10 Biggest WWE Creative Mistakes Of 2018 (So Far)

2. Burying Roman

Asuka James Ellsworth
WWE

The way WWE have booked Roman Reigns in 2018 is beyond belief, and one of the most damning indictments of the company’s broken star-making machine ever delivered.

WWE spent years swimming against the tide. 'The Big Dog' was their golden goose, and no volume of jeers would change that. So with WrestleMania 34 pinpointed for his coronation almost 12 months in advance, many assumed the show would close with Roman's grand victory over Brock Lesnar, finally completing three-and-a-half years of ineffective storytelling that began with a controversial win in the 2015 Royal Rumble.

It didn't happen. Reigns lost in brutal fashion, then again at the Greatest Royal Rumble. For unknown reasons, the company did a complete U-turn on their man, and quickly saddled him with a tame anti-authority gimmick too far removed from reality to ever get over. A dire program with Jinder Mahal followed, ending with a weak Money In The Bank bout positioned in the death slot following the electric women's ladder match. Reigns was set up to fail, and now, he's lost.

Whether or not WWE have given up on the Roman project remains to be seen, but they've done a tremendous job of making him seem unsalvageable.

Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.