PWP’s Sherron Watson explains how Roman Reigns’ assent to the top of WWE has truly come full circle.
The symbolism behind what’s been an emotional year for Roman Reigns’ should not be lost on anyone.
He won the Royal Rumble (due to the assist from his cousin The Rock) & was forced to validate his status as #1 Contender at Fastlane.
After a brutal contest with Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 31, Seth Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase and won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Immediately afterward, Reigns’ championship dreams would be shelved for most of the year due to his feud with Bray Wyatt.
Ironically, Rollins’ knee injury put Reigns back in the title picture 2 months ago. After an emotional battle with his best friend Dean Ambrose at Survivor Series, Roman Reigns won the WWE Championship.
5 minutes and 15 seconds later, Sheamus cashed in his Money in the Bank Briefcase–the same one Bray Wyatt denied Reigns from winning months earlier at said Pay Per View event–to win the title. Things came to a head at WWE TLC in Boston when Reigns was denied the title once again.
That’s when he snapped. Reigns pretty much broke Triple H in half, forcing Vince McMahon to make his first RAW appearance in nearly a year. The match was set, but the penalty for losing would be steep: Reigns would be fired on the spot if he lost, McMahon sitting ringside to deliver the two words.
It looked like that was exactly what was going to happen, but clearly Vince McMahon underestimated Reigns’ resolve. Not only did Reigns win, but he knocked out the WWE Chairman with a Superman Punch!
Reigns becoming the new WWE Champion comes during a time many new stables have formed. The League of Nation’s (Del Rio, Sheamus, Bad News Barrett and Rusev), Team Extreme (The Dudley Boyz, Rhyno and Tommy Dreamer) and the team of Reigns, Ambrose and The Usos are the most recent.
Reigns literally taking the fight to the McMahon Family appears to be laying the groundwork for a Reigns/Triple H feud. The question remains of whether that match it will be at the Royal Rumble or WrestleMania 32. Hunter’s apprentice Seth Rollins is gone until at least June 2016 so we have awhile for that encounter.
There’s also the possability we could see a WrestleMania rematch between Reigns and Lesnar if it’s done right. We all know now gonig into it that Reigns can handle Lesnar in the ring. Seeing the new champ sqaure up against John Cena at The Grandest Stage of Them All is a big possibility as well.
Cena’s taking a break from in-ring action to focus on the reality TV show so the idea of a huge match at WrestleMania is probably a long shot. So as 2015 is comes to a close, 12 months after winning the Royal Rumble, nine months after going to war with Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 31, and for the past three weeks after Survivor Series, many of us can finally say The Roman Empire is now.
So what do you think about the year of Roman Reigns? Comment below in the comment section!