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Roman Reigns successfully defended his WWE Universal Championship against Edge at Money in the Bank pay-per-view. However, his celebration was cut short by John Cena, who made an incredible return. Following night on RAW, Cena confirmed that he has his sights set on Reigns and is coming after The Tribal Chief’s Universal Championship.
By the looks of it, we have already seen the beginning of the biggest SummerSlam feud this year. Fans are excited to see John Cena and Roman Reigns share the ring on SmackDown later this week. The rivalry looks promising and guarantees must-watch shows on Friday nights for the next few weeks.
As epic as this feud seems, it should end with Roman Reigns defeating John Cena in the Universal Championship match at SummerSlam 2021. Here, we look at the crucial reasons why that should happen.
#5 Roman Reigns settles an old score with John Cena
Roman Reigns and John Cena have crossed paths on multiple occasions over the last decade. Their last feud dates back four years and is still remembered as one of Reigns’ not-so-good days. Back in 2017, Cena returned to face Reigns, and the two set up a big match at No Mercy. At the time, the latter had just lost the Universal Championship to Brock Lesnar.
WWE invested a lot in building up this feud, and Kurt Angle, who was the General Manager of RAW at the time, regularly hyped the storyline on RAW. The rivalry eventually picked up pace, slowly inching towards the infamous “War of Words” in which John Cena destroyed Roman Reigns, who had limited mic skills.
“It’s called a promo, kid. If you’re going to be the “Big Dog”, you are going to have to learn how to do it,” said John Cena.
This was the day when John Cena carried a metaphorical shovel to the ring and used it to bury a helpless Roman Reigns who could not withstand a vocal storm. Reigns did try to hit back at Cena but could barely ruffle any feathers.
The outpour of boos didn’t help him either. Although Reigns would eventually beat Cena at No Mercy, the latter’s words had left long-lasting wounds.
Fast forward to today, we have a different Roman Reigns in WWE now. He has more control over his promos and is a hundred times more effective in his threats. He always needed this kind of creative freedom instead of cliché lines that were thrust upon him earlier when he worked as a babyface. Thus, things look different this time now that he is once again preparing to share the ring with Cena.
The build-up to the Universal Championship match between Roman Reigns and John Cena is as significant as their title. He will need to carry himself against one of the most celebrated performers in WWE history.
It would be a mistake to think that Reigns can rely on The Usos for a numbers advantage because they know better than to face John Cena on the mic, primarily owing to the personal events in Jimmy Uso’s life. Thus, Roman Reigns has a tough challenge ahead, but he needs to come out as a winner at every step to settle this old score.
#4 Roman Reigns establishes himself as the sole “face of the company” in the modern era
During their last feud, John Cena argued that Roman Reigns is one of the most “protected” superstars in WWE. However, he also implied that no one could protect him against Cena. The latter’s claims are valid because he ruled the pro wrestling industry for over a decade as the “face of the company” before the responsibility fell on Reigns.
In fact, one of the biggest reasons the WWE Universe initially turned against Roman Reigns was because he was booked precisely like John Cena. Although they have both been polarizing figures, Cena had managed to win over his critics – something that didn’t happen for Reigns until his heel turn and Universal Championship reign.
It is unfair that both superstars are often compared when they have had to represent WWE in two different eras. Unfortunately for Reigns, he will never be able to avoid that predicament. The only way out is to prove that he is just as good as the man he once replaced.
Roman Reigns described his previous victory over John Cena as the “greatest one of his career”. But he needs a better win at SummerSlam to end a long-standing discussion once and for all.
#3 John Cena sets up a true test for a new and improved Roman Reigns
As mentioned before, Roman Reigns was very different when he faced John Cena last time. Back then, he donned the role of a righteous babyface who worked hard to get over with the crowd only to meet brutal rejections time and again. Today, Reigns demands the WWE Universe to “acknowledge” him and backs his ultimatums with unprecedented brutality.
It would be fair to say that The Tribal Chief has been nothing short of brilliant since he tapped into his villainous intentions and formed an alliance with Paul Heyman. Reigns also managed to bring The Usos to his side. The trio are now enjoying a successful run on WWE SmackDown. Reigns took time, but he earned a lot of credibility with his feuds against Kevin Owens, Daniel Bryan, and Edge.
He now has the opportunity to pick up a career-defining victory over John Cena as long as he does it in a convincing fashion. No superstar other than Cena can create an intense feud with Reigns in five weeks to set up a big match at SummerSlam.
WWE is planning to make it their biggest event this year, and this would be the perfect opportunity to see if the new and improved version of Roman Reigns can hold off against an old but effective rival.
#2 Roman Reigns puts a publicized end to conversations about the “locker room leader”
The pro wrestling fraternity widely recognizes Roman Reigns as one of the most prominent leaders in the WWE locker room. Prior to that, the responsibility rested on John Cena. The latter took a step back and allowed Reigns to take complete control when WWE was still transitioning between the eras of the two superstars.
Understandably, most of this happened behind the scenes while fans only saw subtle changes. These included how John Cena would work the crowd earlier in the night while Roman Reigns was entrusted with closing WWE shows. It will make sense if WWE are inclined towards using this feud to set up a symbolical “passing of the torch” in the promotion.
Almost half a decade since his first bold attempt, Reigns can now publicly replace Cena as the locker room leader. SummerSlam will be the most significant WWE pay-per-view in the last two years, and every incident is bound to leave a lasting memory with the fans. The creative team won’t have a better setup to script the final chapter of an epic rivalry.
#1 Roman Reigns emerges as the greatest heel champion and begins an unparalleled dominance
Roman Reigns has already established himself as one of the best heels in WWE. He is comfortable at the top and has convinced former critics to root for him during his recent run on SmackDown. Any boos directed towards him currently prove one of the two things – fans are either hung up on his previous bookings or are confused by his convincing portrayal of a villain.
On the other hand, we have John Cena, who has been cruelly booed by the audience more times than we count. If you think fan chants directed at Reigns are cruel, you should look up the insults hurled at Cena. Yet he has consistently stayed at the top of the WWE roster and worked through floods of criticism.
It was a little surprising to see the deafening pop that marked John Cena’s WWE return this week, but it mentally transported a lot of us to the late 2000s. He was even taken aback by the positive reaction from the WWE Universe.
Thus, the feud between Roman Reigns and John Cena could potentially help establish Reigns as the greatest heel in WWE history. The Tribal Chief can pick up a convincing victory, forcing the former great to “acknowledge” his dominance.
This would also mark the beginning of an age that could boast of Roman Reigns’ unapparelled dominance alongside Jey and Jimmy Uso, especially now that The Bloodline has all the gold.
Teddy Long snaps when Swerve Strickland's race is brought up HERE
