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We all knew it was happening. Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar has been penciled in as the main event of WrestleMania 34 for more than a year. This past Sunday, at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, we discovered that rather than pencil, Vince McMahon and his team have used a permanent marker. Whether the fanbase wants it or not, we're getting the fourth coronation of Roman Reigns. He will defeat Lesnar and capture the Universal Championship in the process and there's no Money in the Bank briefcase floating about to save us this time.
WWE promotes Roman Reigns as "The Guy". He's a good worker and has put in some good performances, but "The Big Dig" is not the top dog. And he should not be in yet another Wrestlemania main event. Here are three reasons why Roman Reigns should not headline WrestleMania:
#1 He's not the star WWE thinks he is
Roman Reigns is a great WWE Superstar. I'm not disputing that. But, he's not a major star outside the WWE. Not in the way that his cousin, The Rock is, or in the way that John Cena has managed to cross over into the mainstream. The Miz has even enjoyed more success outside the squared circle, appearing in movies, reality TV, on chat shows, and walking red carpets. Roman Reigns doesn't visibly appear to do any of these things. His star power seems somewhat limited to the time he receives on Monday Night Raw. And that's okay. He can enjoy a great career in the WWE without having to take part in all the extracurricular activities. Yet, there are others who are much more suited to that role, many of whom appeal to the WWE Universe a lot more than the Roman Reigns' character currently does.
Even inside the ring, while the crowd still make noise for Reigns (be it cheers, boos, or a combination), the enthusiasm and energy have been noticeably dwindling. It was fun to boo John Cena, and while the same could be said for Reigns three years ago, it's getting a little dull now, which leads us to our next point.
#2 The fans have already rejected him
When Roman Reigns won the 2015 Royal Rumble and went on to main event WrestleMania 31 against Brock Lesnar, the fans revolted. Even an endorsement by The Rock didn't stop the Philadelphia crowd from raining down a chorus of boos. The jeering was loud back then and was every time Reigns entered the ring.
Over the past year, things appear to have quietened. In part, it might be because of the fact that it was common knowledge that Reigns vs Lesnar II was scheduled for WrestleMania and that plans were unlikely to change. Also, because three years ago, during Reigns' first Mania main event, at least it was something new. This will be the fourth year running that he has been on top of the biggest card of the year and it's no longer interesting. It's dull, it's tedious and as a result, the WWE Universe has seemingly given up.
And the tepid booing once again highlights that Roman is not "The Guy". It was one thing to claim he was the next John Cena a couple of years back, to point out that "at least he gets a reaction", but now it's just glaringly obvious that he's not living up to the role he's been cast in and the audience is switching off. And if that's the case, Roman Reigns should not be in the WrestleMania main event.
What's more, while three years ago it could be argued that even with the negative fan response, at least they were trying something new, giving a fresh face a spot in the biggest match of the year, the same can no longer be said in 2018. Roman Reigns will now enter his Mania main event number four. It's no longer an experiment. It's trying to make a square peg fit a round hole.
Interestingly, The Undertaker has main evented four WrestleManias.
#3 The rise of Braun Strowman
The Roman Empire may be crumbling, but the 'Monster Among Men' has continued to rise. In less than two years, Braun Strowman has become the breakout star WWE envisioned Roman Reigns becoming. Ironically, a lot of that has to do with Roman Reigns as the two were paired together in a feud for much of 2017. Strowman was cast as the unstoppable monster and Reigns as the underdog babyface. However, the crowds, in their rejection of Reigns in the role of a hero, cheered for Braun as he continually attacked Roman, flipping gurneys and ambulances in the process.
Since that rivalry cooled off, WWE has turned Braun into a babyface, now targeting Raw's heels. While his character has seen some tweaks, he is still the same 'Monster Among Men' who terrorized 'The Big Dog' last summer. He has developed a popular catchphrase in telling his opponents that they are going to "Get These Hands" and has incorporated comedy into his act in a way that Roman Reigns has struggled- Suffering succotash!
While Roman hasn't been seen appearing on late night talk shows as many of his contemporaries have, his shoot promos against John Cena in the Autumn of 2017 would hint that an ad-lib setting might not be his comfort zone. Although Roman Reigns exudes confidence in the ring, the same can't be said of his mic work. Even when The Shield appeared on an episode of Ride Along on the WWE Network, Reigns sat in the back and barely spoke a word while Ambrose and Rollins carried the show.
Braun Strowman can be funny, self-deprecating, and still a monster. He proved it when he met Elias with a cello and he continues to prove it in his partnership with Alexa Bliss on Mixed Match Challenge, while also destroying everyone in his path at the Elimination Chamber.
Elimination Chamber
During the Elimination Chamber, it was most apparent that Braun should have been in Roman's shoes. While the crowd reacted mildly and unfavorably toward Reigns, Braun was met with adulation and the repetition of his catchphrase. Everyone seemingly wanted Roman to Get Those Hands. It was obvious who the crowd favored, and yet Reigns got the win.
What's more, he pulled off the victory in the most underwhelming of fashion. The story we've been told over the past year is that Brock Lesnar is an unstoppable force of nature. Samoa Joe, AJ Styles and others, Braun and Roman included, haven't been able to defeat him. Out of anyone on the roster, we're led to believe that Strowman stands the best chance of beating The Beast, as he has come closest to besting Brock previously and would seem to have his number. Roman, on the other hand, was the one pinned by Lesnar back at Summerslam. And while Braun enjoyed the most dominating performance in Elimination Chamber history, Reigns got lucky and managed to sidestep a Strowman assault to get the win. How are we meant to believe he's a threat to Lesnar?
While some might argue that WWE simply sticking with its longterm booking plans is for the best in terms of build-up, it should be remembered that they've switched storylines in the lead-up to Wrestlemania on the fly before. In 2005, when Randy Orton's babyface turn during the Autumn of 2004 hadn't panned out as they'd hoped and Batista caught fire, they swapped Batista into the main event.
Before that, Stone Cold Steve Austin was never meant to be more than a mid-card heel. When his popularity started to swell, they switched gears and he became the anti-hero of a generation. And more recently, when the fans got behind Daniel Bryan, a guy everyone can relate to, he was added to the main event of Wrestlemania 30, in New Orleans incidentally.
This could have been Braun's year after all. Roman Reigns has already had three years' worth of opportunities and has failed. Give Strowman a chance and see what he can do.
Conclusion
In all likelihood, we'll get a decent match out of Reigns and Lesnar. They pleasantly surprised the world three years ago and Reigns has much more experience under his belt. As for Lesnar, his match-quality has dipped and he has been accused by many of phoning in his performances. Whether Lesnar enters this match motivated to put on a show remains to be seen, especially since his contract his reportedly up following Wrestlemania. The Beast is also thought to be returning to UFC.
As for Reigns, he'll make a better champion than Lesnar by proxy of actually being on Raw week in, week out. There's always a chance that WWE will tweak Roman's character accordingly along the way. Roman Reigns the performer is a good addition to the roster; he's just been cast in the wrong role.
It's just a shame the outcome isn't in doubt.
