Report: WWE's Roman Reigns Heel Turn WASN'T A Last-Minute Decision
How long has the shocking turn been in WWE's plans?
Wrestling Observer chief Dave Meltzer said on the Sunday Night's Main Event podcast that Roman Reigns' heel turn has been in the works for longer than most people might think.
In fact, it's something Roman has personally wanted to do "for some time" and wasn't a moment WWE booked to hype Payback last-minute. They've known for months that they planned to put Paul Heyman with Reigns and shake things up on SmackDown.
Meltzer also speculated that the 'No Holds Barred' three way involving Reigns, Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman was laid out by Heyman - the match was certainly chaotic enough, and anyone who has followed Paul's booking style over the years will know how much he loves an unruly drama.
The ring-breaking bump and Roman entering the match towards the end may have been his ideas.
It is interesting that Reigns has wanted to turn rogue for a while now. He could easily have dined on Vince McMahon's determination to make him WWE's babyface poster boy for years, but Roman fancied doing something a bit different.
Anyone who has watched the past week or so of programming can see that was the right decision.