10 HUGE Wrestling Moments That Must Happen By 2022

7. Roman Reigns Loses The Universal Title To Big E

Big E Roman Reigns
WWE

If you're cynical - and WWE makes that incredibly easy - you might think that everything WWE is doing with Roman Reigns right now, and they are doing a lot, is pointless.

Reigns is a heel. A heel functions to get a crowd-pleasing babyface over because the babyface functions to draw those crowds. This feels like an antiquated take in the rights fee era, but this is core stuff that will always matter.

At present, WWE has not built a babyface that even orbits the stratosphere that Reigns occupies. In an indictment, after months and months of TV time, Reigns has effectively spent most of it simply recruiting a pair of heaters in the Usos. There's no longer any suggestion that Jey or Jimmy will rise as a true singles star. There's no suggestion that anyone will.

Roman is tremendous in a role that will only truly matter if a babyface as tremendous challenges his dominance.

That babyface is Big E. Universally loved, can go, passes the airport test, is so naturally funny that he will somehow get the inevitable titantron visual gags over: WWE should have built its programming around him years ago.

WWE needs to build its next huge babyface. They already have him.

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Michael Sidgwick (Creative Writing BA Hons) is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over a decade of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential UK institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!