Few things get the blood flowing better than knowing one of our favorites are going to become the face of a company. If we’re lucky, she discover them before their rise and we get to ride it with them. Unfortunately, most of the time we come in during their rise or stand steadfastly against them. The latter fits Roman Reigns’ career thus far, but that’s not going to stop Vince McMahon if internet rumors are true. McMahon has never been one to let others dictate to him what he’s going to do, so the idea that Roman Reigns will be WWE’s top face by WrestleMania is virtually a lock.
No one dictates to Vince McMahon, especially fans.
After the backlash the WWE faced prior to Reign’s cancer announcement, it’s somewhat of a surprise that McMahon is going back to him. Of course, he’s most likely Plan 1, or Plan 1-A.
Everyone has their theories about they whys and whats of it, and mine isn’t really any different.
Personally, I think Rollins was meant to run as the face of the company following Reigns announcement that his leukemia returned. It’s only natural given the popularity of the Shield and Rollins for him to be next in line. This is where my mention of Plan 1-A begins.
With Reigns out battling cancer, Rollins took the ball and tripped on the one yard line. It’s not his fault as he sold the heart out of every face angle he was given. He just didn’t connect with the fans, as we let him know it.
By this time, Reigns’ cancer was in remission and he was in the middle of a comeback as one of the promotion’s top stars.
I’m a firm believer that Rollins was always intended to be a quick-fix patch until Reigns came back, and if he couldn’t then they’d have Rollins run with it. The fact the fans were tired of Reigns didn’t matter.
In an interview, King Kong Bundy commented on the Ultimate Warrior and Andre the Giant feud. During the run, Warrior body slammed Andre every night, and the fans booed. Andre was a mythic figure to many, and seeing him toppled outside of an epic match like WrestleMania 3’s main event was billed as was a sin. Anyway, Bundy said he mentioned to McMahon that the angle was killing Warrior and Andre, but McMahon refused to relent. According to Bundy, he said, “Ram it down their throats.” It eventually worked as fans started cheering and the Warrior was over.
It’s that type of mentality that goes a long way to explaining McMahon’s methodology.
Fans don’t like it? Tough. They will.
Reigns cooling off for buildup
This brings us to the crux of the article and my point.
Fans’ animosity toward Reigns has cooled, but has it enough to justify forcing him down our throats again? Since his return, he’s been the focus of mid-card storylines while the fans slowly accepted him once more. After all, it’s easier to accept him when he’s not winning everything in sight, right?
With that in mind, it’s believed that his current angle with King Corbin is the final storyline of this cooling period before his push to main event WrestleMania 36. There, he’s expected to face “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt for the Universal Championship begins. The chances of Reigns winning is high, as is the chance of us reverting back to where we were with him prior to his leave of absence.
Given that he’s been saying WrestleMania 36 is “all about the moments,” it only adds more fuel to the fire.
If he does win, how long before he’s booed like Seth Rollins? Will he last a little longer like Becky Lynch, or will McMahon have him drop the belt, like with Kofi Kingston, before his accomplishments can be tarnished. Only time will tell.
Until then, there’s little doubt that Roman Reigns to be WWE’s top face is going to happen. The question is, will fans celebrate or boo?
