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Roman Reign's announcement last night came out of nowhere, and were sure nobody watching the show was expecting the sad news that he shared. The timescale on Reign's battle with the illness is currently unclear and we don't know if the WWE had already factored his impending absence into existing storylines.
Despite this, we now have a number of wrestlers who will be heavily impacted by Reigns' sudden departure, as he was undoubtedly the top star in the company. Here are the three stars who will be the most affected over the next few weeks and months.
#3 Dean Ambrose
While Dean Ambrose's heel turn has been teased for weeks, the WWE most likely worked it into last night's show due to Roman Reigns shock announcement. It was an incredibly smart decision in the short term, however it remains to be seen if the sudden break up will be beneficial in the long term.
With that said, The Shield clearly doesn't work without its top star, as even Kurt Angle couldn't replace Reign's last year. Seth Rollins should be fine without the Shield as we believe he will quickly ascent to the top of the card, however Dean Ambrose's position is now a concern. A feud with Rollins will most likely end in defeat for Ambrose but hopefully he can then find himself involved in noteworthy storylines, rather than predictably falling down the card.
#2 Brock Lesnar
Lesnar is currently able to make huge amounts of money with the WWE despite making limited appearances. His ability to do this is greatly affected by the opponents available to him, and now the biggest dog in the yard is absent. Pairing Lesnar with a wrestler such as Finn Balor or AJ Styles simply isn't going to draw the attention and numbers that Lesnar and Reigns have proven to at events such as WrestleMania.
The WWE will be more reluctant to pay Lesnar such huge figures if they are not guaranteed the financial results that Lesnar and Reigns often provide. It will be interesting to see who the WWE now pairs Brock Lesnar with, as it may take a returning star such as Goldberg to generate a significant amount of interest.
#1 Braun Strowman
On a personal note Strowman was clearly moved by Roman Reign's recent diagnosis, and last night he posted a heartfelt message on social media to his co-worker. On a professional level, Strowman has been locked in an epic battle with Reigns for the best part of a year, and this rivalry was set to be the main event at WWE's upcoming Crown Jewel PPV.
The match in Saudi Arabia will still go ahead with Lesnar facing Strowman, but after nearly a year's worth of building, the story-line between Strowman and Reigns has come to a sudden end. Strowman could, of course, ascend to the top of the company in the absence of Roman Reigns, but you have to ask if this is possible without him first beating the Big Dog. With his other main rivals in the Shield seemingly breaking up, Strowman now has little direction in the company so it will be interesting to see what the WWE has in store for him.
