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Royal Rumble 2020, which marks the beginning of the road to WrestleMania, is just a month away. Now, the WrestleMania card, barring a few unanticipated last-minute changes, is usually finalized months before the event. As the winner of the Rumble match goes on to get a shot at a championship of his choosing at WrestleMania, it is quite obvious that the winner is also decided beforehand.
Once the winner is finalized, then begins the task of building him up for his eventual victory. This might include giving great performances every week, as Seth Rollins did throughout the year 2018 before his Royal Rumble 2019 victory, or involvement in a prominent storyline, as in the case of Randy Orton’s 2017 victory, or myriads of other ways.
This is done to shape the fan’s reception of that winner as WWE would never want the winner of Royal Rumble to be booed heavily by those in attendance, like what happened when Roman Reigns won the 2015 Royal Rumble.
Reigns, ever since his debut on RAW, has been at the centre of major storylines. Being a major part of WWE programming since 2013, it is only germane that he would have been featured heavily in Royal Rumble matches. This happens to be the case as Reigns has been one of the final two remaining competitors in 4 of the 5 Rumble matches, he took part in from 2014 to 2018, winning 1 and ended up being a runner up in three.
For most of this period, he was largely booed by the vocal WWE fans, who despite his great in-ring skills, unequivocally rejected his sustained push. WWE made efforts to change the fan reaction but to no avail.
Since his return in February 2019 after leukaemia, though he was kept far away from championships, he has been still been involved in major storylines. He recently won the traditional Survivor Series match for team Smackdown being the sole survivor and currently involved in a rivalry with Baron Corbin which is one of the major storylines, being presented by the blue brand.
WWE is preparing him up for the WrestleMania, where he will definitely feature in a marquee match. The only question up in the air is, whether WWE is planning to crown him as the Royal Rumble 2020 winner or if he will get his spot on the WrestleMania card at a later stage.
Though a top superstar playing a key role in the company’s biggest event is not a bad thing, but should his road to WrestleMania begin at Royal Rumble.
Let us look at 3 reasons why Roman Reigns should not win Royal Rumble 2020.
#3 Reigns does not need to win another Royal Rumble
Roman Reigns does not need another Royal Rumble victory at this point of his career. In just 7 years on the main roster, Reigns has already accomplished more than what most of the wrestlers do in their entire careers.
He defeated The Undertaker at WrestleMania. He was in the main event of WrestleMania for four consecutive years. He has already defeated most of the big names in WWE and also holds the record for most eliminations (12) in a 30-man Royal Rumble match. The list goes on.
The rumours are pointing towards a match against The Fiend Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania for the world title. The Fiend vs the Big Dog for Universal title could be an interesting prospect for WrestleMania 36, but if WWE wants to get to that match, Reigns does not necessarily need to win the Royal Rumble. There are other much better ways leading to that match.
Reigns going over a much-beloved superstar, Daniel Bryan, to win the Royal Rumble 2015 controversially, was one of the main reasons for the fans rejecting him unequivocally as the face of the company. Even The Rock, who is universally liked by the WWE fans, got booed for coming to his aid in that match.
It has taken almost 5 years for WWE to reshape the fan perception of its top guy and hence, WWE shouldn't risk making the same mistake it made years ago. There are many other superstars, who are ready for the spotlight, their victory at Royal Rumble will delight the fans and thus create fresh matches for WrestleMania.
#2 Other RAW and SmackDown superstars need that spotlight
Royal Rumble is one of the most anticipated matches in WWE, not just because of the consequence for the victor, but also due to the structure of the match itself, which effectively chooses 1 out of 30 superstars.
WWE fans feel excited about all the possibilities, the twists, the turns and the surprises accompanying this match. And when a relatively new superstar goes over, it generates much more buzz compared to a well-established one winning - remember Shinsuke Nakamura's victory at Royal Rumble 2018?
Though his WrestleMania match with AJ Styles was lacklustre, his Royal Rumble victory made the fans go berserk.
WWE main rosters are full of talented superstars who are waiting for an opportunity to get that spotlight, a chance to demonstrate their skills and calibre at the Grandest Stage of them All.
Superstars like Kevin Owens, Drew McIntyre, Ricochet, Cedric Alexander, Aleister Black, Buddy Murphy, and Rusev will prove to be much better winners compared to Roman Reigns.
As a result, we may get to see some great pairings, like Kevin Owens vs Brock Lesnar, or Drew McIntyre vs Brock Lesnar and many more at Wrestlemania. But, Reigns going over these names will be tantamount to forfeiture of an ideal opportunity by WWE to push one of these wrestlers to superstardom.
#1 Let's not forget about the NXT Superstars
In 2019, a new kid on the block, AEW, forced WWE to alter the entire course of its programming. NXT, which was considered to be just a developmental brand, was overnight raised to the stature of WWE's main brands, thanks to the stiff Wednesday night battle against AEW Dynamite. This led to NXT featuring in Survivor Series for the first time and putting up a dominant show in the competition for brand supremacy.
It will thus be prudent on the part of WWE to add an NXT Championship match to its WrestleMania card. This will create a huge possibility of an NXT superstar winning the Royal Rumble and that idea might not seem far-fetched.
The likes of Keith Lee or Matt Riddle winning the Rumble and setting up an eventual clash with Adam Cole (provided he stays the NXT champion till WrestleMania) will be a dream come true for an NXT fan. Given the quality of wrestling in NXT, the match is sure to steal the show at WrestleMania and will bring the spotlight on NXT in front of millions of viewers..
WWE might also explore the possibility of an NXT superstar winning the Royal Rumble and challenging a champion from a different brand. Who wouldn't want to watch Matt Riddle vs Brock Lesnar? Even "The Demon" Balor might return to settle the scores with The Fiend Wyatt, which will prove to be a great piece of storytelling.
Wrestling fans usually have huge expectations from WWE in the WrestleMania season, when the quality of the WWE product reaches its pinnacle. WrestleMania, being a behemoth in sports entertainment, is sure to be sold out, no matter which matches its top superstars feature in.
Choosing a fresh Royal Rumble winner, someone other than Roman Reigns or even Seth Rollins for that matter, opens up many possible directions for WWE programming in the WrestleMania season and is bound to increase fan excitement.
