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After a controversial response to the Royal Rumble match, Roman Reigns must now defend his main event spot against fan favourite Daniel Bryan at the inaugural Fastlane PPV. The repercussions of this match are huge as it determines who will face Brock Lesnar for the WWE championship in the headliner at the grandest stage of them all. Some fans may be unhappy, but the only logical option now is to have Reigns defeat Bryan and keep his championship opportunity. Lets take a look at five reasons why Reigns must go over in their Fastlane bout.
#5 Give Reigns a chance
If Bryan wins at Fastlane, Reigns is left without an obvious feud to step right into. He goes from earning a main event spot to struggling to find a place on the mania card. Whether you like him or not, he has won the rumble match and now he at least deserves a chance to prove why he belongs in the main event.
Many have questioned whether Reigns is ready, including myself, but I now believe we need to give him the opportunity he has earned to prove us wrong. A fairly strong showing on the snowstorm Raw after the rumble showed that Reigns may just have what it takes to make a main event feud with Lesnar work. With Paul Heyman carrying the promo work and Lesnar/Reigns combined ability, they may be able to pull off an excellent bout that is indeed main event calibre.
Regardless though, after winning the rumble, Roman Reigns still deserves a chance to prove he belongs.
#4 Bryan can help push Reigns in defeat
Bryan can act as the perfect catalyst to propel Reigns forward and prepare him perfectly for the main event match up at Wrestlemania 31. That can only happen though if Reigns defeats Bryan at Fastlane.
If WWE wants to keep Reigns a face, after what needs to be an excellent showing between him and Bryan at Fastlane, they can have Bryan lend his support to Reigns by endorsing him. A shaking of hands as a sign of respect following the match would go a long way to getting the fans to cheer Reigns again.
However if WWE wants to turn Reigns heel for his bout with Lesnar, Bryan is still the perfect person to do this with. After the match, Bryan can show respect for Reigns by offering to shake his hand. It is at this point when Roman refuses and instead attacks Bryan with a cheap shot. Due to Bryans immense popularity, Reigns would instantly get solid heel heat.
Whether they want Reigns to work as a heel or face, Bryan is the perfect person to set him up for his match with Lesnar at Wrestlemania.
#3 Still allows \'Ziggler v Bryan\'
Dolph Ziggler and Daniel Bryan have been teasing a Wrestlemania bout via twitter and it has undoubtingly caught fans attention. Ziggler v Bryan has all the making of an instant face v face classic. Take a look below at this custom made promo I put together and Im certain you will see the amazing potential in this match up.
However if Bryan wins at Fastlane, this match cant happen. Not only do we get robbed of an amazing bout but Ziggler may find himself without a place on the Wrestlemania card, which for a massive Ziggler fan like myself, would be absolutely devastating.
A Reigns win at Fastlane allows Bryan to go ahead with his rumoured feud with Ziggler which will definitely satisfy the fans.
#2 Avoid repetition
Last year, WWE allowed the fans overwhelming adulation for Bryan force him into the main event match and even win the WWE championship. This year, they cannot allow the exact same thing to happen again.
A Bryan win at Fastlane would mark the second year straight that he has forced his way into the main event championship match at mania. Whether youre a Bryan fan or not, a eerily similar replication of last year is not best for business.
Fans need to understand that Bryan cant main event Wrestlemania every year, especially after missing the majority of this year with a serious neck injury. That being said, of course Bryan still has plenty more mania main events left in him, but this just isnt his year.
WWE must avoid repetition by allowing Reigns to keep his spot, while letting Bryan move onto other things. But who will Bryan face if he doesnt move into the main event bout?
#1 Devalues Royal Rumble
If Reigns loses his championship match at Wrestlemania, The Royal Rumble will be in a severe risk of becoming meaningless. If WWE decides they will just take the rumbles opportunities away from rightful winners due to critical reception, then the rumble match will be devalued and fans will lose interest in the important event that used to mean so much.
Reigns must win at Fastlane to keep the spot he earned or else future rumble matches will suffer. Instead of taking away from the winners of the rumble afterwards, they need to be smarter about their booking and have guys win who deserve it. Taking the title match away from Reigns devalues the rumble event and sends the wrong message to the fans.
Bryan could have won the rumble this year, but now it is too late to thrust him into the main event so WWE officials need to stick with Reigns. Not to mention they would run the risk of dj vu.
