What If Roman Reigns Never Won The 2015 Royal Rumble Match?

#5 Who Would Eventually Become "The Face Of WWE"?

Alas, there are so many memorable (and not so memorable) matches that establish WWE Superstars as 'The Next Big Thing'.

In the context of the 2015 Royal Rumble match, readers would easily assume that Daniel Bryan would be the 'right guy' or the eventual Face of the WWE if not for Roman Reigns.

This situation is more complicated though, Daniel Bryan's semi-retirement announcement came due to so many injuries piling up on him. A change in booking decision does not necessarily erase those numerous injuries altogether. So it is obvious that the weight of those injuries would have sooner or later forced Daniel Bryan to make that decision.

That leaves us open with interpretation. Other than Daniel Bryan, it is actually very hard to pick a current WWE superstar at that point of time capable enough to become the ultimate face of the company. Because remember, we are talking about 'the guy' as in Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin and John Cena - Wrestlers who defined their generation.

Maybe someone from NXT? That would make some sense. Seth Rollins? Dean Ambrose? Sure, Daniel Bryan has returned once again, but times have changed since then, and Roman Reigns has capitalized during all the time in between.

Whether you like it or not, maybe 20-30 years into the future, people will look back at this point in time and immediately associate Roman Reigns with it. It could have been Daniel Bryan, if not for the injuries.

What it ultimately boils down to is the 2015 Royal Rumble match, and Daniel Bryan's semi-retirement announcement. Both of those events are indirectly responsible for shaping the landscape of WWE today. It all depends on the booking though, they have to finish this Roman Reigns saga some way or the other. Otherwise, it would be a waste of four years of long-term buildup leading up to this point.

By looking into "What If" scenarios from the past, we learn more about decisions and events that have led up to this point. If Roman Reigns had not won the 2015 Royal Rumble match, someone else could have been at the forefront of this industry today. What do you think?

Sound off in the comments. Maybe WWE could re-focus on Daniel Bryan after this Roman Reigns saga gets over, who knows? What I do know is that we have to watch SummerSlam 2018 in order to find out. Will the Roman Reigns story finally culminate during 'The biggest event of the summer?', or will this storyline drag even further?

WWE SummerSlam 2018: Yay or Nay?