WWE RAW: 5 Reasons why Roman Reigns did not wrestle on RAW this week

Last night at WWE Fastlane, I know there were many moist eyes. Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins came together one last time. Reigns' return was the biggest story of all, because he'd beaten cancer and defied the odds. This week, The Shield addressed their very last stand on RAW.

The three men decided to go their own separate ways on WWE RAW. Seth Rollins would turn his attention towards Brock Lesnar. Dean Ambrose would do some Dean Ambrose things.

And Roman Reigns was scheduled to return to action during the course of the night. Except the big match was called off at the very last moment.

Why did WWE decide to take this strange step?

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#5 To set the stage for Reigns vs. McIntyre

It is pretty clear now that WWE Wrestlers Dean Ambrose vs. Roman Reigns will not be the match at WrestleMania 35 as many had originally assumed. It was believed that Dean Ambrose would turn heel and turn on his brother at WWE Fastlane. But thankfully, that move was not undertaken and the WWE Universe got to actually enjoy a fantastic feel-good moment.

And now it's pretty evident that Vince McMahon's 2 'chosen ones' Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre will battle it out at the show of shows. This will be the first time in years that Roman Reigns is not in the main event of WrestleMania and in my mind, that's quite a noteworthy event indeed. It'll be a big step up for Drew McIntyre who could potentially become 'the guy' on RAW soon.

This week on WWE RAW, the company sowed the seeds for what should be a titanic clash down the line between these bulls. I can't wait for the next chapter of this epic rivalry.

#4 To have McIntyre destroy two members of The Shield

I've already spoken about how Drew McIntyre made short work of Roman Reigns before his match against Baron Corbin. Well, this would irk Dean Ambrose who would step out to challenge The Scottish Psychopath. And the two men would battle all over the arena in a 'Falls Count Anywhere' match in the main event.

The idea was to have a great showing for McIntyre before he goes into WrestleMania as Roman Reigns' prospective opponent. And this was achieved because McIntyre managed to brutalise and destroy Dean Ambrose all across the crowd. So now, Reigns has reason to be mad at McIntyre and McIntyre has more momentum than ever before.

A story arc does not just happen overnight and sometimes needs to play out over many weeks. All the pieces are now in place for what should be quite a titanic clash at WrestleMania 35.

#3 Saving his return to singles action for a bigger stage

I know that this is the reason why a lot of the WWE Universe does not enjoy Brock Lesnar's on-screen work. But the reason that he's seen as a special attraction is that he is one, and only wrestles on select occasions when the situation calls for it.

WWE could always have Roman Reigns return to singles action once again on a random episode of RAW. Alternatively, they can choose to wait until WrestleMania and have Reigns sell the kayfabe injury that he has suffered at the hands of Drew McIntyre on RAW.

By doing this, this non-title match for WrestleMania ends up becoming a special attraction. And isn't that the point of it all, to have a match that the crowd cannot wait for, because they've not seen Reigns compete in a singles environment in years?

You have your reason, WWE Universe!

#2 To bring the Shield closer together

At the top of the show, we believed that The Shield was over and done for good, considering their match at Fastlane had been billed as 'one last ride'. But by the end of the night, The Shield was closer than ever, united against a common foe. Each man had his own objectives in the division, but the assault on Reigns brought them closer.

We know that The Shield is scheduled to compete again on RAW before WrestleMania. And therefore, the band needed to be closer than ever to tell their remaining story. If indeed Ambrose's departure is a work and he will sign his contract to return to the company, then this move makes all the more sense.

Roman Reigns not competing on RAW forced Dean Ambrose, whose loyalties have been suspect from the word go, to step up and challenge Drew McIntyre. It brought The Shield together.

#1 Way too many Corbin vs. Reigns matches have happened

Roman Reigns and Baron Corbin actually work quite well against one another. Corbin has grown as an in-ring superstar and one can say that he's at par with Reigns now. But the thing is that we've seen so many matches between the two, that it's not fresh anymore. And WWE has been struggling with the third hour for many weeks.

RAW always begins with big numbers in the very first hour of action, which plateaus by the second. By the third hour, there is a huge decrease in the number of viewers. This is why WWE needs a fresh match to keep the viewers hooked.

Corbin vs. Reigns wasn't a very exciting match really. McIntyre vs. Ambrose definite is a far better contest.

I really hope, at the same time, that Roman Reigns is fit to compete and a health reason did not keep The Big Dog away.

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