5 reasons why Paul Heyman betrayed Roman Reigns
The Roman Reigns-Paul Heyman is officially over after nearly 16 months together. They first aligned two days before Payback 2020, and it marked the official heel turn of Reigns.
Only two days after that, he defeated Braun Strowman and 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt to capture the Universal Championship - one that he has held for 474 days as of this writing.
The alliance has been a significant one and not the same as Brock Lesnar's relationship with Paul Heyman. While the latter was a full-time mouthpiece for Lesnar, that wasn't the case with Reigns.
It was more of Heyman being The Tribal Chief's special counsel. On the 17th December episode of SmackDown, Roman Reigns fired Paul Heyman after the latter told the Universal Champion that he was protecting him from Brock Lesnar and not the other way around.
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#SmackDown @WWERomanReigns @HeymanHustle https://t.co/PSOBAKCseV
So why did Heyman betray Reigns? And why did WWE decide to end their alliance? Here are a few possible reasons:
#5. To re-establish the babyface-heel dynamic between Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar
Beast things.
#SmackDown @BrockLesnar @WWERomanReigns @HeymanHustle https://t.co/01FX4CQDOf
One thing that often happens when a heel is popular is that they slowly stop getting the same level of heat they once did. When fans start to see character progression, those boos eventually turn into cheers.
In the case of superstars like The Rock in 1999, the face turns are carefully calculated and the trigger would be pulled when the time is right. For Roman Reigns, many believe the time isn't right for him to turn face just yet.
There's no doubt that he is enjoying the best run of his WWE career, is putting out the best work of his career, and is the strongest character in the company right now.
Fans have truly begun to acknowledge Reigns, and the crowd in Chicago seemed to favor him a lot more. This isn't good timing because Brock Lesnar is the babyface in the feud.
While Lesnar has largely transcended being a face or heel character between 2015 and 2020, his return to WWE in 2021 and feud with Roman Reigns helped establish him as a big babyface.
By having Heyman betray Reigns and The Tribal Chief fire his special counsel, it helps re-establish the clear-cut face-heel dynamic between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns.
While Reigns was the face during their feuds in 2015 and 2018, the dynamic is different this time, and it's likely how they want it to play out until WrestleMania 38. It will be interesting to see who the crowd cheers for more at the Day 1 pay-per-view.