Backstage rumor on why WWE gave 'The Fiend' a week-long Universal title reign before losing to Roman Reigns
At SummerSlam 2020, the main event saw 'The Fiend' make his in-ring return for the first time in months as he faced and defeated Braun Strowman to recapture the Universal Championship.
Immediately after The Fiend's victory, Roman Reigns would make his return after over five months to decimate both Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman - immediately setting up a Triple Threat No Holds Barred Match a week later at Payback for the Universal title.
As expected, Roman Reigns walked out of Payback as the Universal Champion. Korey Gunz discussed the title change with Tom Colohue on the live edition of Dropkick DiSKussions and asked why WWE put the Universal title on The Fiend Bray Wyatt rather than have a no contest at SummerSlam and then have Braun Strowman lose the title a week later.
Tom Colohue explained that the idea was for The Fiend to be the face and WWE wanted Roman Reigns to win the title for him so he could get heat:
"As for why they [WWE] gave The Fiend the title - they wanted the face to lose. You're supposed to hate Roman Reigns. They're genuinely worried now that they've made him a bada**, everyone is going to cheer him. That's why in the ThunderDome, people were specifically instructed to boo Roman Reigns."
Colohue and Gunz mentioned the fact that WWE had turned Becky Lynch heel in 2018 as well and it had the opposite effect. Tom Colohue believes that the same will happen with Roman Reigns and that his popularity will rise.
Was putting the title on The Fiend a logical move?
One of the big issues the main event scene of SmackDown might face is that among the top three stars mentioned (Roman Reigns, The Fiend, and Braun Strowman), there isn't much of a clear distinction over who the babyface is.
While Roman Reigns is now a defined heel, Braun Strowman's character changed after Extreme Rules, while The Fiend doesn't show characteristics of a face. However, the hype behind Roman Reigns' alliance with Paul Heyman may have been enough for fans to overlook the fact that The Fiend Bray Wyatt had a week-long World title reign.
It's going to be interesting to see what lies ahead for The Fiend. Colohue said:
When it comes to The Fiend , it's a bit more difficult to say. He should logically be stepping in the ring with Roman Reigns. The storyline that he has isn't with Roman, it's with Alexa Bliss. That's what has got most people interested."
Will The Fiend vs Roman Reigns be the program going forward?