It’s hard not to feel sympathetic toward Roman Reigns these days. The way WWE has screwed up his ascent to the top has been comical.
From giving him an undeserved push toward the main event of WrestleMania to leaving him out to dry on promos, the WWE hasn’t made one strategic decision involving Reigns that hasn’t backfired.
Some of that falls on Reigns as well, but he was put in a position that he couldn’t win.
This year’s Survivor Series was a culmination of what WWE has gotten wrong with Reigns. Right from the start of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship tournament – which was announced after former champion Seth Rollins blew out his knee – it was painfully obvious that Reigns would make it to the finals.
There wasn’t one point during the tournament that doubt crept in about Reigns. He didn’t have much trouble throughout, and the only great match Reigns had was against Cesaro in the quarterfinals on Raw on Nov. 16.
At Survivor Series, Reigns took care of Alberto Del Rio with ease, then beat his “brother” Dean Ambrose in less than 10 minutes.
His celebration after the match was ridiculous because of the amount of confetti falling from the rafters. When Triple H, the leader of The Authority, came out to congratulate Reigns on his victory, it was clear how it would turn out.
Reigns speared the former champion and reveled in defying Triple H. What came after that showed WWE’s ineptitude to the fullest.
Another Money in the Bank cash-in happened to spoil Reigns’ night. Sheamus needed two Brogue kicks to steal away the championship from Reigns and win his fourth world title.
The WWE showed no faith in Reigns being able to overcome the negative reaction that the company created by having Sheamus take away the belt.
Reigns has been forced-fed to the audience since his WrestleMania push, and it hasn’t panned out. However, why not give Reigns a chance to run with the title now to see what happens?
WWE owner Vince McMahon sees Reigns as the new face of the company. If he’s so adamant about giving Reigns that opportunity, he should’ve just let Reigns keep the championship.
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McMahon has already hurt Reigns enough with his massive push that there’s really no more damage that can be done to his image. Fans will continue to be upset, but it’s better to let it happen now than WrestleMania.
Earlier this year, it was clear Reigns wasn’t ready to be the champion. That sentiment still holds now, but even less so. Reigns still needs to improve his mic skills, and his move set has something to be desired, but he’s become a much more capable hand in the ring.
By pulling the rug from beneath Reigns again, WWE is just admitting how much it screwed up with him.
Reigns will definitely get another chance at the title, but that’s not the point. Until the WWE allows Reigns to be his own character and let him improve on his weaknesses, there’s not much hope.
Unfortunately, Reigns is just a microcosm of what’s wrong with the WWE these days.
Thomas Romero-Salas is the culture editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @ThomasRomeroS.
