10 Forgotten Moments From 10 Years Of Roman Reigns In WWE

8. The Quality Of His Royal Rumble 2014 Performance

Roman Reigns Batista Royal Rumble 2014
WWE.com

The 2014 Royal Rumble, meanwhile, should.

When people think of Reigns' involvement in the Rumble, they inevitably reach for the nightmare of 2015. Or, they plump for his unwanted (but nonetheless match-dominating) angle one year later. Basically, many folks would tell you that Roman's Rumble runs have been f*cking awful.

2014 was different. Fans, annoyed at the lack of Daniel Bryan though they were, treated Reigns like the rising force he was. Watch the match back now and it's obvious to see that Pittsburgh would've taken a surprise Roman win over Batista's rejected babyface comeback - he was over as The Shield's handsome muscle man and broke the record for most Rumble eliminations (12).

It's hardly a shocker that WWE saw money in Reigns after that one. Bizarrely, WWE fans almost created their own frustrations 12 months later by cheering for Roman so much in 2014. Go back and watch the quality of his performance here, seriously.

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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.