Who REALLY Carried WWE Every Year (1985-2026)
6. 2021 (Roman Reigns)
Roman Reigns returned with a bang at SummerSlam 2020 as the reborn 'Tribal Chief'. This was the humble beginnings of his Bloodline story arc that's still going today. Would Roman have pipped Drew to 2020's crown had he launched his comeback earlier? Perhaps, but he didn't have long to wait to steal all the attention anyway.
A 'Last Man Standing' war vs. Kevin Owens at the 2021 Rumble was fun, then Roman's Triple Threat vs. Edge and Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 37 ruled. Tack on a 30 April SmackDown match with retirement consequences vs. Bryan that proved to be outstanding, and you had some run of matches. The fun didn't stop there: The same gushing praise should be given to Roman vs. Cesaro at 'Mania Backlash.
Follow up bouts vs. Edge at Money In The Bank and John Cena at SummerSlam were brill. A dodgy finish to his mystifying clash vs. Finn Bálor's 'Demon' at Extreme Rules definitely scuffed things though. Overall, Reigns made up for some of his crummier babyface years by appearing as one of the most aura-tastic workers going.
He carried himself like the top star because Roman was the top star. Better yet, he wasn't forced into that position by Vince McMahon - fans had accepted Reigns. He shone in the empty arena days as a character, and audiences flocked to see him reborn as the 'Chief' when they were able.
2021 was the start of an impressive reprieve for someone who'd once been booed out of buildings for the wrong reasons.