7 Ups & 8 Downs From WWE's Road To WrestleMania 38

2. The Cracks In Roman’s Armour

Roman Reigns Paul Heyman
WWE.com

Speaking of "top form".

Roman Reigns has been there since turning heel in the summer of 2020, and yet SmackDown's leading man didn't show many cracks in his armour until early-2022. Seth Rollins was the first to really get under his skin (with that Shield reprisal at Royal Rumble), and that brilliantly set the scene for more erratic behaviour.

WWE decided to double down on the idea that Roman was rocked by having a jovial Lesnar act as the Universal Champ's biggest fear. Creative has done a nice job of presenting Reigns as a once-dominant champion who doesn't really know how to handle Brock when he isn't a straight-ahead 'Beast'.

Lesnar's bizarre behaviour has led to some fleeting comedic bits between Roman and Paul Heyman too. Their timing is on point, and they've successfully repositioned Reigns as a guy who isn't quite as composed as he likes to claim.

What a story.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.