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At the end of the recent episode of SmackDown, WWE left fans speechless when they revealed that Roman Reigns aligned himself with Paul Heyman. This new development in Reigns' story gave a tremendous boost to the excitement among fans. In addition to Roman Reigns' long-awaited heel turn, WWE also gave the viewers a pairing that fans have been clamoring for for years now.
When Roman Reigns first started as a singles competitor, his poor promo work alienated some fans. They rejected Reigns wholeheartedly as the company's top face and booed him relentlessly. While the WWE tried its best to get the audience to cheer for the new top guy, the WWE Universe desperately wanted Reigns to turn heel, and preferably align with Paul Heyman.
WWE seemingly answered their fans' wishes. In the process, the company also helped Reigns. As an in-ring talent, Reigns is an elite-level Superstar, but scripted promos have always been his biggest weakness. Pairing him with Heyman provides a huge addition to the Roman Reigns character in terms of mic work.
As a result, Roman Reigns looks like an even bigger star than he already was. This development signals major changes in the company's decision-making process. Many believed that Roman Reigns would never turn heel like John Cena. However, this week's episode of SmackDown showed that WWE is willing to take risks to retain its viewers amid dwindling ratings.
Reigns have been a major player in WWE, despite not being in the world championship picture for two years. Despite that, it was clear that everything in WWE was leading up to Reigns winning the big one on the Grandest Stage Of Them All. That put a dampener on things whenever the talented Samoan was a part of any championship picture. As a result, the fans never really got behind him as a face.
Now that Roman is a heel with Heyman as his manager, WWE wouldn't have to worry as much about the WWE Universe's reception. As most fans have seen in various interviews, Reigns is extremely charismatic, which didn't consistently come through on WWE programming. This shift to the dark side could help Roman bring out his natural charisma.
Some have been hoping that a heel turn will transition Roman Reigns into a megastar just like Dwayne Johnson's transformation from Rocky Maivia into his smack-talking person, The Rock. This turn puts the entire WWE on notice, and Reigns will surely inject some new enthusiasm into WWE's recently improved product.
Paul Heyman's involvement with Roman Reigns
"The Beast Incarnate," Brock Lesnar, most memorably employed Paul Heyman's managerial skills. With Heyman managing one of Lesnar's greatest WWE rivals, how will Lesnar fit into things? It's an interesting question. The alliance opened up many options for WWE creative. When Lesnar returns, he could have a ready-made feud with Reigns or he could form a dominant duo with "The Big Dog."
Reigns and Heyman's pairing also gives "The Advocate" something substantial to do. Brock's absence and Heyman's dismissal as the Executive Director of RAW left the gifted manager at a standstill as his talents were going to waste. This new development will give Paul a chance to stay relevant. It could also help Reigns gain heat with his sharp promo skills.
WWE Payback is this Sunday. SmackDown absolutely added an interesting twist on the Universal Championship picture. Could Reigns win the championship that he never lost? Fans will just have to wait and see.
