10 WWE Extreme Rules 2018 Impulse Reactions

4. The Big Man

Roman Reigns Bobby Lashley
WWE

Bobby Lashley taking a Shawn Michaels-level bump to the floor was about the only thing worth pontificating on following his passable outing with Roman Reigns, but 'The Big Dog' looking at the lights once again leaves WWE in quite a muddle when they inevitably attempt to present him as the most viable contender to the Universal Title.

It feels like a pointless pursuit at this point, but it's worth reviewing all the same - what even is Roman Reigns anymore? Maybe reviewing what he isn't will find the answer.

- He is not a babyface. This much is clear no matter how many sign-toting children the cameras find to pad out video packages on the 'divided audience' narrative.

- He is not a heel. WWE won't turn him, stubbornly so. Triple H once dished out the old "half the audience hate him anyway" craic as rationale but this is blatantly flawed and they just. Don't. Care.

- He's not a man of his word. He says he's going to do stuff and then doesn't. He cannot be relied upon.

- He's not a winner. Reigns (or the booking of him) can be hit with all sorts of fire, but few alleged headliners have swallowed as many pins whilst still ascending.

Has Vince McMahon lost his love for the former Shield member, or just lost his mind completely?

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for 10 years. Alongside the production of daily written, audio and video content covering WWE and AEW, he 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 on the UK's wrestling podcast charts with over 10,000 episodes and 70,000,000 total downloads. He also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House!, Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast, and has guested on long-running Sunderland AFC podcast Wise Men Say. With WhatCulture, he has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. He has also been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana, 411Mania and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling. 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 music and culture magazines The Crack, Pilot as well as Sunderland AFC's premiere fanzine A Love Supreme. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it every other Saturday at the Stadium Of Light, and at Cribs gigs nationwide.