Following Shane's appearance, the announcers could turn their immediate attention to the shocking scenes at the end of last week's broadcast. On that occasion, Triple H carved Roman Reigns up, apparently breaking his nose on the announce desk. This was a response to the reverse beating Reigns gave 'The Game' at the tail end of the TLC pay-per-view. Michael Cole and pals would have a melancholy tone as they announced that Reigns was not medically cleared to appear that evening, due to Triple H's attack. This allows JBL to say the man was vindicated for the ambush, because it was a receipt for what happened at TLC. On the other side of the coin, Byron Saxton could claim that Triple H went too far. WWE need time to reassess where they are going with the Reigns story, because fans just aren't buying him as the top babyface. The writers are pulling out everything they can to try and gain sympathy for him, but even a brutal beating had audience members cheering the antagonist. That's not good, so some breathing space may - ironically - be best for business. Having Roman instantly return like Superman will only exacerbate the hate.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
