Why WWE's Biggest Story In YEARS Has Already Failed

In terms of modern era marathons, Reigns' 450+ days with the Universal Championship is far more comparable to CM Punk's iconic 2011-13 run with the WWE strap than the mammoth 504 days Brock Lesnar spent with Raw's richest prize in the late-2010s.

As with Punk (eventually) winning the company's top honour following the iconic Pipe Bomb promo at the start of the 2010s, 'The Tribal Chief's 2020 return at SummerSlam (and snaring of SmackDown's strap at Payback one week later) was inserted to salvage the this decade at the earliest opportunity.

A spring and summer series between Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman (the feud between Challenger Champion kicked off just after 'The Monster Among Men's WrestleMania 36 Universal Championship victory over Bill Goldberg) had only added to the continued feeling that the title was cursed. From Finn Bálor's injury as first ever Champion in 2016, to two one-month Goldberg reigns that halted the momentum of those looking at the lights, Brock Lesnar's aforementioned mercenary run and the calamitous handling of Seth Rollins and The Fiend, the belt had been more punchline than prize, even after it became the company's most prestigious honour.

All this is to say that Roman's job wasn't just to carry the title as the megastar he'd been positioned as for the past five years, but to rescue it from it from the oblivion it had resided in for the same amount of time. In WWE's defence, they got the start spot on.

And we never saw it coming...

CONT'D...