The Big Return of Roman Reigns Ruins Major WWE Storylines

Roman Reigns made a triumphant return to WWE at SummerSlam, and all of a sudden, it seems like new life has been pumped into the company. Fans are waiting for SmackDown with baited breath and I’m pretty sure that the ratings will blow the roofs.

However, once the initial hype around his return dies down, we will have to take a more analytical approach. Is Reigns returning actually the best thing that has happened to the WWE? I’m afraid that the next few months might provide an answer to the contrary.

Roman Reigns is meant to be the superhero – whether you like it or not

One of the primary reasons why fans are excited for Reigns’ return is because they think that he’s gone over to the dark side. A heel Reigns has been a fan demand for years now and fans think that it’s finally been fulfilled.

Unfortunately, I don’t think the WWE is willing to take that route. Think about it. Reigns defeated The Undertaker at WrestleMania in a one-sided contest. The heat he had at the time was unprecedented. Fans booed him so hard that he couldn’t get a word in. He said that it was his yard now and that was the most heelish thing Reigns has done in his career.

Despite the opportunity being right at their hands, the WWE refused to turn Reigns heel? The reasons are clear enough, at least in Vince McMahon’s head. Roman is a once in a lifetime superhero who resonates with children and casual fans like no one else.

As the core fanbase, we ignore this aspect of the business. There’s a reason why John Cena was never turned heel – it’s not good for business.

Reigns’ current persona might make him a morally ambiguous character at best

There’s a section of people who think that the way Reigns attacked The Fiend and Braun Strowman confirmed his heel turn. However, I’d like to refresh your memory a little.

In 2016, Roman Reigns annihilated Triple H on an episode of Raw. The Big Dog just went unhinged and inflicted the most vicious assault possible on ‘The Game.’ This hardcore side of Reigns got an overwhelmingly positive response and he was even cheered for the next few months.

However, instead of that being a slow burn towards a heel turn, it just turned out to be another ploy by WWE to push the babyface Reigns. After the hype around his attack on Triple H died down, Reigns was again being booed out of arenas.

Sadly, the current situation strongly resembles that scenario. WWE unleashed this version of Reigns to get the audience to react positively to him. In the long run, the plan is what it has always been. Reigns will plough through everyone and main event WrestleMania. Sadly, this approach will have some heavy casualties.

Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman will have to make way for Roman Reigns

In the past few months, WWE has done a great job of building the characters of The Fiend and Braun Strowman. That was precisely because there was no Roman Reigns to pin them clean.

If we are to trust the rumor mill, Reigns is all set to become the Universal Champion at Payback. Following that, he may have short feuds with both Wyatt and Strowman and may even pin them clean. That will single handedly stall all the progress that has been made in building these monsters as legitimate threats.

A small example of the fact that WWE is ready to compromise on other storylines is the fact that Alexa Bliss wasn’t used at SummerSlam at all. You have her appear throughout the build for the pay-per view but don’t bring her out at the big stage? If the plan was to not use her at SummerSlam, then why was she given such a big role in the first place?

Roman Reigns is on a collision course with Goldberg

In all honesty, it’s quite possible that Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman are just footnotes in the big story. WWE might be building towards something that it desperately wanted to do this year but failed – Roman Reigns vs Goldberg.

After Roman destroys the SmackDown roster, my guess is that he will reignite his rivalry with the WCW legend. Goldberg reportedly works two dates a year with the company and Vince McMahon wants this match to occupy one of those dates.

Ratings are plummeting and for the past few years, McMahon’s response to that has been special attraction matches like these. We all can crib and cry all we want, but WWE isn’t ready to take the short term pain that comes with building long term stars.

In the end, this big Roman Reigns return might do more harm than good to the overall quality of WWE content.

Read more – WWE announces a Massive Match for Roman Reigns