10 WWE Extreme Rules 2018 Impulse Reactions

4. The Big Man

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 over 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. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, 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