5 reasons why Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns must take place at the Royal Rumble 2018

They say, “there is no suspense in inevitability” and WWE is regrettably laying the foundation for a very predictable ride on the road to Wrestlemania. At present, it’s widely known that Roman Reigns will face Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 34. The company has subtlety planted the seeds for this ‘blockbuster’ sequel over the last few years. And realistically speaking there is only one outcome in this encounter, Roman ‘reigns’ supreme.

In the main event of Wrestlemania 34 three things are going to happen; Reigns will survive his trip to suplex city, he will endure multiple F5’s and he will be the one to finally slay the beast. And that is the plan and the plan definitely won’t change.

WWE have forcefully shoehorned Reigns in the past three WrestleMania main events, in vain attempts to make him the guy in the company. They say wins & losses don’t matter in WWE but this eventual Roman Reigns triumph must be the most significant win in the big dog’s career.

Having this match take place sooner than expected, is nothing compared to WWE regularly giving away dream matches on TV this year. The Royal Rumble marks the beginning of WWE’s calendar year. Therefore, on this night WWE have an excellent opportunity to create a more engaging story in this rather unwarranted feud.

Here are five reasons why Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns must take place at Royal Rumble 2018.

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#1 It will send Lesnar on one last destructive run

Lesnar needs to unleash "the pain" one more time

Throughout Lesnar’s run as Universal champion, he has been targeted by ‘hungry’ driven Superstars. Lesnar’s involvement in those rivalries never seemed as if his character was thoroughly invested in the story.

He was just a champion looking to defend his title. And with regards to other sports in the world, that is the sole purpose of being the champion. But in the kayfabe world of wrestling, the champion is expected to show a bit of emotion.

With rumours circulating that Lesnar might retire after WrestleMania 34, WWE should send Lesnar on one last road to redemption. We have seen Reigns play the underdog in the build-up to WrestleMania for years now.

Reigns defeating Lesnar for his title at the Royal Rumble will allow these characters to be presented in a new light. Instead of WWE focusing on Reigns expected generic road to the main event, it should be Lesnar’s path WWE highlights.

When Lesnar lost to Goldberg at Survivor Series 2016, the beast and his advocate took the rare loss very seriously. Thus, losing his title will light a fire underneath Lesnar to go after Reigns. And what follows could be the best work of Lesnar’s second WWE run.

Potentially destroying The Shield, running rampant inside the elimination chamber and with a big retirement angle looming over the entire programme. WWE can give us an explosive road to Reigns vs Lesnar III to WrestleMania 34. A retirement match would amp things up big time.

#2 There are no credible challengers left for Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar has conquered the best Raw had to offer

Since breaking the Undertaker’s immortal Wrestlemania streak, Lesnar has been bulldozing his way through legends and superstars like a runaway freight train. But there is one superstar that Brock hasn’t faced and has a legit claim for a Universal Title match, that man is Finn Balor. However, due to recent rumours that Vince McMahon is against the idea of this feud, we might not get to witness this dream match.

Ironically it was WWE that had seamlessly sabotaged Balor’s rock star momentum. By being booked into terrible storylines and unnecessary squash matches, Balor posing a threat to Lesnar is low. WWE have now booked themselves into a corner. As every credible main event talent on Raw in 2017, has been “beaten, victimised and conquered” by Lesnar. That is where Reigns steps in.

#3 Roman Reigns' current position in the WWE Universe

The reunion of The Shield couldn't have come at a better time for The Big Dog

Ever since the big dog won the 2015 Royal Rumble match, his status with the WWE Universe went from popular to extremely polarising. Although Reigns had a rough time fully connecting with the crowd, there were rare instances where he had truly invoked that desired babyface reaction.

One of those current instances is due to WWE smartly reforming The Shield. The reunion of the hounds of justice clearly benefited Reigns tremendously. While he may still have his detractors, the majority of the WWE Universe evidently approve his Intercontinental Title reign. Therefore, WWE must “strike while the iron is hot”.

Evident from past incidents, this is the ideal time when Reigns is presented as a merciless wrestler with no regard for his opponent. Lesnar’s Universal Title reign has seen many main event talents suffer defeat. Therefore, being the only legitimate threat to the beast, Reigns must once again step up as the ruthless opponent he truly is. And with the majority of the crowd supporting him, WWE must capitalise on this rare opportunity.

Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar is a case of; rock-solid booking vs rock-solid booking. WWE have done a fantastic job of building up the F5 as a legitimate match ending finisher. No one man has kicked out of the F5 this year not even Reigns. Therefore, at the Royal Rumble, the match is really 50-50 booking. As WWE have built these two men up as an “unstoppable force meeting an immovable object”.

#4 It will allow the Royal Rumble to create a new megastar

Roman Reigns involvement the Royal Rumble has been controversial, to say the least

The connection between Roman Reigns and the Royal Rumble match is what controversies are made of. Reigns has been extremely successful at the event; however, the WWE Universe has not received the big dog’s accomplishments with the same expected enthusiasm.

To set up his clash with Lesnar at Wrestlemania, WWE will opt to take the generic route of Reigns winning his second Rumble match. While that had set up his initial encounter with Lesnar, WWE cannot afford to make that decision again. It proved unfruitful in the past and would be a sluggish attempt by the creative team to ignite this rivalry again.

Reigns vs Lesnar at the Royal Rumble would be a unique way WWE could organically set up this feud to conclude at WrestleMania. Therefore, letting the Royal Rumble win go to a Smackdown Live star would be the best possible choice. As stars like Shinsuke Nakamura, Bobby Roode and Kevin Owens are rising hot talent in need of validation. And this open spot could create that spotlight for either one of them.

#5 Creates a reason for the Wrestlemania match

Why do these two powerhouses need to clash?

Honestly, why do we need to witness Roman Reigns take on Brock Lesnar again? Many would argue that their excellent match at WrestleMania 31 was left incomplete due to a Seth Rollins money in the bank cash in. But we have seen Reigns compete with Lesnar multiple times since WrestleMania 31 showdown. And at Summerslam this year, the beast pinned Reigns clean in the centre of the ring, potentially providing a conclusion to their ongoing story.

Reigns fourth straight main event at “the show of shows” must not be another rehashing by WWE to get the big dog over as a fan favourite. But it must display the evolution of Reigns from WrestleMania 31 all the way up to WrestleMania 34. Agree or not, Roman Reigns has grown has a wrestler with the ability to be in a 'match of the night'.

Lesnar vs Reigns at WrestleMania must not be another rubber match between two powerhouses or a typical Reigns triumph. WWE can create a potentially heated feud that utilizes Lesnar’s explosive star power, Reigns polarising status and The Shield presence. This is a changing of the guard in WWE and it all starts at the Royal Rumble.