10 Improvements WWE Have Already Made In The New Era
5. Reigns And Cena Fall Down The Pecking Order
It’s still early days, but it looks like Roman Reigns’ time in the spotlight has finally reached an end. Popped for a Wellness violation shortly after dropping the WWE Championship to Dean Ambrose (via Seth Rollins) at Money in the Bank, Reigns has been in the doghouse ever since. He returned to WWE at Battleground this weekend, but his failure to regain the WWE Title didn’t come as much of a surprise. Most money was on Seth Rollins walking away with the belt anyway, and while Ambrose’s retention was against the odds, Reigns was never considered a likely winner.
What happened on Raw, however, was a real shock to the system. Consensus was that he’d steamroll Finn Balor to earn a shot at the Universal Championship in the night’s main event, but to everyone’s surprise, Balor put “The Guy” in his place. Reigns was pinned cleanly for the second night in a row, and now finds himself outside the championship picture for the first time in years.
On SmackDown, John Cena’s time in the spotlight also appears to be coming to an end. Had the draft taken place this time last year, Cena would’ve been a lock for first or second pick. This year, he fell down to 7th overall, and with the recent announcement that he’d no longer be appearing on non-televised US-based live events, Cena is believed to finally be stepping out of the main event scene.
Cena remains one of the company’s best merch-sellers, the industry’s biggest draw, and an outstanding big match performer, but at this stage in his career, nobody wants to see him hogging the spotlight. Reigns, meanwhile, has never been accepted by the WWE faithful, and outside of an immediate heel turn, his main event future looks incredibly bleak.
Both wrestlers could work their way back to their old positions in time, but for now, WWE fans can rest easy knowing that the company’s two most divisive stars won’t be forced down their throats any more.