10 Times WWE Failed Roman Reigns

7. Booking Him To Beat Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan Roman Reigns
WWE.com

On the surface, a match between WWE's chosen poster boy and one fans adored wasn't the worst idea for Fastlane the month after Reigns won the Rumble. Again though, Bryan, a more popular star (just like The Rock before him) was used to try and convince people of Roman's suitability for the WrestleMania 31 main event slot.

It didn't work.

A Roman Reigns win over Daniel Bryan only further aggravated a restless audience who still yearned to see their hero get that lengthy WWE Title run. In the build-up to the match, Reigns, in the wrong place at the wrong time once more, came across as an overconfident heel rather than a babyface who could match Bryan's acclaim.

Therein lies the problem: WWE have often cast Reigns as a likable babyface without their own writing backing that idea up. He regularly appears aloof when he's supposed to be respectful, and that was the case against the more grounded, humble Bryan.

Advertisement
Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.