'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
After what was a pretty unexciting episode of SmackDown Live, Vince McMahon announced SmackDown's biggest signing last week- Elias. As the air went out of the building almost at once, he would be interrupted by Roman Reigns.
Reigns took down both Elias and Vince McMahon and proclaimed that SmackDown Live was his yard now. No action against the boss goes unpunished which makes me wonder what McMahon could have in store for Reigns on the following SmackDown episode.
In this article, I shall list out five ways that Vince McMahon could take down The Big Dog and punish him for laying his hands on him. I invite your comments, thoughts, and views in the section right below.
What do you think of Reigns vs The Authority Part 2?
#5 The Authors of Pain reunite to take Roman Reigns out
There's always the possibility that The Authors of Pain could reunite and return as just another team in the roster. I would not be opposed to this idea, because they are the essential strong man heel team. But I think there's a lot more value in them coming back as Vince McMahon's hired goons to take Roman Reigns out.
This gives them a sense of purpose and helps them stand out from the pack. Take Baron Corbin for instance, who was always a superstar worth looking out for, but really shot to prominence when he first became the Constable of WWE RAW and later the General Manager of the show. The Authors of Pain too could benefit from the Vince McMahon connection.
It would also help them have a good showing because Roman Reigns would have good, brawl-oriented matches with them. It could help elevate Akam and Rezar to the next level.
#4 Roman Reigns gets fired from WWE
This is a possibility that was covered by my colleague Brian Thornsburg in a news update. The 'firing' storyline isn't new or novel for WWE, and has been done plenty of times in the past already. The advantage with such a storyline is that it will allow for Roman Reigns to stay off television, to keep his character fresh.
The issue that everyone's been talking about is that Reigns will take up a major chunk of the two hours on SmackDown Live every single week on TV. By firing him, Reigns could return at a later date, to what should ideally be a big babyface reaction. The issue is that you never know how the audience will react with Roman Reigns.
I'm personally not too big a fan of such a storyline because of how predictable it is. Nobody believes that Reigns will be fired, because he's WWE's golden boy.
#3 Suspension until the Money In The Bank pay-per-view
Yes, this is similar to the firing storyline, but there is an endgame in sight with this particular storyline. It allows him to return at the Money In The Bank pay-per-view as a last minute surprise and win the whole thing.
I know that a lot of fans will be dreading the idea of Roman Reigns holding the Money in the Bank contract in his grasp. But imagine the tease of Roman Reigns cashing in on crowd favorite Kofi Kingston lasting through the course of the year.
This allows for Roman Reigns to finally go heel, because there's no way that the audience will cheer for him over Kingston. Reigns does not need to remain babyface anymore and could actually give the fans what they've wanted for such a long time.
Plus, Roman Reigns could be a very exciting Money in the Bank contract holder!
#2 Hires Lars Sullivan to take Reigns out
After an unceremonious start where the man battled his own demons, Lars Sullivan is getting a push on TV as few monsters have. He took out The Hardy Boyz shortly after they won the SmackDown Tag Team Championships. He also made his presence felt, destroying Kurt Angle moments before he retired from action.
Rey Mysterio and R-Truth also felt his wrath. Carmella almost did but thankfully, nothing happened. Roman Reigns could be next in line to face the wrath of 'The Freak' if the boss wants to teach his most disobedient employee a real lesson.
If you take the element of kayfabe out of the equation, someone like Lars Sullivan could certainly benefit from working with a ring veteran like Roman Reigns and the spotlight that comes with it. Reigns is also supposedly a very good man behind the scenes, and hence, he'd also understand Sullivan's issues beyond the squared circle.
#1 Gauntlet match
This seems to be the go-to option for WWE these days, especially if you consider the fact that the Kofi Kingston story arc completely revolved around such a match. Had it not been for the first gauntlet match, where Kingston was portrayed as the Iron Man, KofiMania may never really have happened.
Vince McMahon could certainly put Roman Reigns in such a match and have all of the heels take turns at him, from Erick Rowan to Randy Orton, to Cesaro, to Rusev to someone like Elias. It would also be a great device for WWE to showcase the strength of the SmackDown roster following the Superstar Shake-Up.
Gauntlet matches can be interesting like we saw during the match that featured The New Day. Nobody predicted that The Usos would forfeit their spot and thereby make the match a lot more interesting for the WWE Universe.
If a gauntlet match is the plan, I'm quite sold!
