Roman Reigns is a familiar face in WWE WrestleMania main events and for good reason. He’s the company’s top male star. Here are three reasons why The Big Dog should reign supreme in Tampa Bay, closing the show against Bray Wyatt’s “Fiend”.
Since Bray Wyatt first formed “The Fiend” character last summer, he and Roman Reigns have slowly been on a collision course. The Fiend has become one of WWE‘s most popular gimmicks, and while he’s cooled off a bit since the initial buzz in the Fall, the Universal Champion remains an interesting and important part of SmackDown going into WrestleMania 36.
Meanwhile, Reigns is as good as ever. WWE brought him back slowly in the first half of 2019, as he was returning from kicking leukemia’s ass. The Big Dog rounded into form in the Fall, putting on some excellent television matches, including one particularly brilliant battle with Murphy on SmackDown. Since then, he’s been in a feud with King Corbin that is designed to earn him more love from the fans, as Corbin is one of the most obvious heels in the company.
Reigns looked like the clear favorite to win the Royal Rumble, but he ended up falling short. Drew McIntyre eliminated Reigns in the final two after eliminating Brock Lesnar in a star-making moment earlier in the match, making him the favorite to face The Beast for the WWE Championship.
McIntyre vs. Lesnar could easily be a big-time main event at WrestleMania 36, but the story between Reigns and Wyatt has been building for longer and is even more profound.
Here are three reasons why the familiar foes should main event the Show of Shows in a Universal Title match that will be personally meaningful for both men.
Roman Reigns is the top star
I’d like to start with the most obvious reason, but it’s one that gets lost on so many fans. Roman Reigns is the top male star in WWE. He and Becky Lynch were on the cover of WWE 2K20 for a reason; they are the leaders of the company and have consistently proven that they have the most drawing power at this point in time. That could change if, say, WWE were to give Sasha Banks a real push, but, for now, those are the top two.
Reigns’ place at the top is even more solidified. He’s been wrestling at an elite level for a handful of years now. There is no doubting his status as a locker room leader who helps others and commands respect from everyone in the building. His fan base is far-reaching, diverse, and passionate, and the reactions to his matches on social media and in the arena are always a safe bet.
Why has Reigns main evented four WrestleManias? Because he’s the best. WWE know they will get the reactions they are after and a solid match from Reigns. He doesn’t disappoint, as he always does the job they ask of him 100 percent.
You want your biggest stars in the main event, and there’s still no bigger star right now than Reigns. His consistency truly sets him apart from anyone else, and it’s quite remarkable how big the gap is between him and the second tier of male stars.
The main event of WrestleMania isn’t for up-and-coming stars. It’s for stars who have already made it and shown they are the best. Reigns stands alone in that regard. Good luck trying to knock him off, too.
A brewing story between good and evil
In WWE, simple stories are the most effective, especially those that make a clear distinction between good and evil. Vince McMahon ultimately makes all the decisions in the promotion, and he favors the story of the wholesome babyface conquering the sinister heel. Reigns vs. Wyatt is exactly that.
Remember the WrestleMania feud between John Cena and Bray Wyatt a few years ago when Wyatt dared Cena to compromise his morals? That was exceptional story-telling, even though the match itself flopped. (We’ll get to that later.)
WWE can play up even more history between Reigns and Wyatt. The Fiend used his past encounters with Seth Rollins and Daniel Bryan to add fuel to his rivalries with them, but there’s something especially appealing about watching him try to get under Reigns’ skin.
We’ll get to see Reigns’ mental and emotional strength tested by a heartless villain with a victim complex who hides behind a mask, a fake persona, brainwashing tactics, and delusions of magical powers. He is everything Reigns isn’t. Whereas Reigns stands before the fans as a human with moral principles and pride, Wyatt has to wear his emotions behind a mask. He is a coward.
WWE has kept both men separate from each other for months, which is the surest sign they are destined to clash. But by having Wyatt defeat Rollins and Bryan – two wrestlers who have teamed with Reigns in the past – they’ve slowly planted the seeds of a feud. It’s all been crescendoing to a point where their paths will cross.
When Rollins faced the Fiend, he turned into his true nature: a sniveling heel hiding behind others. Bryan returned to the American Dragon: a fiery babyface who thrives on technical prowess. And Reigns will return to his normal state. As the company’s top male star and champion.
(Please don’t ruin this, Goldberg.)
Comeback story for both men
Roman Reigns’ comeback story is the most obvious of the two. He was forced to relinquish the Universal Title in the Fall of 2018 due to a battle with leukemia, and while he returned in time for WrestleMania 35, he hasn’t received any title opportunities since then.
That’s by design. First of all, WWE didn’t want to rush him back or take any chances. Secondly, they wanted to give Reigns some time to delve into other stories, such as a program with Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowan and a storyline involving The Usos. And thirdly, Reigns’ eventual Universal Title triumph needs to be the most special moment possible.
What would be more special than Reigns winning the title in the main event of WrestleMania against the most wicked, twisted superstar in the company?
There’s something inherently awesome about watching a hard-working, bad-ass performer win a title they never lost, but that’s especially true if it’s a title they were forced to hand over due to an awful, painful disease. Reigns’ first Universal Title reign was supposed to be an all-timer, so his second should at least start off on the best note possible. It’ll be “The Biggest Acquisition in SmackDown History” officially returning to the top of the mountain.
As for Bray Wyatt, there’s something personal on the line for him, too. He’s earned a reputation for flopping in the biggest matches. He’s only had one good match as The Fiend, which occurred at Royal Rumble.
Worse yet, Wyatt has failed to make the most of his opportunities on the big stage before. His WrestleMania matches with John Cena and Randy Orton, for example, were poorly received, souring what had been memorable feuds to that point. The WWE Title match against Orton at WrestleMania 33, which had been building since the 2016 WWE Draft, had been particularly disappointing.
This is Wyatt’s chance to prove he belongs on the big stage, and there’s no bigger stage than the main event of WrestleMania in a match for SmackDown on FOX’s top male title.
It will all be on the line for Wyatt, but I wouldn’t bet against him having the match of his life. He knows the stakes, he knows it’s all been coming to this, he knows what the critics say, and, most of all, he has Reigns as his proverbial dance partner. And in a big match, there’s nobody you want in the ring more than Reigns, whose in-ring IQ, experience, ability to work with the crowd, selling, and overall athletic ability make him WWE’s most complete performer.