WWE must establish a Roman Empire in 2015

I wrote a few weeks ago about the fan backlash after Roman Reigns won the Royal Rumble https://established82.com/2015/01/26/wwe-royal-rumble-2015-causes-more-unrest-among-fans/. With the events on Monday night Raw this past week an obvious opportunity has presented itself.

Roman Reigns is pretty much a blank slate at the moment. He still has the same entrance and ring attire that he sported when he was a popular member of The Shield. He is now scheduled to fight fan favourite Daniel Bryan at the WWE’s new PPV Fast Lane later this month to see who goes to Wrestlemania.

To a hardened cynic like myself this smacks of desperation after the horrible reaction Reigns and The Rock received at the Rumble and indeed this may be the case with history repeating itself from last year. However the interview with HHH on the Stone Cold podcast after the show has got me dreaming of a perfect scenario. With the cheers Ambrose and Rollins are picking up that only leaves Roman Reigns as the heel.

Roman Reigns has the chance to do a screw job over the baby face Bryan next month. If not during this PPV then at Wrestlemania itself against Lesnar. He has so much heat at the moment both good and bad that it should be channelled. I thought that Reigns was just being handed an easy ride to the title because of his family connections. Rikishi, The Uso’s, the Wild Samoans and The Rock all come from the same dynasty. But in a candid and excellent podcast with Steve Austin, HHH said that Reigns was one of the hardest working performers in the business. If this is the case the ultimate heel turn could set Reigns up as a heel we have not had since HHH himself.

Imagine the scene, Reigns has Lesnar beat with or without aid from his family. He wins the belt and with the crowd already against him because of the Rumble and his perceived push he turns and blindsides The Rock. It would be up there with the rage that was felt when The Undertaker had his streak broken last year. Eight months on and Lesnar was supported by the whole audience at the Rumble. HHH alluded to a bigger plan for Lesnar and I can only hope the same is in place for Reigns. The last thing we need is a cheap Daniel Bryan victory at Fast Lane.

I don’t want the WWE to appease the fans so easily. I want as HHH said on the podcast. The slow burn for the big payoff. If they put Reigns over right. The Roman Empire could be the villain that the WWE sorely need.