Roman Reigns is good enough to be WWE Champion. He's charismatic and talented, and he's spend the past year and a half proving that he's perfectly capable of holding up his end of the bargain in high-profile singles matches. If things were different, he'd be a great choice for the company's top babyface. Unfortunately, fans rejected Reigns as a top guy, and in response, WWE decision-makers stubbornly pushed Reigns harder and harder. Finally, after Reigns's assault of Triple H at TLC, fans seemed to be getting behind the former Shield member. A mixed reaction at the Royal Rumble, though, suggests that this year's WrestleMania season may end up looking like last year's. WWE's single-mindedness has prevented a change of plans during the past twelve months, and it's likely to continue doing just that. Even the most ardent Reigns defenders (and I consider myself one) are getting tired of the constant focus on a single star at the expense of others. The Royal Rumble was particularly frustrating, given Reigns was the centerpiece of the entire 30-man match while other top combatants were largely ignored. There hasn't been this much focus on a single star since the days of Steve Austin, and needless to say, Austin was better for business and television than Reigns has been.
Scott Fried is a Slammy Award-winning* writer living and working in New York City. He has been following/writing about professional wrestling for many years and is a graduate of Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/scottfried.
*Best Crowd of the Year, 2013
