3 of Roman Reigns' past SummerSlam matches and their grades
Roman Reigns is one of the top superstars in WWE today, and is a focal point of WWE programming. He made his debut at the Survivor Series 2012 PPV as a member of The Shield. He has participated in three SummerSlam matches ever since his debut.
In 2013, he was at ringside when his Shield brethren Dean Ambrose defended his US Title against Rob Van Dam on the Kick-off Show. Hence, he didn't do much of note at SummerSlam 2013.
In 2014, Roman Reigns took on Randy Orton in a grudge match at SummerSlam 2014. Randy Orton attacked Roman Reigns viciously with a chair the night Seth Rollins turned on The Shield. The two took part in several multi-man matches over the course of the next two PPVs before their rivalry escalated in July 2014.
Reigns cost Orton a number one contender's opportunity at SummerSlam, and Randy retaliated with a heinous attack. This led to a deeply personal grudge match at SummerSlam.
In mid-2015, Roman Reigns was embroiled in a feud with Bray Wyatt. Roman lost to Wyatt at Battleground 2015 due to interference from the returning Luke Harper. Roman's brother-in-arms Dean Ambrose came to his aid. Reigns and Ambrose then took on the Wyatt Family in a two-on-two tag match at SummerSlam.
In 2016, soon after the brand-split, Reigns started targeting the US Champion - Rusev. Reigns ruined Rusev and Lana's wedding celebration, which made this rivalry very personal. Reigns took on Rusev on the last Raw before SummerSlam in a non-title match.
At SummerSlam, the match didn't take place due to the back and forth assaults of the two rivals. Rusev attacked Reigns before the match and Reigns retaliated with a gruesome attack that rendered Rusev unfit to compete.
In 2017, Reigns took part in a fatal-four way match for the Universal Title. This was Roman's first main event at SummerSlam. The other participants were Braun Strowman, Samoa Joe and Brock Lesnar.
Now, let's grade all of Roman's matches at SummerSlam.
#1 SummerSlam 2014 - Randy Orton Vs Roman Reigns
This match was Roman Reigns' biggest match up until that point as a single competitor. The inexperienced Reigns was paired with the seasoned veteran Randy Orton in one of the marquee matches of SummerSlam 2014.
The match itself was a delight to watch. Reigns was made to look strong, and the contest was a back and forth affair. Randy's mid-air RKO to Roman Reigns was a true OMG moment.
Randy's counter to the Spear in the form of a Powerslam was another highlight. Reigns was still receiving positive reactions from the crowd at that time, and he got a decent pop after winning the match.
Randy Orton vs Roman Reigns really catapulted Roman Reigns to WWE's stratosphere. It was a solid and entertaining affair.
Grade: B