7 Times WWE Could Have Turned Roman Reigns Heel
5. WrestleMania 31 Vs. Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 31 had been the internal plan as far back as SummerSlam 2014. And it actually made sense: Lesnar would be booked as an unstoppable monster while Reigns would build momentum in the months preceding the event and prove his worth as a main event player. Ultimately, he would be the one to beat the one who put the one in 21-1, cementing him as the company's next top babyface in the process.
As is always the case in wrestling, plans changed.
Reigns' hot momentum as a singles star came to an abrupt halt in the fall when he was put on the shelf with an injury for three months. Then he came back at the worst possible time with Daniel Bryan returning from a long layoff as well. On top of it all, Lesnar re-signed with WWE days before WrestleMania, making him the most beloved babyface in the world at that point.
Nothing was going Reigns' way. A heel turn should have been academic, but WWE sure didn't seem to think so.
Everything worked out in the end with Seth Rollins cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase halfway through their match, but Reigns resumed his babyface run following WrestleMania 31, regardless. It would have been so much easier to go with the flow and turn him heel by aligning with Paul Heyman as had been teased.