Roman Reigns was, once again, defeated, and this latest defeat suggests that the WWE is sending the message that he is not “That Guy” anymore.
Cageside Seats took a close look at the post-mortem of the so-called Greatest Royal Rumble , which took place on Friday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
While no one was surprised that Roman Reigns didn’t take home the Universal title after the Greatest Royal Rumble (he wasn’t expected to), they have been noticing a pattern that suggests that Braun Strowman is more of a priority than Reigns.
For example, during the Triple Threat match for the Universal Championship at the Royal Rumble , Brock Lesnar pinned Kane while Braun Strowman screamed — from outside the ring — “you didn’t beat me!” And he didn’t — Strowman had no defeats that night. Reigns, however, was the last man standing in the Royal Rumble match before it went to the winner, Shinsuke Nakamura.
There’s also the case of the Elimination Chamber, which featured both Reigns and Strowman. It looked like, for a brief moment in time, that Reigns was going to win the match, especially when the two superstars were the only two left standing. Reigns even went so far as to pin Strowman to the mat after three Superman punches and two spears. Yet, Strowman won the match after he left Reigns in a heap after two powerslams and spearing him through one of the Chamber pods.
Any show. Any city. Any country. Any opponent.
I’ll fight. #B2R pic.twitter.com/Skgobxjkva
— Roman Reigns (@WWERomanReigns) April 10, 2018
But the biggest sign that Roman Reigns is no longer “That Guy” is the fact that Braun Strowman is so well received — and this is something that the WWE is noticing. No matter how popular Roman Reigns is — he certainly has become a headliner — he’s not well-liked by a very large segment of the WWE fandom. Braun Strowman, according to the outlet, is a lot more beloved, and has managed to overcome being a “monster babyface” to become someone that’s cheered.
Trip, you’re going to @WWE @WrestleMania ! Thanks to @MakeAWish and @JimmysSeafood for helping bring his wish to reality! #Born2GiveBack pic.twitter.com/5sWpRYJC0t
— Roman Reigns (@WWERomanReigns) January 27, 2018
Samoa Joe’s assessment of Roman Reigns, according to Cageside Seats , is that he’s a “failure.” According to Cageside Seats , no matter how many people buy WWE tickets to see Roman Reigns, that assessment is, indeed, on point.
