WWE News: Coronation Planned For Roman Reigns At The ‘Royal Rumble’ But Not ‘WrestleMania’

WWE officials pinpointed Roman Reigns as John Cena’s successor as the next face of the company going as far back as late 2014. And while succeeding Cena has proved to be a daunting task, Reigns has certainly assumed the role of the WWE’s most polarizing superstar. Like Cena before him, Roman receives the loudest reactions in arenas around the country, but they’re not the reactions the WWE had intended.

The brand split has made it difficult to identify one true star (whether it be Roman Reigns or someone else) that’s taken the brass ring and ascended to that face-of-the-company status. The company’s biggest stars like Cena, Brock Lesnar, Goldberg, Undertaker, and Triple H are part-time performers, and while AJ Styles skyrocketed into a main event fixture within his first year, he performs as a heel and thus, he’s not yet eligible.

The WWE Universe rejected Roman Reigns because it preferred Daniel Bryan. Reigns’ push was telegraphed rather than allowed to bloom organically. Roman main-evented back-to-back WrestleManias and they rooted hard against him while the WWE powers-that-be were planning his coronation.

Stubborn as ever, WWE officials kept the world title around the waist of Roman Reigns after he recaptured it against Triple H in what was designed to be his signature moment at WrestleMania 32. It was only after Reigns violated the WWE Wellness Policy in June that Vince McMahon began rethinking his status.

Reigns’ punishment included dropping the title at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view, but he was allowed to stay in the main event picture while serving his subsequent submission. Fans had clamored for a triple threat match between the former members of The Shield, but the build to the match at Battleground was tainted because of the absence of Roman Reigns. Fans showed him no mercy upon his return, and that’s when Vince knocked him down a few pegs.

Reigns’ transition into a feud with Rusev signified his descent, but the injury to Finn Balor left the RAW brand with few options in terms of credible babyfaces worthy of a main event. Re-enter Roman Reigns. It’s already been confirmed that Reigns will once again challenge Kevin Owens for the WWE Universal Championship at the Royal Rumble in January from San Antonio’s Alamodome.

From there, WWE officials appear to be torn in regards to the Roman Empire. Daily Wrestling News is reporting that Vince and other top decision-makers have yet to come to a concrete agreement as far as plans for Roman Reigns go at WrestleMania 33 in Orlando. There are less than 100 days until the biggest show of the year, and despite rumors running rampant, nothing is set in stone.

The rumor that appears to have the most legs at the moment would see Roman Reigns face Braun Strowman next April. The WWE is clearly pushing Strowman as the next big unstoppable monster heel, and Reigns could eventually be the one to take him down. But if those plans are green-lit, would the title be involved?

According to the report, officials are leaning heavily towards Reigns winning the title away from Owens at the Royal Rumble. The big stipulation in their match, of course, is that Chris Jericho will be suspended above the ring, locked inside a shark cage. The conclusion of the match would produce another big moment in Roman’s career and have him on the road to WrestleMania as the Universal Champion.

However, that’s where things get interesting. While Reigns is now expected to be crowned at the Royal Rumble, it’s being said that he will not experience a similar moment at WrestleMania. As noted, WWE officials do not have his ‘Mania match set in place yet, but it appears that it won’t include him retaining the championship if he even still has it by then in the first place.

It’s not clear whether Roman Reigns will enter WrestleMania as the WWE Universal Champion, but if he does, he’ll either lose the title or win it in a match placed in the undercard. The benefits of the brand split include two world titles which allow the company to place one of those matches somewhere other than the main event. Taking the spotlight off Reigns at WrestleMania may benefit him if they continue to push him as a babyface.

In that scenario, a title match between some combination of John Cena, the Undertaker, and AJ Styles could supersede a Roman Reigns championship match. So too could the final showdown between Goldberg and Brock Lesnar. But again, Reigns may not make it to ‘Mania as the champion. Regardless, do not expect another coronation for Roman at WrestleMania.

It’s also worth noting that a big surprise was recently pitched as it pertained to Roman Reigns and WrestleMania, but it appears that will not unfold as the idea was shot down. No word as of yet as to what the surprise might have been.

[Featured Image by WWE]