WWE RAW: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly 

The Good - Roman Reigns Earns His Opportunity

Roman Reigns Enters RAW to Face Bobby Lashley

The fans chose Roman Reigns, not Vince McMahon. In fact, it was the WWE Universe who tapped Roman as the heir apparent, when he dominated the WWE as a part of the feared SHIELD stable that raised hell on the entire WWE roster. Ever the opportunist, Vince McMahon followed suit.

As soon as McMahon began to give Roman Reigns even the slightest push, fans began to turn their backs. Their rebellion was fueled by what they considered a great betrayal. Their chosen one was now just as much corporate's chosen one. This incensed WWE's anti-corporate largely blue-collar fan base and they began to take their hatred out on Reigns. Roman Reigns; however, never stopped working.

He is the man he declares himself to be in promos: a grinder who shows up to work every day and even when odds seem stacked again him, he toughs it out. He wrestles with the football mentality he learned at Georgia Tech and his unparalleled work ethic fuels him to exceed expectations night in and night out. That is why RAW is in it's most comfortable position when Reigns closes the show. He is the biggest star in wrestling even though the WWE's top merchandise mover happens to also be one of its most hated wrestlers.

Reigns and Lashley put on yet another stellar bout. Like always, fans booed Reigns as he made his way to the ring; however, if one pays careful attention, something very peculiar happens during a majority of Reigns' matches. Fans begin to cheer as the match progresses. Blinded by Reigns' ability as a wrestler, fans begin to forget their prejudice and pre-conceived notions and actually enjoy WWE's most bankable Superstar doing what he does best: wrestling.

Reigns bested Lashley this time & will have yet another opportunity to dethrone Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam. Whether he does so or not remains to be seen; but, one thing is absolutely certain. Reigns has earned his opportunities every step of the way and no amount of hatred from a rabid fan base can ever take that away. Plus even the most ardent anti-Reigns WWE fan deserves a Universal Champion that actually shows up to work.