50 Greatest WWE Raw Moments Ever
43. Five Words (April 3rd, 2017)
Considered the best WWE promo of 2017 by the browbeaten masses that still tuned into WWE weekly at that point, Roman Reigns finally being given the chance to actually live one night as the figure of hate audience clamoured for him to be was an other-worldly bit of business.
'The Big Dog had completely dominated 'The Deadman' in their WrestleMania 33 headliner 24 hours earlier, leaving the sourest taste in the mouths of those that stuck around for the following evening's Raw. The match was a total stinker, but Undertaker leaving his hat, coat and gloves in the ring was understandably enough for people to think it had been designed as the formal send-off to the company cornerstone. In principle, and ultimately in legacy, it was just another failed attempt to elevate Reigns as the company's top hero in the face of relentless derision. In the heat of the moment though, a different benefit for WWE to exploit, and this was, definitionally, the heat of the moment.
Opening the April 3rd broadcast and spending nearly ten minutes saying absolutely nothing, Roman was finally the ruler of his empire. A master manipulator with the microphone (as he'd go on to prove when allowed to work heel for real), his repeated attempts to speak only increased the fan fury. His 'This Is My Yard Now' declaration made for a seismic beginning, middle and end to what turned out to be at that point his best ever night.