10 Reasons WWE Are Smart To Book Roman Reigns Vs The IWC
A bold new vision is in play with Reigns against AJ Styles.
Roman Reigns becoming the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion was inevitable, but WWE's decision to have him first defend the title against AJ Styles was very surprising.
Logically, WWE should have wanted to protect their franchise babyface from the boos of the smark crowd. But by putting him against Styles, a hero to the Internet Wrestling Community, they've put Reigns in a spot where he's likely going to get booed more than ever before.
And that's the genius of Vince McMahon. He's taken the IWC and made marks out of them, using their hatred of Reigns to provide the basis for a bold new narrative. "I'm not a bad guy, I'm not a good guy. I'm THE guy", said Reigns in his first Raw segment since winning the belt at 'Mania 32.
Internet favourites like Chris Jericho, AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, and Sami Zayn then came out to challenge him. Later that night on Raw, Styles won the right to challenge the Big Dog, most likely at Payback.
This could be a subtle way of having Reigns as a heel to the IWC, while still being a babyface to everyone else. It gives him a dual purpose, and serves as the neat creative twist that was needed to stabilise his title run.
The boos - which weren't going away - are now part of his story.
With Styles becoming number on contender, Reigns is now going to be required to defend the WWE Title against the former TNA Champion. Beyond that, he'll likely run through other internet favourites like Cesaro and Owens.
Here's why it is smart booking...