Roman Reigns is undoubtedly one of the biggest draws of all time in the wrestling world. Taking in consideration all aspects of professional wrestling such as in-ring methodology, microphone skills, the overall body of the work, connection with the fans, and financial successes, Roman Reigns could be ranked at the top amongst the most popular and iconic WWE megastars.
Fresh off the heels of his historic championship run as the Undisputed WWE Champion which lasted for a record 1316 days, The Tribal Chief reigned supreme as one of the most successful champions that the company has ever seen and now The Head of the Table finds himself in the middle of a situation where he can choose to pursue any direction to go upon his return. However, the rich legacy and magnanimous presence of Roman Reigns would not have elevated to that level if it had not been for some smart decisions taken by the top brass of WWE.
Let us talk about four such decisions that WWE took with Roman Reigns that were right:
1. Seeing him as the star of the Shield
Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins, collectively formed one of the greatest stables to ever exist in the history of the WWE in The Shield. The treacherous trio made their debut at Survivor Series 2012 taking out several of the top stars and changing the landscape of wrestling for the better.
Though it was clear that WWE viewed untapped potential in all of these three performers who debuted together, it was clear from the get-go that Roman Reigns was the biggest star envisioned among them and it was one of the wisest decisions WWE could have made of spending to mold him from being the muscle of the stable to transcending as one of the greatest WWE superstars of all time.
2. The Tribal Chief Roman Reigns has arrived
Vince McMahon and his WWE creative regime always saw potential in Roman Reigns as the face of the company. After John Cena’s career started to wind down, WWE had to find their next “Top Guy” and they chose Roman Reigns for that prestigious spot only to be met with major fan rejection and backlash who failed to connect with him as the hard-luck babyface underdog WWE was attempting to carve out.
However, the tides took an unexpected turn when Roman Reigns turned heel upon returning to the WWE after a long hiatus in 2020 and embarked on a spectacular run that would skyrocket him to a whole other stratosphere of greatness, giving birth to the Tribal Chief and a larger than life cinematic experience for the WWE Universe with the Bloodline saga that would follow in the years to come.
3. Roman Reigns’1,316 day reign as champion
Roman Reigns had a tight grip on his Undisputed WWE Championship for well over 4 years, which is an exception in the modern era of wrestling. The idea alone that a performer could conceivably hold a championship for this long was once thought to be impossible.
Moreover, the historic reign of The Tribal Chief Roman Reigns dominated and defined the wrestling industry like no other superstar did in the last 40 years. The longevity of the title run allowed him to show multiple dimensions of his character and allowed him to develop a story that transcended the confines of sports entertainment, thus being a smart yet debatable decision on WWE’s end.
4. Dropping the title to Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40 instead of WrestleMania 39
The WWE Universe was left shocked at the sight of Roman Reigns defeating Cody Rhodes and hoisting the Undisputed WWE Championship high above his shoulders in front of a heartbroken American Nightmare at WrestleMania 39 leaving a major portion of the entire wrestling fraternity aggreviated and upset with the outcome.
However, the decision to keep the title on Roman Reigns for the entire last year proved right and factored into the success of not just Reigns or Rhodes, but it allowed WWE to elevate so many other superstars including Jey Uso. Moreover, it gave WWE the headroom to expand and elevate the storyline even further by also including one of the biggest stars in the business, The Rock, which made Cody Rhodes’ victory over The Head of the Table even bigger at WrestleMania 40, thus making WWE’s smart decision to carry the compelling narrative for another year correct.
What are your thoughts on these decisions that WWE made for Roman Reigns? Share your thoughts in the comments!