10 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About Roman Reigns

2. #CancelWWENetwork At Fastlane 2015

The 2015 Royal Rumble was the vehement culmination of fan discontent towards WWE's favouring of Reigns over cult hero Bryan. The following PPV was more of a depressing aftermath, as the realisation that Roman was "their guy" truly began to set in. Roman was put over huge in the main event, beating Bryan clean to cement his place in the main event of WrestleMania 31 - kicking out of the running knee in the process, a move which had never failed to down an opponent previously. It was supposed to be his turning point, a priceless chance to get over with the fans by having Bryan endorse his victorious foe after the match. Instead, his triumph was met with a chorus of boos, and the worldwide trend of a particularly embarrassing hashtag for the company - #CancelWWENetwork. Although their match was long and even, it was robbed of any sense of suspense. Live reporters noted a particularly subdued crowd, perhaps owing to the inevitability of the main event's result. WWE had very clearly placed all their eggs in the basket marked 'Roman', to the extent that the chances of Bryan headlining a second straight 'Mania were slim to none. While WrestleMania 31 turned out to be a surprising critical success, it's easy to forget that things looked incredibly bleak back in February. Two poorly-received PPVs in a row had left both the company and Reigns in dire straights, a stormy period which 'Mania's success has since helped to overshadow. WWE would probably prefer our perspective to stay that way.