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A new season of WWE SmackDown is underway, starting this week, and it was marked by Roman Reigns taking on Braun Strowman for the WWE Universal Championship in the main event. Both men took each other to the limit in this contest, where Roman Reigns was not afraid to twist and bend the rules to pick up the win.
What was notable is that Roman Reigns used a submission move and Braun Strowman passed out, as a result of the same. This is not something we've seen from Roman Reigns in the past, and it makes one wonder why this submission was added to his repertoire.
Here are 5 theories for the same, and we welcome you to chime in with your thoughts as well, in the comments section below.
#5 Roman Reigns is a heel and he needed a new finisher
So, a disclaimer before we commence with this particular point. At no point is it being suggested that Roman Reigns is going to either drop the spear or the superman punch because it is very clear that he is not going to. But gone is the loading up of the Superman Punch or the Samoan war cry before the spear because those were babyface moves, and Roman Reigns does not want the audience rooting for him.
The new finisher is not something that the audience can naturally get behind, because there's no showboating before it is applied, even by heel standards. We know how Ric Flair showboats before the Figure Four or how Randy Orton loads up the RKO. Roman Reigns does not do any of that before applying his guillotine submission.
What name do you think will be given to this move? Think creatively in the comments.
#4 It's a major departure from Roman Reigns' old character
The central narrative in WWE right now is that the current incarnation of Roman Reigns, allied with Paul Heyman, is a very different man from the guy that we're used to seeing. And this was a necessary transformation because Roman Reigns has been the same guy for so very long, and it was time for a change for his character to evolve.
Not only does Roman Reigns behave differently right now from the guy we used to know and love (and love to hate), but he also dresses differently because the Shield gear is now gone for good. It took Roman Reigns forever to become a great promo, but now that he is one, he has Paul Heyman doing the bulk of the talking in his case.
And so, as the old Roman Reigns is being erased from our memories, the old moves need to be replaced by new moves as well.
The brand new submission move is part of a sea of changes for The Tribal Chief.
#3 From a storyline perspective, the spear from Roman Reigns was ineffective against Braun Strowman
It's not as if Roman Reigns did not use his regular arsenal against Braun Strowman this week, because he certainly did. However, Braun Strowman did kick out of a spear meaning that Roman Reigns had to dig deep to unearth a move that would defeat this big man.
From a storyline perspective, the match was put together in a great manner, where even Roman Reigns, someone who has been dominant against everyone that he has gone up against was unable to defeat Braun Strowman with the spear, his trademark move. A great champion adapts under any circumstances, which is what he did with the low blow and then the submission move.
If any of you follow the UFC, remember the eye poke from Stipe Miocic to Daniel Cormier, before he picked up his big victory? Whoever put this match together deserves a pat on the back for letting Roman Reigns tell the story about why this move needed to be created, under dire circumstances.
#2 A way to make Braun Strowman look strong even though he lost the big match
One has to feel that WWE booked themselves into a bit of a corner with Braun Strowman because not only is the big man booked in a featured match on RAW against Keith Lee, he is likely to be one of the featured performers on the RAW brand in the weeks and months that follow. And yes, Braun Strowman did tap out to Roman Reigns, but he can use the excuse of not being prepared for the brand new move that The Big Dog unleashed. Moreover, as has been mentioned, he did kick out of the Roman Reigns spear, a move that has put so many away.
If you look at this tweet, a bit of damage control is being done by Keith Lee, who is putting his opponent over in a big way.
Both men realize that Braun Strowman looking vulnerable in the Season Premiere of SmackDown does diminish the hype around the big upcoming match between the two men.
#1 It can be used by Roman Reigns to inflict pain and punishment upon Jey Uso inside Hell in a Cell
One of the things that we know for certain is that Roman Reigns and Jey Uso will have a bloodbath inside Hell in a Cell, because of how personal the match and feud have been thus far. It is almost a certainty that Jey Uso will come out on the losing end in the match because Roman Reigns is on fire right now and the moment just cannot be curtailed for the benefit of the product.
But one thing that is definitely not going to happen is a simple pinfall victory because Roman Reigns will want to inflict pain and punishment on his cousin to show that he has gone off over the deep end.
This submission move allows Roman Reigns the ability to torture his cousin inside Hell in a Cell, as people watch helplessly from the outside, with the inability to assist.
What do Denise Salcedo and Ryan K Boman think about WWE SmackDown? Click on the link to find out.
