7 Times WWE Could Have Turned Roman Reigns Heel
WWE had their chances to turn him, but they blew it every time.
Despite WWE's best efforts as of late, Roman Reigns simply hasn't gotten over with the audience as the top-tier babyface officials oh so desperately want him to be. And what's deflating is that he can in fact be that face with the right booking in due time, but only after turning heel first and embracing the boos before ultimately going back babyface à la The Rock.
Moreover, it's not as if they're waiting for the perfect opportunity to turn him. There have been several opportunities in recent years where they could have flipped the switch with him but decided not to, presumably because WWE is too stubborn to accept how he isn't receiving the reactions he should be as a babyface.
It's almost become a running gag among WWE fans at this point as to whether Reigns will finally go heel as he should. Right when fans think WWE is going to turn him, he remains a babyface. It's almost John Cena-esque in that respect, another individual whose heel turn has been predicted by fans for close to a decade.
While fans hold out hope for a double turn in his upcoming match with Seth Rollins at Money in the Bank, they shouldn't expect anything different from the event than they have from these seven instances where they were let down.
7. Raw 2 June 2014 (The Shield Breakup)
One night removed from their historic victory over Evolution in the main event of June 2014's Payback pay-per-view, The Shield imploded when fans least expected it. Seth Rollins shocked the world by betraying his best friends Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose, laying each of them out with a steel chair.
Of course, it was inevitable The Shield would go their separate ways, but no one ever thought it would be Rollins going rogue and joining forces with The Authority. Dean Ambrose was tailor-made to be a breakout heel coming out of the group, though of all three Shield members, Reigns appeared to be the best fit for The Authority.
Rollins turning was a bigger surprise, sure, and it did wonders for him as a top-tier talent, but storyline-wise, Reigns would have actually made more sense. The Authority has always been about wanting the right Superstar to represent WWE. Well, who better than Reigns? He's "The Guy" in WWE's eyes, isn't he?
In fact, had he sided with Triple H that fateful night instead of Rollins, they still could have had their WrestleMania match this past year, but fans likely would have rallied behind The Big Dog much more than they did. Reigns' road to the top could have been significantly smoother had he turned heel early on in his singles run.