10 Wrestling Moments That Broke The Internet

3. Roman Reigns: 'Druggie'

Roman Reigns
WWE.com

Roman Reigns, in a sensational 2016 story, violated WWE's Wellness Policy - a transgression he, to his credit, acknowledged with little fanfare. "I own this," he tweeted.

The fans were less willing to accept the news, storming Twitter in their droves to demonise Reigns for indulging in the sort of activity that once defined pro wrestling. It was a mass exercise in wish fulfilment; despite precedent favouring the office favourites - Randy Orton hardly suffered for repeating the same mistake - fans clamoured for Roman's head. He had f*cked up. Surely, all plans to push him were under strict reconsideration. They were not: Reigns, having surrendered the opportunity to hold the WWE Universal Title, emerged from the furore with the United States Title in tow. Well, not literally; it was so beneath him that he often forgot to bring it with him on television. Roman Reigns still won, LOL, handily defeating Rusev in his return series - before dropping the belt purely to pick up where he'd left off: Superman Punch-bang in the main event bracket.

Vince McMahon pet projects are held to a different standard; a resistant reading of a story, no matter how superficially sensational, was never going to change that.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick (Creative Writing BA Hons) is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over a decade of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential UK institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!