Roman Reigns News: WWE ‘WrestleMania 33’ Elevates The ‘Big Dog’ To Top Dog
Roman Reigns is the man the WWE universe loves to hate. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, last night over 75,000 fans at Orlando’s Citrus Bowl and a worldwide TV audience saw Reigns defeat The Undertaker at WrestleMania 33. In doing so, Reigns sent The Undertaker to only his second defeat at the WWE’s “Show of Shows.” By doing so, Reigns ensured that The Undertaker ended his career with a defeat. Of course, the WWE universe would love to have seen The Undertaker end his career by bringing the “Big Dog” to heel, but the WWE has other plans.
As a member of The Shield tag team and latterly as a solo superstar, Reigns has been pushed as the face of the WWE for over five years. Despite being long regarded as Vince McMahon’s “golden boy,” Reigns has failed to win over wrestling fans. Roman was even the first WWE face to be named as “worst wrestler.” Reigns may not be popular with the WWE universe, according to the Heavy, one fan even held up a sign at WrestleMania 33 accusing Reigns of being a holocaust denier, but McMahon clearly has plans for Roman.
Let’s be honest: No one expected Reigns to beat The Undertaker at WrestleMania 33. Rumors have been circulating for months suggesting that WrestleMania 33 would be The Deadman’s last match. The Undertaker is synonymous with WrestleMania, his 21-year unbeaten streak at wrestling’s showcase event is never likely to be beaten. The thought of the “Taker of Souls” bowing out on a defeat, especially to Reigns, was almost unthinkable.
Most of us expected to see The Undertaker split his tie with John Cena at WrestleMania 33. When the official WWE website invited us to vote on who the Undertaker should meet at WrestleMania, Cena was the fans top pick. Roman Reigns vs. The Undertaker was the bottom choice in that poll.
Reigns has long boasted that the WWE is now his backyard, and at WrestleMania 33, he proved that this is now the case. Reigns beating the Undertaker in his own backyard can mean only one thing, and it isn’t the long anticipated Roman Reigns heel turn.
WrestleMania 33 Win Over The Undertaker Elevates Roman Reigns From ‘Big Dog’ To Top Dog
When The Undertaker placed his hat, coat, and gloves in the center of the WrestleMania ring, it marked his retirement. Not only did Reigns retire The Undertaker, but fans also saw AJ Styles beat Shane McMahon and Seth Rollins defeat Triple H. WrestleMania 33 saw the WWE torch pass from the hands of legends to upcoming and, more importantly, active WWE superstars.
It had to happen. The Undertaker is 52-years-old, McMahon and Triple H are both 47-years-old. WWE wrestling may be choreographed, but professional wrestling is a hard game. The stunts are hard on aging bodies, and frankly, McMahon and Triple H have more important work to do away from the ring.
With their victories at WrestleMania 33 last night, Reigns, Styles, Rollins, Kevin Owens, and Randy Orton all showed that they will be the faces of WWE wrestling for the next decade or more. Reigns’ victory over The Undertaker shows that Vince McMahon is still convinced that his long-term plan for the Big Dog is still on track. McMahon has always seen Reigns as the future face of the WWE network. If McMahon had planned a Roman Reigns heel turn it would have happened last night at WrestleMania 33.
The return of the Hardy Boyz to WWE to win the Raw Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania 33 is a clear indication that the WWE wants to raise its game. Expect Reigns to take on Owens for the United States Championship on next week’s Monday Night Raw. Randy Orton vs. AJ Styles for the WWE Championship won’t be far behind.
Roman Reigns didn’t just retire The Undertaker at WrestleMania 33, he ushered in a new WWE era. It’s an era in which Roman Reigns intends to be the top dog.
[Featured Image by WWE]
