What’s the story?
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross reviewed the Royal Rumble in his latest blog for Jrsbarbq.com. Among the observations that he made were the WWE’s plans to turn Roman Reigns ‘heel’ and the AJ Styles-John Cena match being the show stealer at the Rumble pay-per-view.
In case you didn’t know…
Roman Reigns was in the thick of things at the Royal Rumble as he not only competed in a match for the WWE Universal Championship against Kevin Owens but also made an appearance in the Rumble match. Reigns was well on course to take the title away from Owens after having power bombed ‘K.O.’ through the announce table.
However, Braun Strowman interfered in the match by attacking ‘The Big Dog’ thereby allowing the champion to pin him to pick up the victory. The 3-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion was not done for the night as he entered the Royal Rumble at #30, eliminating The Undertaker, Chris Jericho and Bray Wyatt before being last eliminated by winner Randy Orton.
The heart of the matter
According to ‘Good Ol’ JR’, the WWE are perhaps looking to turn Roman Reigns ‘heel’ and feels that it would help him become one of the biggest stars in the business. Ross opined that this is the best way in which the company may finally be able to establish Reigns as a fan favourite.
He added that if the superstar can beat The Undertaker at WrestleMania, it would make him a greater ‘heel’ and would mean the birth of a new star for the WWE. Here’s what Jim Ross mentioned in his blog:
“Seems to me that WWE is perhaps positioning Reigns to become a villain and if that is true Roman Reigns can be one of the biggest stars in WWE which is always the goal no matter if one is 'fish or fowl.' A great, 'heel run' will obviously do more for Reigns to be eventually become a major fan favorite than any thing that WWE can seemingly do at this time.
If Reigns were to defeat Undertaker at WM in Orlando, it would propel Reigns to the next level of villainy and a star would be born one has to assume.”
About the WWE Championship match between AJ Styles and John Cena at the Rumble, Ross claimed that it stole the show and was one of the best he has seen on TV in a while. He said that while Cena proved his doubters wrong by having one of the greatest matches of his career, AJ Styles showed once again why he is the finest pro-wrestler in the world at present. The iconic commentator wrote:
“The John Cena vs AJ Styles bout stole the show in a major way and was one of the better pro wrestling bouts that I've seen on TV in a good while. Cena certainly dispelled those who thought that John's best days are over as he had one of his best ever bouts n WWE and obviously a large part of that success can be attributed to AJ Styles who again proved to be what I've said for months and that is AJ is the best in ring talent in the wrestling biz for my money.”
What next?
Roman Reigns eliminating The Undertaker in the Royal Rumble match provided everyone with a clear indication that the two of them will be colliding at WrestleMania 33. Although the latest episode of Raw saw Reigns attacking Braun Strowman and Kevin Owens, the build-up for his match against ‘The Phenom’ is likely to begin soon.
Sportskeeda’s Take
A talented performer like Roman Reigns obviously doesn’t deserve to be booed by the crowd despite portraying a ‘face’ character and this implies that the WWE have fallen short somewhere in terms of his presentation. Turning him ‘heel’, though, may be a step in the right direction towards getting rid of any negativity in the minds of fans towards Reigns.
Send us news tips at [email protected]
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
