10 WWE Greatest Royal Rumble Impulse Reactions

2. Escape Clause

Titus O Neil
WWE

Roman Reigns' cage match loss to Brock Lesnar wasn't the dignity-robbing display the company rushed through at WrestleMania, but 'The Big Dog' took another dangerous step toward previous alliterative golden boy Lex Luger's 'choker' tag thanks to another high profile defeat.

The pair had a better match than their 'Show Of Shows' bloodbath, but the finish again removed a golden opportunity to anoint Roman as WWE's peak performer on the same evening Champion-elect Braun Strowman again shone.

It's becoming trickier to discern the end game with the former Shield star at this point. Positioned against Samoa Joe at next Sunday's Backlash, Reigns potentially won't get near the strap again without beating the 'Samoan Submission Machine', but then the company are left with two full-time losers at a very pricey part-timer's expense.

Weaker than the cable ties that feebly gave way after one spear, Roman's aura hasn't just been dulled or diminished under the glare of 'The Beast'. It's been completely extinguished.

Contributor
Contributor

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