10 Worst First Days For WWE Champions

5. Roman Reigns

Batista Injury
WWE

Whatever WWE had attempted to create with the closing shots from Survivor Series 2015 had failed. Roman Reigns didn't look sympathetic as bits of his celebratory confetti rained down from the ceiling following his first WWE Championship win. He looked pitiful as they attached themselves to his sweat-soaked grimace following a loss to Sheamus just minutes later.

'The Big Dog' had been neutered by a careful Triple H plan, and all in the hope that fans would feel the way they did for other wronged parties that had suffered similar fates in the past.

Instead, people simply laughed at Reigns' desperate plight, and considered him foolish for not considering the reality of a briefcase-holder stepping in and taking a shot. 

He'd win it back soon enough (and then again, for the third time rather than the first in another failed WrestleMania main event), but yet more damage was done to the character in what many consider its worst ever year.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett