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Has the WWE screwed the Beast over?It’s Roman Reigns’ world and every WWE fan is living in it – like it or not. The wrestler with what seems to be nine lives continues to get his shot at the WWE World Title – this time in a main event match at WrestleMania 32 against his boss, Triple H in Dallas. By hook or by crook, Vince McMahon is determined to make sure we all drink the Kool-Aid and welcome the former Shield member into the world reserved for the likes of Hulk Hogan and John Cena.No one is buying it, which hurts the product. Reigns is a likeable guy, but not as the lead dog of a very weak pack right now in WWE. The crowd was over the top in support of his “brother,” Dean Ambrose and loved watching Brock Lesnar send both babyfaces on a trip to Suplex City at Fastlane in Cleveland.While it was never an option to hand the victory to the Lunatic Fringe or the Beast Incarnate, the idea of giving Reigns a chance to capture his third WWE World Title since the end of December is a bit underwhelming and has left some of us a bit empty inside. I’m beginning to think McMahon and the creative team should follow the path that put Shawn Michaels, The Rock and Steve Austin on the pedestal of the greats of all time. Fans hated them before they fell in love with them. McMahon needs to take a ride back in the time machine to the 1990s to see what made these stars so great and use it as a test pattern to sell Reigns as the future of WWE.If nothing else, there is a chance he will decide there are others who can carry the ball and score with the fans and the wrestling universe.While the Royal Rumble as a solid “B” for its show, Fastlane was a not so great “D” for its predictability and its lack of effort. There were only a few winners on the night, Reigns included. Here is a list of the biggest losers from the most recent pay-per-view.
#1 Brie Bella
I have always thought Nikki Bella was the better wrestler, but Sunday night was Brie’s night to shine.
The thought of putting the Divas’ belt on one-half of Twin Magic before she leaves the company may have had a sentimental value to it, but Brie took the fight to Charlotte and in the process may have tweaked her knee in the end. It may have been the best performance in a singles match for her in some time.
Whether we see her again in the ring, or whether she retires to be with her husband Daniel Bryan is still up in the air.
#2 Dolph Ziggler
When is Dolph Ziggler going to catch a break? I have this image of the wrestler who does everything right, sells the match and still loses most of the time. That’s the definition of the word jobber and we all know Ziggler is too talented to be a jobber for the rest of his career.
Kevin Owens and Ziggler put on a good show, but not a great show. There were some miscues and some misses, altogether. Had this been a match three years ago when Ziggler was a huge star, this might have been a main event caliber show.
I want to see Ziggler get another shot at glory, and being in his home state last night might have been one of his last chances.
#3 Bray Wyatt
Wyatt watched as his Family lost to Ryback, Kane and Big Show. WWE is selling this stable short of its brilliance. I thought it would be hard to get them out of the spotlight after their performances at the Royal Rumble, but WWE has dropped the ball on this one, badly.
It also looks like the company has dropped the ball on a Wyatt-Lesnar WrestleMania match.
There is too much talent for Wyatt not to be part of pay-per-view events. Sunday night’s six-man tag match was nothing more than fodder and filler and had no business being part of the event in Cleveland.
#4 Dean Ambrose and Brock Lesnar
This sets up nicely for a WrestleMania matchup, but it leaves all of wondering why they were part of a Triple Threat match if there was no way in hell they were going to win?
Right now, Ambrose is the most “over” wrestler in WWE and has lost twice in matches where there was a chance to claim the WWE World Title. Lesnar never lost the title at WrestleMania 31, but still has not reclaimed his strap. There is something so wrong about this and screams of “screw job.”
At some point, could we finally see Ambrose in a world title match where he wins?
#5 Chris Jericho
He helped put AJ Styles over and is clearly the veteran who is asked to do the honors for so many wrestlers. The series with Styles shows how Jericho still has enough in him to deliver a solid program. Age aside, Styles is what Jericho was 10 years ago and it was proven time and time again.
There isn’t a lot left in the tank for the former six-time world champion, so it remains to be seen if we have witnessed the end of his career or the fact it is quickly approaching.
#6 The Fans
Yes, the fans. This pay-per-view was supposed to be the stepping stone to WrestleMania 32. All it did was prove to be a pebble on the side of the road.
If pay-per-view programs are supposed to build from one to another, then maybe someone forgot to remind the creative team, which deserves an “F” for effort. There was plenty of potential in this card and a chance to really springboard to April’s event in Dallas. There is no electricity and there is no connection. I can only hope there will be fireworks in the next few weeks leading up to wrestling’s biggest event.
