5 Reasons why Paul Heyman turned heel and helped Bobby Lashley win the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble 2022

When Bobby Lashley (with MVP) vowed to be responsible for Brock Lesnar's shortest world title reign, he wasn't wrong. In what turned out to be an epic turn of events, The All Mighty dethroned Lesnar to become a two-time WWE Champion at the 2022 Royal Rumble.

So how did it all happen? The clash of the two titans started as expected, with both men gaining the upper hand on different occasions. However, Brock Lesnar was on the cusp of victory after he hit an F5, but he accidentally knocked the referee out cold, meaning that he couldn't get the count.

This saw the window for Universal Champion Roman Reigns to come out and attack Lesnar. Paul Heyman handed the WWE title to Reigns and allowed him to hit Brock Lesnar with it, turning heel and re-aligning with The Tribal Chief.

The assault gave Lashley the opportunity to get the pin on Lesnar, which he did to become the new WWE Champion.

So why did this happen and what will the consequences be of the incredible match? Here are five reasons why it played out the way it did:

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#5. Bobby Lashley's win got WWE out of the mess created in early 2022

The Day 1 premium live event didn't pan out as planned, and that's no secret. Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar was the originally scheduled main event, but due to The Tribal Chief testing positive for COVID-19, Lesnar was added to the WWE title match hours before the show, making it a Fatal-Five-Way.

The Beast Incarnate won in an unexpected twist, and he challenged Reigns to a champion vs. champion match. There was some speculation that the company could possibly be unifying the titles or making the biggest possible bout for WrestleMania.

Thankfully, that won't be the case. To get themselves out of the mess created, Bobby Lashley winning the WWE title from Brock Lesnar was the best possible option. It benefited everyone involved and didn't hurt the latter in the process.

Following this, things can finally unfold as WWE had originally intended. How it could play out is yet to be seen, but we may have some ideas in the following pages involving Lashley, Reigns, Heyman, Lesnar, and possibly even Seth Rollins!

#4. Seth Rollins' face turn could lead to a match against Bobby Lashley

Seth Rollins could be in line to face Bobby Lashley on RAW. He had yet another incredible match with Roman Reigns at Royal Rumble as the two former Shield brothers opened the show.

Rollins did everything he could to get inside The Tribal Chief's head, something he was highly successful in doing even before the Royal Rumble. He entered with The Shield's music and was on the cusp of beating Roman Reigns on numerous occasions, but the match ended with controversy.

Reigns refused to let go of the guillotine to get himself disqualified, and post-match, he assaulted The Visionary, possibly hinting at a face turn. Seth Rollins wrestled like a face and the assault may have sealed it, but we will only truly find out his character status on the next edition of RAW.

Lashley winning the WWE Championship means that he will be the face of the red brand again, at least until WrestleMania 38. And the beneficiary who challenges him could very well be a babyface Rollins.

#3. To push Bobby Lashley to the next-tier of superstars

2021 was the greatest year of Bobby Lashley's wrestling career. He had a lot of success in IMPACT Wrestling, but even his world championship-caliber run with the company didn't result in his star power shooting up the way his 2021 run did.

From early March to late September 2021, Lashley dominated RAW for a little over six months. He was presented as a credible and legitimate champion, and his first run is largely looked back on as a positive one. In comparison, Big E's title reign didn't get the same kind of reception due to how he was handled.

Bobby Lashley lost a bit of momentum between September and November, but he quickly gained it back by forcing his way into the WWE title bout at Day 1. He is turning 46 years old this year, but he doesn't look like someone who is remotely close to retirement.

Due to the evolution in diets and physical regiments, athletes and superstars can enjoy much longer careers, and some reach their prime at an even later age. WWE knows they have Lashley for a while to come, and this move was meant to establish him as a top-tier star, perhaps on the level of Seth Rollins.

#2. It opens the door for another Brock Lesnar-Bobby Lashley match in the future

It's easy to forget that Bobby Lashley gave Goldberg the best match of his WWE career. And we're even including the latter's 2003-04 run. Perhaps the only Goldberg performance that came close was the epic Elimination Chamber match at SummerSlam 2003 - where he ran through several future legends only to fall short to Triple H.

But at Crown Jewel 2021, Lashley made Goldberg work, and the latter had a legitimately good match, something that he doesn't have very often. The finish to Lashley vs. Goldberg at SummerSlam set up a rematch, and the finish to Lashley vs. Lesnar at Royal Rumble seems to have done that again, but it may not be any time soon.

It ultimately depends on how things play out at WrestleMania, but rest assured, WWE won't be satisfied with having a single Lesnar-Lashley match. There will be a rematch down the line, whether it's later in 2022 or even in 2023.

But the match delivered, and it won't be hard to create a story for the two titans to have a rematch so that Brock Lesnar eventually gets his win back.

#1. The nature of Bobby Lashley's win sets up the WrestleMania main event

We're not sure if Bobby Lashley will headline WrestleMania night one, but Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar will certainly headline night two. The finish of the match saw Reigns come out to attack Lesnar, and Paul Heyman turned heel to assist him and achieve the act of revenge.

One piece of bad news because of this is that the comedic side of Brock Lesnar is probably gone for good. We're going to see the more serious, intense side of Lesnar, and this also confirms that he will remain a babyface.

There were rumors of a multi-match series between Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar, and after the Day 1 match was canceled, it only made the WrestleMania main event have more value.

The finish was meant to highlight Reigns vs. Lesnar, and despite his WWE title win, Lashley was almost the side character in it all. While some expected the heel turn from Heyman to happen later, this directly sets up the main match of WrestleMania 38. Will The Beast Incarnate be the man to dethrone The Tribal Chief?