8 Ups And 5 Downs From Last Night's WWE Raw (July 17)

1. Get Off The Pot

Another complaint that often is lodged against Roman Reigns is also not his fault (as promos are scripted for the wrestlers, and storylines aren’t written by the talent). In this case, we’re talking about the repeated chances Roman Reigns gets at the top spot.

Reigns heelishly has noted that he has main evented three straight WrestleManias, and word is that he’s destined for a fourth and a showdown with Brock Lesnar. But right now, he’s supposedly battling for that same title shot against Lesnar at SummerSlam. So what do you do, stretch things out for eight months?

It appears so. Reigns was battling Samoa Joe for the #1 contender’s spot Monday, and Braun Strowman interfered, ending the match in a no-decision. That leaves things up in the air, and either gives us a rematch or a triple threat next week, or possibly a fatal fourway with Lesnar involved. And somehow, plans seem to indicate that Roman will have to wait until Mania for his “big moment.”

The point here is that Reigns has been doing this hover job around the title. Since losing the WWE World Heavyweight Championship last June, Roman has had nine World or Universal Championship title matches or #1 contender matches. Either crap or get off the pot. If Reigns is going to be “the guy,” then just do it at SummerSlam.

Part of what frustrates some fans is this hokey-pokey WWE plays, with Roman always in the game, but never all-in. If Roman is supposed to get a big win over Lesnar, do it. Fans aren’t going to suddenly cheer him if the win is at Mania and he’s “held back” for the next eight months.

So while you’ll see later that the Strowman interference adds uncertainty and intrigue to this storyline, and while Reigns himself continues to be a very capable performer, the booking continues to frustrate.