3 Positives and 2 negatives of Roman Reigns' alliance with Paul Heyman

The latest edition of WWE SmackDown was a highly-anticipated show, as the WWE Universe couldn't wait to see the progression of Roman Reigns' return angle. The Big Dog made his surprise return at SummerSlam 2020 and destroyed both Braun Strowman and The Fiend to close out the show.

This week on SmackDown, WWE didn't disappoint one bit, as fans found out that the former Universal Champion had seemingly aligned with none other than Paul Heyman, one of the greatest managers to ever step foot in a wrestling ring. Wrestling Twitter blew up immediately and speculation began running rampant in regards to the future of a Reigns-Heyman partnership. There are tons of possibilities here, and WWE is on its way to turn Reigns into the biggest heel today. In the following slideshow, we will take a look at 3 positives of this partnership and 2 negatives of the same.

#5 Paul Heyman's mic-skills are going to be a major factor in Roman Reigns getting over as a top heel (positive)

Let's face it, Roman Reigns couldn't have gotten a better mouthpiece than Paul Heyman. Brock Lesnar's advocate is currently one of the greatest talkers in the business, as well as in the history of pro-wrestling. Heyman was with Lesnar during his first WWE run in 2002-04 and resumed their alliance soon after Lesnar came back to WWE in 2012. He has been hyping up Lesnar's matches ever since and is a big reason why The Beast got over with the WWE Universe despite not being much of a talker.

Roman Reigns is kind of in the same boat. It isn't a secret that Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose were always better on the mic than Roman Reigns when the trio was a part of The Shield. Reigns' issues as a talker became clear as day when The Shield split. He did improve a bit as time passed, but having Paul Heyman talk for him is the best thing that could have happened to him, now that he is displaying heelish tendencies. Heyman's promos hyping up Reigns as a mega heel would only help establish The Big Dog as a major villain going forward.

#4 Prepare to see a lot more of Roman Reigns in the main event scene, again (negative)

The ones who are fans of WWE pushing new talent in the main event scene and building them up to take the helm will have to be patient going forward. After a long absence from the main event scene, Roman Reigns has been immediately put back in the title picture again and is about to get an opportunity at the Universal title at WWE Payback. The last time Reigns held the belt was in late 2018, when he had to relinquish it due to his leukemia.

WWE began pushing Reigns to the moon as soon as The Shield split in mid-2014, and he scored a major victory against Randy Orton at SummerSlam 2014. Reigns went on to become a mainstay in the World title picture and headlined four WrestleMania events in a row. Fans kept complaining and booing Reigns out of the building regularly, but nothing changed. Reigns was kept out of the main event scene for the entirety of 2019, but fans were aware that it was only a matter of time before he was given the spotlight again. That time has come now.

A heel Roman Reigns as a main event star will certainly be a breath of fresh air for many, but the ones who still haven't gotten over Reigns' 4-year main event push back in 2015-18, are going to have a tough time ahead.

#3 WWE now has enough material to keep the fans intrigued until Brock Lesnar's return (positive)

Heyman and Roman Reigns are bound to keep fans happy until Lesnar returns

Brock Lesnar, who was once the arch-rival of Roman Reigns, has been one of the biggest draws in WWE for a while now. Having a special character like him has its drawbacks as well. Lesnar's contract allows him to take long hiatuses, and his latest break isn't anything different. Lesnar lost the WWE title to Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania 36 and hasn't been seen on WWE TV ever since. There's no telling when Brock Lesnar will make his return, and WWE desperately needed a major storyline to keep the audience engaged in Lesnar's absence.

What could be a bigger angle than Roman Reigns turning heel and aligning with Paul Heyman? WWE is doing everything in its power to keep the viewers glued to their TV screens, and looking at what happened on SmackDown, the company is surely going in the right direction. All WWE needs to do now is establish Reigns as a formidable villain in the near future, and things will only get better when Lesnar shows up again.

#2 Risk of many intriguing storylines getting overshadowed (negative)

WWE SmackDown has nailed a bunch of storylines this year, some of which still haven't reached their conclusion. Many have almost forgotten that Otis currently holds the Money In The Bank briefcase, which he won soon after winning Mandy Rose's heart following a long struggle. Sonya Deville 'left' WWE after SummerSlam, and hinted at a major change soon after. Matt Riddle is now a mainstay on SmackDown and many are hoping for him to become a major star in the near future. What impact Roman Reigns' alliance with Paul Heyman will have on these angles?

Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman's partnership is the hottest topic in the wrestling industry at the moment and is bound to stay at the top. WWE has a goldmine of potential storylines waiting to be explored with Roman Reigns and Heyman, but they would have to be careful so as not to completely ignore other angles that have been built up for a long time. Fans need satisfying climaxes to these angles and don't want to see them get the same treatment as the "SmackDown Mystery Hacker" storyline.

Fans want to see how Otis' Money In The Bank story advances further. They want to see Deville come back donning a completely new persona and get the spotlight she rightfully deserves. They want WWE to not overlook Matt Riddle and make him share the same fate as many in the past. Here's hoping WWE manages to keep the limelight intact on these storylines and doesn't forget to focus on them in light of Roman Reigns' heel run on the Blue brand.

#1 A modern-day Two Man Power Trip (positive)

There's a high possibility of Roman Reigns and Lesnar forming an alliance in the near future

Brock Lesnar has been out of action for the past 5 months, but it's a guarantee that The Beast is going to come back at some point in time. What happens when Lesnar returns? Now that Roman Reigns is aligned with Paul Heyman, there's a string of interesting possibilities ahead of us. When Lesnar returns, two things could possibly happen. Enraged at seeing Heyman with Roman Reigns, he kicks off a feud with The Big Dog. The thing is, we have seen these two behemoths fight too many times in the past (with the duo headlining WrestleMania on two different occasions), and that's the reason why it seems highly unlikely that WWE will bring back this rivalry again.

The other possibility is that we will witness a modern incarnation of the Two Man Power Trip. Back in 2001, Stone Cold Steve Austin turned heel at WrestleMania 17 and later formed an alliance with Triple H, thus creating the Two Man Power Trip. The run didn't last long courtesy Triple H's injury, that took him out for months.

WWE has the opportunity to recreate this angle with two of the biggest Superstars in the company right now. Heyman could be the glue that holds these two men together, leading to a short stint that could see Lesnar and Roman Reigns wreaking havoc on the WWE roster. WWE could even throw in a short-lived Tag Team title reign for good measure, just like they did with Austin and Triple H.

There are tons of possibilities when Lesnar returns, but this is the one that many fans and wrestling experts are hoping to see unfold in the near future. Only time will tell how WWE handles Roman Reigns as a heel, but the WWE Universe is excited about it and is ready for some intriguing programming in the coming months.