get the big win that will take him to WrestleMania? Based on last year’s reaction, if WWE was smart, he would come up short to some more evil shenanigans, and over the following weeks, weave his way back into the main event of WrestleMania.
Next: Reigns vs. Sheamus Set to Disappoint
Fans don’t like to be force-fed a wrestler, but they can’t help but feed support to a wrestler who isn’t forced into the main event scene. Once, a member of “The Hounds of Justice”, Roman Reigns is now being surrounded by a pack of wolves, both wrestlers and fans; will he ever gain the support of the WWE Universe and reach the top of the mountain? It really comes down to Reigns and his portrayal, he can either break through the fray or breakdown from the pressure.