WWE Stomping Grounds 2019: Match Card, Preview, and Predictions
By Bryan Heaton
Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre
Real talk: this match would be one of the most hotly-anticipated of the night were it not for the Shane McMahon factor. WWE is putting two of its most talented Superstars into a WrestleMania rematch, without any additional pressure of being a championship match, or a main event, or anything.
But throw in “The Best in the Woooooooooooooooorld” and what should be a decent little snack tastes like deep-fried scat instead.
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For the most part, WWE and the creative team have done right by Roman Reigns since his return to action following a leukemia recurrence. He hasn’t been thrust into the spotlight unnaturally, or given a role beyond what situations dictate. Yes, he’s been a perpetual shifter in the “Wild Card Rule” and of course he was billed as the greatest SmackDown acquisition of all time.
Despite all that, it’s been business as usual for The Big Dog, and his feud with Drew McIntyre would be more of the same. McIntyre, though, has gone from one of the best parts of WWE and a surefire future Universal Champion to “McMahon Family lackey.” Sorry, Drew, it was a great run from April 2018-January 2019, but now things are very different.
I’m still expecting a good match – both Superstars are too good to drop the ball here – but it’ll ultimately be a pointless match in the grand scheme of things. Since this whole storyline revolves around Shane, he’ll end up being the most important participant in the match by the time it ends, which will negate anything good Reigns and McIntyre do before the Shane Show gets underway.
As far as a victor, it’s gotta be Reigns, right? Shane took the win a few weeks back in Jeddah, so a win by McIntyre severely harms the best thing to ever happen to SmackDown. Even with Reigns getting the W at WrestleMania, the endgame here has to be a Big Dog victory, to show how he can overcome not being at 100% to win a big match.