What’s the story?
According to PW Insider, Roman Reigns is being discussed as being the top pick of the 2017 draft, which will see the three-time WWE Champion move to SmackDown Live.
In case you didn’t know...
Roman Reigns was the first pick of round two of the 2016 draft, the fourth for RAW and the sixth overall pick. He may very well have been in the first round, but Roman Reigns was suspended for violating the Wellness Policy at the time, and WWE was not as high on him then as they were before and after that time frame.
Dave Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio that the current plan for the main event of WrestleMania 34 is a bout between Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship, with the idea being for Roman Reigns to have another coronation and take the place of John Cena as the face of WWE.
Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns main evented WrestleMania together two years ago at WrestleMania 31. The classic bout saw Seth Rollins cashing in the Money In The Bank briefcase, leading to one of the most memorable WrestleMania moments.
WWE is hell bent on pushing Roman Reigns as John Cena’s successor and seem to be insistent on pushing him as a babyface despite continuous fan rejection.
The heart of the matter
WWE is already looking to solidify Reigns as SmackDown Live’s top draft pick, according to PW Insider. However, it should be noted that plans can always change. AJ Styles is a rumoured name from SmackDown Live to be drafted to RAW.
SmackDown Live has a shortage of top babyfaces, so having Reigns go to the blue brand may help their cause. However, fans don’t look to stop booing The Big Dog anytime soon.
To be fair to the WWE, AJ Styles, who serves as SmackDown Live’s top heel, consistently gets cheered as a babyface, and this hasn’t stopped them from using The Phenomenal One as a top heel.
What’s next?
Roman Reigns is set to face The Undertaker at WrestleMania 33. It will be interesting to see the fan reaction to the match, as fans are now fully expecting Reigns to defeat The Undertaker at the showcase of the immortals.
Post-WrestleMania, Reigns may have one more feud before the draft, and we will find out whether he stays on the red brand or jumps to the blue one.
Author’s take
The positive of Reigns moving to SmackDown Live is that he will be given a fresh set of opponents to feud with, including a potential feud with Dean Ambrose which would serve as an extremely interesting one. It will take Reigns away from the monotony of RAW and of facing the same old opponents in Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho, among others.
The negative side is that it will dilute some of the magic that SmackDown Live currently has to it. Reigns going over nearly every top star on the roster may effect the stars themselves.
A better pick to go to SmackDown Live from RAW is Seth Rollins. He’s now a babyface, and he has not had much momentum until Triple H returned. Even more so, the blue brand can provide a fresh start for The Architect to revitalise the momentum he had in 2015.
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