5 Reasons why Roman Reigns is facing Finn Balor instead of John Cena next

#1. Roman Reigns vs. Finn Balor used to increase SmackDown's appeal over RAW

This tweet is here for you to acknowledge him.👇👇👇#SmackDown @WWERomanReigns @HeymanHustle pic.twitter.com/mFtQedYQ7M

— WWE (@WWE) July 24, 2021

Roman Reigns being on SmackDown has made a huge difference. Not only has he helped elevate the brand, but he has been the centerpiece of an extremely important show and an extremely important run.

SmackDown has been superior to RAW in both ratings and quality for more than a year-and-a-half now and WWE likely wants to keep it that way. It's hard to see Reigns leaving the Blue brand since the promotion is continuing to establish it as their flagship show.

The reason behind this is simple - money. The $1 billion, five-year deal was negotiated between WWE and FOX and it was reportedly a three-time increase from their previous broadcast deal with the USA Network. With that kind of money, it's obvious why WWE would want a star such as Roman Reigns to be on SmackDown.

Here comes the head of the table! 😤@WWERomanReigns@HeymanHustleJey @WWEUsosJimmy @WWEUsos#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/KvoQO58oCp

— WWE on BT Sport (@btsportwwe) July 24, 2021

Since late 2019 when the deal started, it's been clear that WWE has prioritized SmackDown and that it's their new "A-Show" compared to RAW. Roman Reigns vs. Finn Balor is another way for a ratings boost to occur and it gives the brand a good image, being the place where the biggest and best matches happen on free television.