My mentality before the last Monday Night Raw was WWE…WTF? The recent TLC PPV was average at best, and the last few Raw’s made me watch the Ravens/Browns, and the Cowboys/Redskins game instead. Yes, I chose to watch the Cleveland Browns and the Cowboys with Matt Cassel at QB because I had no idea what WWE was doing with Sheamus as the champ.
His feud with Roman Reigns deserved all the boo’s it got. The Raw after a PPV always has the potential to be good, but WWE needed to do something drastic to save its tanking ratings. So with the first title change on a non PPV event since I can remember, WWE did just that giving Reigns the belt after beating Sheamus. Now that the dust has settled, where does the WWE go from here?
Giving Reigns the belt was the right thing to do. For all the garbage WWE has put on recently, building the story of everyone against Roman Reigns helped his image with the fans. Boo’s transformed to cheers when Reigns came out and he wasn’t seen as the “Chosen Corporate Guy” anymore but the underdog who deserved to win. Actually seeing a title change on Raw brought back great memories of when Goldberg defeated “Hollywood” Hogan on WCW’s Monday Nitro, something I remember watching as a kid. That area erupted back then when Goldberg got that three count. The same thing happened on Raw as it felt like it was The Rock who won the belt, not his cousin Roman Reigns. So now that WWE has their ideal man as the champ, they must do a better job of picking the right match ups than they did with their previous champ Seth Rollins.
The guys that deserve a push right now in WWE are Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler, Kevin Owens, Cesaro, and Neville. So which one of those guys are going to be fighting Reigns for the belt in time for the Royal Rumble? The answer is probably none, as Reigns winning the belt sets up a rematch with Brock Lesnar which I don’t mind seeing. However, WWE shouldn’t drag that feud out as others deserve a chance. Now a few of those guys like Ambrose and Owens have gotten recent pushes, but WWE needs to keep that going and not put them back in the mid card like they have done with Ziggler after his push from Survivor Series 2014.
Ziggler feuding with Reigns would be entertaining. Cesaro already battled Reigns recently and pretty much carried the match until Reigns won, but I would love to see a part two to that. Kevin Owens is the perfect heel to the babyface Reigns right now so those two feuding would be a great combination. Neville is so skilled in the ring that if he got a chance to main event against Reigns in one of the upcoming PPV’s, it could do wonders for his career. This all ends with Reigns “brother” Dean Ambrose who is the perfect individual to feud with Reigns. Like Scott Hall turning on Kevin Nash, or Triple H turning on Shawn Michaels after being close friends, Ambrose turning on Reigns should happen now that Roman has the title. Leading up to WrestleMaina, that is the feud I want to see.
So where does this leave the injured, currently rehabbing Seth Rollins. Well, the answer is easy, if Reigns still has the belt at WrestleMania, turn the championship match into a Triple Threat match between the three former Shield members. Two of them have already held the championship belt, one of them is probably next to get the belt so having all three square off would be must see TV. That would be a great story line, and Rollins and Ambrose would be the main mouthpieces during the story which would help Reigns with his ongoing issues on the mic.
One name I have failed to mention is John Cena. Yes, still the main guy of the company, who is currently out but should be back soon. What’s next for him? My gut tells me will match up with Reigns, but hopefully I am wrong. Love him or hate him, WWE is better with Cena in the ring, but he doesn’t have to be feuding with the champion every time he doesn’t have the belt. This is a perfect time to follow that philosophy. Let some fresher faces get in on these title bouts with Roman Reigns. If WWE wants to inject new blood into their main event scene, this is their chance. People have grown tired of seeing the same people fighting for the title, whether it’s Kane, Cena, Del Rio, or Sheamus. Cena vs. Reigns may be the main event of WrestleMania 2016, but Reigns, vs. Ambrose, vs. Rollins would be a way better choice. WWE better not fall back into their old ways by putting the same people in the main event every time. If they do, expect those same people who stopped watching their product to repeat history as well.
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John Madden
Born and raised in Denver, John is a the Sports producer, anchor, and reporter at the Emmy-winning student run newscast of MSU Denver, The Met Report. John is also the Founder, Administrator, and Publisher of the blog 2CentBeatDown.com