2018 Royal Rumble: Philadelphia shouldn't play host to another Roman Reigns moment
Three years ago, a raucous Philadelphia crowd filled the Wells Fargo Center for WWE's annual Royal Rumble event. The night was historic for a number of reasons, with the most publicised moment revolving around (you guessed it) the Rumble match itself.
Heading into the event, the plan that WWE Creative had in mind was to have Roman Reigns win the Rumble for the first time his career. Soaking in the approval of a rabid fanbase, the Big Dog would then have been able to plow his way into WrestleMania 31, likely dethroning then WWE Champion Brock Lesnar in the process.
It was a solid plan, and one that if implemented at another time, probably would've presented Reigns in a positive light. However, what fans witnessed on that night was anything but what WWE had envisioned.
About halfway through the Rumble, fan favourite Daniel Bryan was shockingly eliminated from the contest, ending what fans had hoped was Bryan's path back into world title contention. With Bryan out of the picture, fans knew all too well what result was awaiting them.
When the time came for Reigns to have his arm raised for the victory, not even The Rock (who had made a surprise return to help his cousin) could alleviate the boos echoing from an arena of disgruntled fans. In one night's time, Roman Reigns went from a rising star to the epitome of what hardcore fans dislike about the WWE product.
To them, the company (WWE) demonstrates complete loyalty to their personal favourites, while rarely paying heed to those who become popular organically over time (Cesaro anyone?).
Whether or not this criticism has validity is another conversation for another time, but what is apparent is that the past shouldn't be replayed in the present. Philadelphia may have been receptive to Reigns' WWE Championship win against Sheamus a few years ago, however, the circumstances were much different.
To put things in perspective, Roman Reigns has been in the final four of the past four Royal Rumbles. Out of those four, two of them featured The Big Dog as the final elimination. Even though it's a wise decision to have a top-tier name like Reigns in the Rumble match, having him continually hog the spotlight over other talents who could benefit in that environment is unwise.
Now with all of this being said, I want to make it clear that Reigns is deserving of all he's accomplished. The Big Dog has improved a great deal since his original rise to the top, and in the process has gained believers out of some of his detractors. WWE knows that he'll never win over the entire fanbase, and so they're content comparing his divisive crowd. reactions to that of John Cena.
Despite this, WWE shouldn't be willing to further instigate a divide between The Big Dog and their fanbase. Predictability is the biggest threat to WWE's popularity, and that threat could grow exponentially should Reigns add another Royal Rumble accolade to his career.