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Roman Reigns, the resident "Big Dog" of WWE, finally won the Intercontinental Championship last week to complete his Grand Slam in WWE, i.e become a wrestler to have held all the possible titles in WWE.
Reigns is an experiment by WWE for the past three years with little to no success. His face run has massively disappointed the WWE Universe. Finally, WWE decided to reunite the Shield, and this has led to positive reactions for the "Big Dog" for the first time in eternity.
His Intercontinental championship reign has just begun and he has already hinted at an Open Challenge, similar to what his former rival John Cena did back in 2015. Open Challenge has always been a favourite concept of the WWE Universe, and Reigns bringing it back will certainly bring intrigue to Monday Night RAW.
However, it doesn't come with its drawbacks, and in this article, we look at some merits and demerits of this concept returning to RAW.
#1) Merit: Fabulous exposure to new talent.
Roman Reigns is a polarizing figure in WWE but his in-ring performances have always lit up the WWE Universe. He has given exceptional performances with the likes of The Miz, John Cena, AJ Styles, Seth Rollins to name a few.
Cena's open challenge was universally loved because of the exposure it provided to new and upcoming superstars in the form of Kevin Owens, Cesaro and Sami Zayn amongst others. Reigns facing off against other talents on RAW can help elevate the status of his opponents in a huge way.
Cedric Alexander tweeted yesterday about him being a possible challenger, which could be a great sight for the fans. The talent from the 205 Live roster can get a big rub by facing the Big Dog.
#2) Demerit: Unnecessary involvement in storylines.
John Cena's open challenge was particularly great because it had no effect on the ongoing storylines. The matches were completely one-off and provided PPV level matches on weekly programming.
However, recently WWE brought back the US Open Challenge during AJ Styles' run which was hampered due to the Corbin-Dillinger-Styles rivalry. This decision was not loved by many fans because it took away the novelty of this open challenge.
If Reigns' open challenge pans out the same way, the whole Open Challenge concept will become useless and would turn into a tool for the main storyline advancements.
#3) Merit: Matches of the Highest Quality.
As pointed out earlier, Cena's open challenge was full of PPV caliber matches on weekly television which was a huge bonus for WWE. Reigns is a talented performer in the ring and can produce great matches with almost everyone on the main roster.
Reigns has been bashed by fans and critics alike for his uncharismatic personality and terrible mic skills, but his in-ring presence is undeniable. Braun Strowman is a relatively 'green' perfomer in WWE, but Reigns has produced some of the best matches of the year with the "Monster Among Men", which is a clear indication of Reigns' ability to produce exceptional matches with newer superstars.
He can greatly improve his stock with the fans with this Open Challenge.
#4) Demerit: Roman wins... AGAIN!
Reigns' push has massively angered the WWE Universe due to one major reason, his underdog yet superhuman booking. Reigns has been potrayed as an underdog, yet he somehow defeats everyone in his path to success. This has been a major failure by WWE as it is reminiscent of Cena's late 2000s run.
Reigns went over two years in WWE without eating a pin, and till date he is rarely pinned clean. In 2017, Braun Strowman is the only superstar who can claim of defeating Reigns clean in a match, which speaks volumes about how Reigns is treated on the main roster.
The Intercontinental Championship matches are bound to be great, but all are most likely going to end the same way. The underdog a.k.a Big Dog overcoming all odds and spearing his way to victory.
#5) Merit: Reigns' rise as the top babyface.
Reigns babyface experiment did not work as intended by WWE but it still has not finished. His singles run as a babyface was abysmal to say the least. Hence, WWE paired him up with the Hounds of Justice to get the crowd cheering for him once again.
Cena's Open Challenge run won the fans over, and made him a likeable personality once again in WWE. Reigns is rumoured to retire the "Beast Incarnate" Brock Lensar at Wrestlemania and position himself as the No.1 guy in WWE. However, fans will have a major backlash if that happens.
If Reigns turns around a corner and rejuvenates himself the way Cena did with the Open Challenge, he can become the fan-favourite once again and his eventual coronation at Wrestlemania could be a sweet moment for the WWE Universe.
