The Big Dog's yard has become quite small over the past few months.
An unexpected loss at Wrestlemania. The same result with a convoluted finish at The Greatest Royal Rumble.
And now -- if the most recent Monday Night Raw is any indication -- an upcoming story with Jinder Mahal.
Talk about a backwards slide.
For a couple of years now, all indications pointed to the building of the Roman Empire. A quick rise through the company with The Shield, followed by a singles run pitting him against the top wrestlers in the company.
So much has been done in attempt to secure Roman as the company's top baby face. A seal of approval from The Rock, a feud with John Cena in which the tide seemed to turn for Reigns, and so much more has been done to push Reigns to the top.
Even what could have been a strong push in a battle with Samoa Joe was halted because of the brand realignment (with Joe going to Smackdown).
Through all of that, Reigns now appears to be a man without a plan.
Suffering a loss at the hands of Finn Balor is nothing to be ashamed of. Balor has delivered on a consistent basis since the turn of the calendar year. This was partially due to a competitive rivalry with a red-hot Seth Rollins, but Balor earning a shot at becoming a Money-in-the-Bank holder is well-deserved.
However, with Mahal interfering, likely leading to a feud with Mahal, Reigns might be destined to hover around the title picture yet never quite sitting on the perch.
Part of this is because many fans refuse to accept Reigns has a champion. Now, it's really no secret Vince McMahon is attempting to push Reigns onto the fan but professional wrestling entertainment has always been built around that. The WWE has learned to embrace the fans viewpoint even more over the past few years and rewarded wrestlers who fans get behind. But the bottom line -- and not because Stone Cold said so -- is that the stories, action and characters we see are all part of a television show.
Are Roman's mic skills the best? No. He's never likely to reach a level as The Miz or have the charisma of The Rock. Yet he's improved while continuing to put on a good-to-great show (most of the time).
WWE creatives and the writers seem to be trying everything to get Reigns over. The storyline now appears to be one of the underdog and hard worker, as built during the recent feud with Brock Lesnar.
Again, the momentum stalled and the booing grew louder.
Are fans going to get their way and get him out of the picture? I hope not.
It's true, Reigns has always been strongest when a member of the Shield but there's no way a full-time reunion is happening any time soon. So that option is out.
McMahon and creative can slowly relegate him to a mid-card status but Reigns is much better than that. Maybe having him not headline pay-per-views for a short while is the answer. Keep finding ways to grow his character while keeping him in interesting feuds (which I don't see a feud with Mahal doing any good).
The other option is to finally turn the screw and turn Reigns heal. Brief glimpses have been seen of what a "heel" Reigns would look like. The company never did with Cena and now -- even though fans are still split -- the company and Cena learned to embrace and how to make it work.
If people are going to continue to shower Reigns with boos, it's time to steer into the skid.
Plus, it's a lot more fun to play the villain. Just ask The Miz.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
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