8 Times Vince McMahon used Roman Reigns to get another WWE Superstar cheered

Vince McMahon tried to push Roman Reigns as the face of WWE for a long time, most of which was spent with The Big Dog facing rejection from the fans. WWE and Vince McMahon know exactly how polarizing Roman Reigns can be, which is why there have been certain occasions where they used him to get other Superstars over.

Here are eight such occasions.

#8. Batista - Royal Rumble 2014

In 2014, Batista returned to WWE for the first time in nearly four years. It was great to see him back at first, but WWE and Vince McMahon got it wrong with him from the get-go. Not realizing how hot Daniel Bryan was at the time, they put Batista in the prime spot to win the Royal Rumble and main event WrestleMania 34 when there was another Superstar who fans wanted to see in that spot.

When Daniel Bryan didn't appear at #30 in the Royal Rumble, the picture was immediately clear - it was going to be Batista's night. He lasted till the end and had to get through one man to win the Royal Rumble - The Shield member Roman Reigns.

This was months before he turned into a singles star and The Shield was one of the hottest acts in WWE. Despite Roman Reigns being a heel at the time, he was heavily cheered before inevitably being thrown out.

It was a significant performance since he broke the previously-held Royal Rumble elimination record of 11 and ended up eliminating 12 Superstars - a record that wouldn't be broken until 2018 at the Greatest Royal Rumble.

It's interesting to look back at it, since WWE used Roman Reigns to get Batista cheered, not realizing that he would suffer the same fate a year later in Philadelphia.