10 Ups And 14 Downs For WWE In 2015 (So Far)

1. Roman Wasn€™t Built In A Day

Let€™s be clear here: Roman Reigns is incredibly talented and has the ability to be a world champion. And there€™s nothing that says it can€™t be soon. But it also has to be something that fans are going to at least somewhat buy and the writers are going to commit to. Unfortunately, Reigns€™ pre-planned ascension to the top was derailed by a variety of factors. Reigns was sidelined for much of the fall of 2014 with a hernia, and his return a month before the 2015 Royal Rumble pretty much jumpstarted his rapid ascent. The entire thing felt forced on fans, as he had been out of action for nearly three months and was immediately inserted into the title picture. Worse, Daniel Bryan returned to action for the Rumble as well, which meant fans had a rooting interest. When Bryan was eliminated early on, fans turned on the match €“ and eventual winner Roman Reigns. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRFWb4Ia3r0 The massive backlash was bad enough, but having Roman deliver promos where he uttered lines such as €œsniveling, suck-up sellout full of sufferin€™ succotash€ was even worse. Reigns then was booked to battle Bryan for the #1 contender€™s spot, which didn€™t help win over any D-Bry fans. At WrestleMania XXXI, Reigns took the pinfall when Seth Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase in the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match. Since Mania, Reigns has been dialed way back, losing a #1 contender€™s match, a fatal fourway title match and the Money in the Bank ladder match. It€™s almost as if WWE is taking him back to formula so the company can build him back up. Hopefully WWE has learned from its missteps and doesn€™t repeat them and try to force-feed Reigns on fans. But you also have to hope fans will check their cynicism a little.