8 WWE Stars With The Best Character Arcs Right Now
The most engaging Superstars in WWE are those with a consistent story.
At its very core, professional wrestling is an art form. As amazing as the in-ring action is, storytelling is arguably the most important aspect of the the business. Without good and evil, faces versus heels, there isn't anything for fans to invest in, anything to come back for, anyone to cheer for or against.
Character arcs, however, create stories. The way wrestling is written is much more crucial to a character's success than one might think. Having a gimmick or a character is one thing, but for that wrestler to seamlessly transition from one storyline to the next without their motives or goals changing in the slightest takes real skill.
That said, a beautifully-crafted character arc can make or break a wrestler in WWE. Take Bray Wyatt, for example. He has all the tools to one of the best characters WWE has ever seen, but due to WWE's horrible handling of him over the years, he has been nearly reduced to nothing. He went from targeting (and losing to) The Undertaker to engaging in a pointless feud with Ryback to going after Roman Reigns for no reason to setting his sights on 'Taker again.
That is a prime example of an awful character arc, or lack thereof.
Thankfully, there are a number of characters in today's WWE who do have meaning, and it's those superstars who are typically involved in the roster's best stories.
8. Roman Reigns
He's not a good guy, he's not a bad guy... okay, you know the rest. While Roman Reigns has yet to click as the top-tier babyface officials desperately want him to be, at least he has had a consistent story throughout his tenure in WWE.
Reigns spent his first two years on the roster with one goal in mind: to dominate the landscape as part of The Shield. With a five-month-long WWE Tag Team Championship reign to his credit, he did just that. But when Seth Rollins destroyed the faction from within, Reigns shifted his focus to annihilating The Authority and becoming WWE World Heavyweight champion.
He took one step closer to super stardom with his win in the 2015 Royal Rumble match, but his moment was stolen from him time and time again in the remainder of the year by Seth Rollins, Bray Wyatt, Big Show and Sheamus. Despite it all, he overcame those obstacles and captured his third WWE World Heavyweight Championship by beating longtime adversary Triple H in the main event of WrestleMania 32.
Although Reigns' story peaked at The Show of Shows, he has continued to evolve in his latest programs with AJ Styles and Rollins. Now that he has once again lost his grasp of the gold, it's only logical to assume he will want the belt back when he returns from his 30-day suspension next month.