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WWE SummerSlam 2017: Roman Reigns is the Least-Optimal Winner of Main Event

By John Brown

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Although he is seen as the future face of the WWE, Roman Reigns does not have the narrative momentum to win his Fatal Fourway match at SummerSlam.

At SummerSlam, Roman Reigns will get his latest opportunity to win a world title. He’ll attempt this in the main event, along with Braun Strowman and Samoa Joe as they try to defend Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship.

Regardless of how much Reigns has been force-fed down the gullets of WWE fans, he has shown time and time again that he is up to the task of being one of the contenders for taking over John Cena’s mantle as “The Man” of the WWE roster.

Is just so happens that each of his three SummerSlam opponents provide sexier narratives should any of them leave the Barclays Center with the WWE Universal Title.

Strowman: Universal Title Would Validate His Dominant 2017

No matter which side of the Roman Reigns fan fence one may fall on, one would be hard-pressed to find another individual who serves as the face of the WWE when John Cena is on hiatus.  Braun Strowman has been spending his 2017 using the new face of the WWE as his own personal doormat.  His abuse of Reigns has even garnered strong babyface reactions from WWE live crowds, even though he portrays a character that is a focused version of Ogre from Revenge of the Nerds.

Babyface reactions for Strowman should be euphoric to the ears of Vince McMahon.  Strowman’s build is the prototype of the performer Vince craves and wishes was still the sought-after look for anyone wishing to be World Champion.  Not since Batista has someone with the look of a world beater received a somewhat unanimous babyface reaction, and this may be an unexpected dynamic WWE creative may want to test out in the coming months.  WWE may want to strike while the iron his hot and put the belt on his waist and see if the recent fan praise is warranted.

Lastly, the biggest thing Strowman has going for him is that he is the only competitor among himself, Reigns, and Samoa Joe who has yet to compete against Brock Lesnar (not counting the Royal Rumble).  He even shares the Lesnar-like quality of combining superhuman strength and uncanny athleticism and speed in the ring.  Their brief showdown at the end of this past week’s Monday Night Raw  also received a pop from the crowd that indicates that a Strowman-Lesnar match is something worth turning into the WWE Network for.  A Strowman win on Sunday could transition into Lesnar invoking his rematch clause against the “Monster Among Men”.

Joe: Confirmation of What We Already Knew for Years, and the Conductor of Heyman’s Fears

Although he does not fit the mold of the typical Vince McMahon big man, Samoa Joe, maybe more than any other independent wrestling star (including TNA), could have been considered the most believable pro wrestler not-yet-added to the WWE roster.  For years he accumulated a laundry list of classic matches against the likes of CM Punk, AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, and Kurt Angle that illuminated the legend of the “Samoan Submission Machine”.

Since arriving on WWE television after a run in NXT that included an excellent run with the NXT Championship, when given the opportunity to shine on his own, Joe has done more than carry his weight.  He defeated Seth Rollins, who was fresh off of a win against Triple H at WrestleMania 33, and then served as a viable opponent for Brock Lesnar, almost choking him out at Great Balls of Fire.

He has also been the only opponent that Paul Heyman has ever been legitimately afraid of.  Joe said something quite profound to Heyman this past Monday night when he said to Brock “Allow me to alleviate some of your advocate’s fears.”  As Lesnar’s mouthpiece, Heyman has made it clear that there is not a man alive who can tame his beast, but there is is a quiver that comes in his step when Samoa Joe is the subject at hand.  That quiver, given to no other including The Undertaker, is high praise, making Samoa Joe the only existing competitor Paul Heyman believes is worthy of taking the belt from Lesnar.

Lesnar: The Most Qualified Option

This section is going to be somewhat abbreviated, as few words are needed to explain why Brock Lesnar is a viable option to win the Fatal Fourway at SummerSlam.

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Brock Lesnar is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion, and is still getting attention from UFC competitors like Jon Jones to go back to the Octagon.  No Way Out in 2004 was the last time anyone pinned him for a WWE heavyweight title, and it took Goldberg’s assistance to allow Eddie Guerrero to take the strap.  He is the most dominant wrestler in the history of the WWE, and any belt he wears is immediately the top belt in the company because it is around his waist.  Should he outlast Reigns, Strowman, and Joe, three guys who are really the only legitimate contenders for the WWE Universal Title on Raw at the moment, the person who eventually takes the belt from Lesnar is immediately poised to be the top star in the company, a true testament to the legitimacy of Lesnar.

So, where does this leave Reigns?

Reigns has spent his recent months being ragdolled by Braun Strowman since retiring an aged Undertaker at WrestleMania 33, the only accomplishment that actually qualifies him to be in the Fatal Fourway at SummerSlam.  At the moment, much to the delight of the older WWE crowd, Reigns has very little momentum, and is simply using his past credentials to be in Sunday’s main event.

It simply would not make narrative sense to have Roman Reigns leave SummerSlam with the WWE Universal Title, especially since it is rumored that Vince’s ideal situation is to have Roman win the belt at WrestleMania 34.  Upon completion of SummerSlam, time needs to be spent on Roman gaining momentum leading into Mania.  An option for him would be to get involved in the Shield reunion storyline involving the previously-lukewarm Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose.  In the weeks leading to the reunion, crowds could have been heard chanting for Reigns as Rollins and Ambrose were being beaten up by Sheamus and Cesaro, a rare organic request for the presence of Reigns.

More wwe: WWE SummerSlam's Greatest Performers

If used properly, Reigns could leave the Shield storyline with the momentum needed to be an accepted occupant of the WrestleMania 34 main event.  At this time, however, Roman Reigns just is not the most optimal option to take the WWE Universal Title at SummerSlam.

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