Where Does Roman Reigns Go From Here?

Written by Shane Quirke

On December 2014, Roman Reigns made his return to the WWE. He was presented as a returning hero. WWE had positioned Roman Reigns to be their next "top guy", their new John Cena. The problem? The fans didn't want him, a point that became painfully obvious over the coming months, most infamously at the 2014 Royal Rumble. The reasons for this have been debated, many dislike him for his lack of wrestling and promo ability, many believe he has potential but agree, he's simple not ready. The biggest problem however was simple, the fans had already chosen their guy, Daniel Bryan. All this has been discussed to death so I won't bore you with it here. We're not here to discuss Roman Reigns' past, we're here to discuss his future.

It was widely believed that Reigns would walk out of Wrestlemania 31 as the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion. He didn't. He did not defeat Brock Lesnar. Seth Rollins walked out of Wrestlemania 31 as WWE Champion. Where does he go from here? With Brock Lesnar suspended, Seth Rollins engaged in a feud with Randy Orton and a severally lacking pool of main-event level heels currently in WWE, Reigns doesn't have a clear direction. One can't help but draw a comparison between Roman Reigns and another former Royal Rumble winner, Lex Luger.

In 1993, after the closure of  the World Bodybuilding Federation, Lex Luger debuted in WWE (WWF at the time) as a heel, he quickly entered a feud with Mr. Perfect which resulted in Luger defeating Mr. Perfect at Wrestlemania 9, several months later, in July of 1993, Luger turned face. With the departure of Hulk Hogan, WWE was looking to create a replacement, the new All American Hero. He was build for months as the next "top guy", the new Hulk Hogan. Luger won (co-won) the 1994 Royal Rumble, setting up his WWE/F Championship match against Yokuzuna at Wrestlemania 10. Lex Luger did not defeat Yokuzuna. Bret Hart left Wrestlemania 10 as WWE/F Champion and feuded with Owen Hart and Diesel. Lex Luger? He went on to feud with....Crush. His career stagnated and he left WWE in 1995, returning to WCW.

The similarities are notable. Two big men with limited wrestling skills being positioned as the replacement for one of WWE's biggest stars. Both went on to win the Royal Rimble. Both were unsuccessful at Wrestlemania. Both had limited potential feuds afterwards. Considering how unwilling fans have been to accept Roman Reigns, following up a loss in the biggest match of his career with months of directionless, meaningless feud could be the final nail in his coffin. Even if he were to feud with Seth Rollins for the WWE Championship next month, leading into the Payback PPV, it is extremely unlikely that he would be given the victory. Perhaps a feud with Rusev? I believe it would be a terrible idea. If Rusev wins, Reigns follows up a loss in the biggest match of his career with another loss. If Reigns wins, Rusev follows up a loss in the biggest match of his career with another loss. Effectively killing off one of the very few credible heels in WWE. It appears WWE have booked themselves into a tight spot, one that Roman Reigns might not be able to fight out of.

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