Ranking Every Major Current Wrestling Storyline From Worst To Best

7. Roman Reigns Vs. Kevin Owens

Orton Fiend Moxley Fenix
WWE

If your writer's Twitter mentions are any indication, you are not under any circumstances permitted to bury SmackDown. Hell hath no fury like a WWE stan high on the generous curve that is "Hey f*ck you AEW smark, it's not as insanely bad as RAW!"

Incidentally, it's rather funny that RAW has become so bad that it is acknowledged as such by brainwashed tribalists purely so that they can brag about SmackDown.

Amazing stuff.

A drawn-out hero's journey that is also, surely, Roman's pre-WrestleMania formality, it's odd that WWE has spent so much time deepening the sympathy we are to feel for the babyface. He's very likely not going to win, so why frame it as something he has to win to preserve what remains of his integrity? If he loses now, he's a total loser. It's hard to articulate this to certain fans, since WWE just does so many things without cause and meaning purely for the sake of low-effort churn, and they lap it up.

But you stack odds against a babyface to prove their mettle.

If you stack this many odds against a babyface - the hapless prick was beaten down about five times on the same show a few weeks back - he has to win. Otherwise he's just a guy who gets the sh*t kicked out of him. If nothing else, it acts as yet more evidence that WWE needs to f*ck this model off.

Roman Reigns is menacing as hell in the role. Kevin Owens is awesome when he's this fired up. It's dragged on for too long and exposed itself badly.

Excellent matches, great individual performances undermined by overwrought booking.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!