5 Times WWE pushed Roman Reigns over other Superstars

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While we have a lot of adulation and respect for all the performers that entertain the audiences on a weekly basis, there are certain characters are on the forefront of mostly everything the company produces.

Since Roman Reigns happens to be the 'chosen one' in the WWE, his characterization has been met with vehement backlash over the last three years.

Considering that the company is now dealing with an unfortunate circumstance, with Roman breaking his character to address his unfortunate fight with leukemia, and while we hope The Big Dog returns as soon as possible, Vince McMahon has to make some serious decisions to alter the complexion of Monday Night Raw.

WWE has always maintained their notions on the business aspect of the industry, with the leader of the locker room representing the company wherever he/she goes.

For almost four years, Roman Reigns has been provided with the keys to the kingdom, and while he did earn it, Vince McMahon's constant focus to push the Big Dog has led to the many potential main-event Superstars losing the spotlight.

Here are the 5 times Vince McMahon pushed Roman Reigns over other Superstars .

#1 Daniel Bryan - WrestleMania 31 (2015)

After the Shield imploded in shocking fashion in June 2014, a lot of the fans already knew that Roman Reigns was set for big things and continued supporting him, until the Royal Rumble.

Royal Rumble 2015 is probably one of the worst PPVs produced by the company, with many expectations of the fans ruined by a predictable victory from the Big Dog.

While the decision of such an outcome would go to Vince McMahon, it definitely hindered Roman's credibility as a face, and led the fans to be emotionally disinterested in how his journey was transpiring.

Legions of WWE fans yearned for a Daniel Bryan victory at the show, and while organically, it would have worked wonders; with the Beard moving ahead to clash against the Beast Incarnate at WrestleMania 31, the company remained firm on the original decision.

Both the Superstars fought at WWE Fastlane to determine the No. 1 contender in what definitely was a classic match. Therefore, Bryan's exclusion from the bout definitely broke a lot of hearts, with Vince definitely ignoring the right guy just to push the Golden Boy.

Eventually, Roman's first headliner didn't fair well for him, with Seth Rollins eventually spoiling his night with a monumental cash-in to end the night. So, if you look back now at what all transpired, it definitely did nothing for the Big Dog.

#2 Samoa Joe - WWE Backlash (2018)

After Roman Reigns was brutally beaten at WrestleMania 34 by Brock Lesnar, the Big Dog returned to Monday Night Raw next night to a deafening noise of boos all over the place.

Since the idea was to ascend the former Universal Champion as 'Anti-Authority', not letting Roman win the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 34 was influential in depreciating his value as a babyface.

While Reigns continued to rant against the system, Samoa Joe interrupted the proceedings to an outstanding reaction and gave former the reality check he deserves, and the audience loved every bit of it.

Considering that the former NXT Champion's character is more into producing results, his big return could have ascended him to the top of Monday Night Raw as an unstoppable heel.

Joe's feud with Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship in 2017 was definitely enjoyable and took the Beast to his absolute limits, in terms of domination within the ring.

Judging by how The Destroyer arrived after dealing with an unfortunate injury, his spilling of the truth to The Big Dog did catapult his animosity with Roman Reigns and brought some much-needed attention to WWE Backlash.

With many fans expecting Joe to get the better of Reigns, what followed that night was something very very disappointing. Both the competitors squared off in a very lackluster bout, with legions of WWE fans leaving the arena and the rest observing what was transpiring with utter silence.

A night where Joe could have essentially risen to the occasion and destroyed Roman Reigns to become the biggest heel in the company, Vince chose to stick with the Big Dog which perhaps harmed both the individuals.

#3 Dean Ambrose - WrestleMania 32 (2016)

The Lunatic deserved the main event spot

After failing to defeat Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 31, WWE continued pushing Roman Reigns to the top of the mountain, and when Seth Rollins' knee buckled up, the company was coerced to crown a new WWE Champion.

Since a tournament was announced on Raw, with the culmination scheduled for Survivor Series, it was Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns that eventually clashed to decide the WWE Champion.

The Big Dog defeated the Lunatic Fringe after delivering a massive spear. While Sheamus did cash-in his MITB to demolish the Roman Empire, the fans remained unconvinced of how things were transpiring with Reigns.

Vince McMahon's intervention did solve some problems for a while but came back to zero when the company started pushing the entire story as 'One Vs. All', cementing Roman as the underdog in the storyline.

The fans instantly rejected the story and while the finish was so predictable, Dean Ambrose's performance in Royal Rumble 2016 earned him many adulations and accolades.

Considering that the company was facing a crisis with many top superstars unlikely to feature at WrestleMania 32, the creative pushed the Lunatic Fringe as a pivotal component on Monday Night Raw, with Ambrose having some intense confrontations with Brock Lesnar and Triple H.

Since a triple threat match for the No. 1 contender for the WWE Championship was contested between Ambrose, Brock Lesnar, and Roman Reigns, the fans saw the perfect underdog in the Lunatic and continued to push for him to win the big one.

Eventually, the outcome of the match remained the same with the fans rejecting the headlining act.

#4 Seth Rollins - WrestleMania 34 (2018)

After being acknowledged as a heel in 2015, Seth Rollins garnered even more adulation and respect for emerging as one of the biggest babyfaces on Monday Night Raw, if not the entire company.

The Architect's 'Monday Night Rollins' struck a chord with the wrestling fans and started propelling him as a more serious threat to the Big Dog's throne as the Golden boy on WWE's flagship show.

Dean Ambrose and Jason Jordan's unfortunate injury coerced Vince McMahon to bring some alterations in Seth's current direction which led the Architect to become a part of a historical 7-Man Elimination Chamber match to decide the No 1 contender for the Universal Championship.

While legions of fans knew that Roman Reigns was scheduled for the coronation at the Show of Shows, Seth Rollins' ground-breaking performance in a Gauntlet Match on Monday Night Raw changed the entire complexion and hype for the encounter.

The fans were anticipating what The Architect might pull off next after he defeated Roman Reigns and John Cena on the same night. However, his riveting performances went in vain after the creative team pushed him back to the mid-card scene.

Considering how versatile Rollins is, it would have been a riot if he would have clashed against the Beast Incarnate at WrestleMania 34 and dethrone him to win the big one.

#5 Braun Strowman - SummerSlam (2018)

Quickly emerging to become one of the most compelling personalities on Monday Night Raw, 2018 has been essentially Braun Strowman's year, with the Monster Among Men winning the Greatest Royal Rumble and Money in the Bank.

After becoming a fan favorite, his feud with Kevin Owens felt bit sloppy, and while he did possess the MITB briefcase, his SummerSlam altercation in the main event with Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns definitely saved the headlining act.

However, his MITB victory did nothing for him, as the Monster Among Men cashed-in his contract and turned into a heel just to ascend Roman Reigns as a fighting champion.

While losing to the Big Dog might have not been an issue, working as a heel and losing the MITB contract definitely felt like a dumb move from the Monster.

There's no denying that Strowman definitely deserved to win the Universal Championship at Hell in a Cell, and while Brock Lesnar's interference did protect him, it definitely made him look stupid and less of a monster.