Was arrogance behind Reigns' censure?

Word on the Internet is Roman Reigns was made to apologize for his violation of WWE’s wellness policy. It’s hard to imagine a 265-pound beast standing in a locker room full of his peers and begging for forgiveness. The vacuum continues to run as Reigns, who is scheduled to return to action on July 21, only three days prior to the Battleground pay-per-view,

Can the three-time WWE World Champion survive yet another nail in his coffin as the new face of this company?

The fact of the matter is Reigns – however he looks as a superstar – isn’t able to win fans over. There is a stigma associated with him. He’s cocky. He’s loyal. He’s a hard worker. And most of all he’s Vince’s boy – making the situation all that much worse.

If there is some credibility to the rumor of him ingesting marijuana and have other substances in his system, does it look like he basically spit in the face of the fiber that made him a champion and continued to rebuild him hit after hit after hit.

Could there have been some thought that a simple violation – although it might have been slight, led to his censure? Did the slap on the wrist warrant the suspension and by suspending him, did the McMahon’s make a statement regarding their handling of the rise of the Roman Empire to begin with?

If you look at it from someone outside the business, maybe the casual fan, it makes sense. Hot new guy, strong wrestling roots titanic ego, and not enough results – therefore he is punished. I don’t necessarily agree with the notion a failed drug test gave the McMahon’s the ammunition to put a halt to Reigns’ freefall. But I do think the break was needed more than Reigns or the McMahons are willing to admit. Who else can you think of who has taken such a tumble as a world champion? The Great Khali? Tommy Rich? Maybe Ron Garvin. The difference is these wrestlers were one-hit wonders.

Reigns has struck out three times, giving Vince more than enough chutzpah to pull the plug. While there has been improvement in the ring, on the mic and with fan support, it has not been enough to warrant another run with the gold belt around his waist. There are reasons why John Cena, Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair and Triple H are all multi-time champions with a solid track record – they resonate with their fan base. There is a reason why Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose are lightyears ahead of Reigns on WWE’s ladder to stardom. Ironically, both have one title run each.

The cake isn’t cut into even pieces here.

Reigns comes back to work in a little less than two weeks. The damage is already done. If WWE wants to make this about contrition and how he messed up and has asked for forgiveness and the fans should support him, that’s the company’s decision. Let’s not make this out to be more than it is. He made a mistake. He paid his price. Now, he comes back in a tough situation. If I were in his place, I would show as much sorrow for the incident and hope to get past it. His craft is getting better. Hopefully everyone sees that and does not allow one incident to cloud what is still a promising future.