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From the moment The Shield debuted at Survivor Series 2012, it was pretty obvious whom the WWE management looked at as their next top star. Initially debuting as CM Punk's mercenaries, the trio of Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins would wreak upon the WWE roster before Rollins turned on his brethren and aligned himself with the Authority in 2014.
Rollins' heel turn was one of the most shocking moments in WWE history. Fans were stunned with The Architect's turn to the dark side, as he was the glue that was keeping the stable together when there was huge tension between Reigns and Ambrose.
Despite Rollins being the on-screen face of The Authority, it was Reigns whom the company groomed to be their next big superstar. But, what if the company had chosen Reigns to be one to break up The Shield in 2014?
The landscape of WWE would've been a lot different had Reigns been the face of The Authority. Reigns had everything one would want in a top star. Sure, it would've drawn parallels to The Rock's Corporate Champion run, but by the time Reigns was in the main event, fans had already figured out that he was the chosen one. WWE should've blurred the lines between kayfabe and reality by having Reigns run wild over the roster with the backing Triple H and the Authority.
The heat that The Big Dog would have generated as a heel at the start of his singles run would've been enormous. This, in turn, would've made his eventual babyface turn all the more effective. However, the company instead to chose to go on a formulaic route of presenting Reigns as the ultimate do-good babyface who conquers every obstacle put in the front of him.
WWE's booking of The Big Dog led to fans souring on him big time. Despite the company's numerous attempts at coronating the Pensacola-native as The Guy at WrestleMania, the fan backlash was such that they had to pull the plug on him even before his reign as Champion got off the ground.
At this point, it seems highly unlikely that Vince McMahon & Co. would even toy with the idea of turning Reigns heel, especially after what the man has been through over the past year. The Big Dog could've easily been the biggest box-office draw for the company after John Cena, had the management taken a chance with him at the right time and turned him heel. Although Reigns is still one of the top guys in the company at the moment, he would've been an even bigger star had he gone through a character change in his career.
