10 Times WWE Tried To Recapture The Magic (And Failed)
1. John Spear-na
If WWE wanted to create the next John Cena from 2009-2019, forcing a Superstar down the fans' throats to immediate rejection, they succeeded completely: the attempt to fast-track Roman Reigns from The Shield's muscle to babyface world champion worked about as well as the title for this entry. Reigns had already tasted tag team gold alongside Seth Rollins, but having him come out of the Shield's split straight into the world title picture was too much, too fast.
It has to be said that this strategy could have worked. As is often the way with WWE, Reigns' push was truncated to get The Big Dog where the company wanted him as quickly as possible. Had Roman built his brand of badassery solo for a year or so, then follow more or less the same beats as he actually did, he might not have garnered the boos. Instead, he had cheesy promos and Super Cena meme booking.
Ambrose and Rollins were the fans' choices for the breakout Shield star. As soon as Reigns began his ascent, things went south for the Universe-appointed chosen one. He was the 'WWE guy' in The Shield, and his 2015 Royal Rumble win preceded three world titles in the space of five months. Fortunately, his heel work alongside Paul Heyman has finally unlocked the potential of a superb athlete. In a way, Reigns is now the household name WWE wanted him to be, so, mission accomplished?