If Roman Reigns Gets Injured, What Would You Do?

[Blade]

All the reports are saying Reigns vs. Lesnar is a lock for Wrestlemania 31, where Reigns will win the WWE title and become the next top guy.

But let's say, hypothetically, Roman Reigns gets injured at Survivor Series and can't compete at the Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania. You're in charge of booking Wrestlemania 31's main event. What do you do? Who do you put up against Lesnar? Do keep Lesnar in the main event at all?

Let's look at our options.

There's Daniel Bryan, which guarantees you a 4 star+ match. But it would require him to somehow be healthy enough to work a 30 minute Wrestlemania main event. No one knows when he'll return or even if he'll return, so this is an unrealistic choice.

John Cena is WWE's premier main eventer at the moment. But, after Summerslam, we'll have seen Lesnar vs. Cena twice. And in a time where WWE are trying to build new stars, Lesnar vs. Cena 3 at Wrestlemania may not be the best plan for the future.

Randy Orton. An established main eventer, who could put on a good match with Lesnar in my opinion. But he's not exactly red hot at the moment, so it would require some serious booking to re-establish Orton as a badass who's not only worthy of challenging for the WWE title at Wrestlemania, but is also a genuine threat to Brock Lesnar.

Triple H. Man, would the fans hate Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar for the World Title at Wrestlemania 31. It would be a good match, and both guys belong in a main event title match. But those pros don't outweigh the obvious cons. We've seen the match enough times, and it's hardly helping to establish the new generation of main eventers.

Seth Rollins/Dean Ambrose/Bray Wyatt/Cesaro: Again, any of these options would require some serious, hardcore booking to establish any of these guys as a threat to the WWE title and to Lesnar. Could it be done? Unlikely, but not impossible. Sometimes, all it takes is one match to turn someone into a main event star.

CM Punk: Give him money, a main event slot at Wrestlemania and a WWE title reign. Hope he accepts.

Lesnar vs. Orton might be the only realistic option here that would not only feel fresh, but feel like both men belong in a Wrestlemania main event. What do you think?

 

[JoeFromTomsRiver]

I can't get into booking WM 8 months ahead of time. Too many things can change, and not just injuries. 8 months before this past WM, there was no plan for Bryan to win the title. Circumstances dictated that things be changed.

Guys get hot, guys cool off, guys get injured, I'd re-visit this topic in December at the earliest.

 

[WarroBODFan]

In this scenario, I don't think Punk would come back, out of principle. He's already stated in the past that money isn't a thing, he's set for life and isn't a big spender in the first place. He seems to be happy and healthy in his life right now without WWE. Sure, his whole thing about being part of the main event at Wrestlemania was big, but I don't know if they could convince him to come back purely as a backup option because Reigns went down. Maybe I'm wrong, but it wouldn't surprise me if he not so politely declined. I think the only options would be Cena, or build up a Rollins/Ambrose/Cesaro/Wyatt, and as you said, the fans would rebel if it was Cena V Lesnar III, I know I would.

 

[kingofkings1]

In WWE .. anything can happen. itz a nice post as you should keep everything in mind. So, I would say , if Roman got injured then whole situation depends on the word 'when'. if it happens before 6 months then wwe have lot of time to think and act , but if it happened very close to WM then there is a need of hard thinking. I know CM punk is not really out. His dream was to win RR. They can let him win the RR 2015 and let him main event at WM31. u kept Brock for every possible main event but it is not necessary. WWE can even bring Stone cold and have a dream match punk vs Austin come true and that too main event. what if Brock won at SS , and gives title to The UnderTaker at NoC. then let taker have the title till wm31 where he can give it to Sting in the main event or vice versa.
what I mean is , there are so many possibilities. WWE can manage it. see how they managed main event at WM30. Anything is possible in WWE.

 

[MeisterMan]

Oh man this is a stupid idea but the promos between him and Paul Heyman would be gold. I would have to go with Bray Wyatt, imagine Bray coming out and preaching about 'slaying the beast amongst them' and 'taking the almighty strap of gold to bestow a new era among the WWE universe'. We would have Lesnar take out Erick and Luke all by himself, putting fear (for the first time ever) into Bray Wyatt. This would of course have to come down to brilliant and top notch booking to really pull this off. While the match....I can't really talk about the quality of the match, because it could very well be one of the worst main events in Wrestlemania history.

That's why the obvious choice and the smartest choice would be Seth Rollins. This would also come down to really smart booking, as a scenario could play out that would see Rollins try to cash in his money in the bank only to actually fail due to Lesnar being a complete monster. Driving him to win the Royal Rumble, rest is history.

IMO though, it should be Rollins (c) vs Reigns (RR winner) at WM. Makes more sense IMO, and they would actually have something to build off of (Rollins turning on the Shield).

 

[GOOZEKING]

Honestly I wish the main event is either triple threat shield match for title or hopefully bryan comes back to face lesnar and try to regain his title.

 

[J.D Lethal]

If that would to happen (which i for one hope doesn't) you look to elevate the the other superstars in his group..Rollins,Ambrose,Wyatt...If not you look for Orton and Cena to carry the load and hope that Daniel Bryan returns soon enough...If Roman did get hurt and miss WM31 he would for sure Take it summerslam or TLC(since TLC number 5 on the top ppvs IMO)

 

[Mudlup50]

Well you wanna view it as Reigns gets injured at Survivor Series right? So by then I'm assuming Lesnar is 3 months in his title run, Dean/Seth is cooling down and Punk is still gone. Due to the late nature, you'd have 2 months to build a replacement big enough to win the rumble, face it Cena/Lesnar would bore us(btw if Lesnar wins the title at SummerSlam it would force a rematch at NOC). I don't think Bray would be ready but with that amount of time, granted they'd turn the Wyatt's face? I'd like to see Cesaro do it. Why not let him? Storyline he attacks Reigns after Survivor Series for the "authority" which would cause the storyline leave of Reigns. Triple H promises him a title shot but decides against it, instead giving the chance to Orton or some other authority guy. So Cesaro gets some sympathy from the audience and you can book him as trying to gain the respect of the audience and Triple H. Fans do lean towards Cesaro so I don't see the problem. The chance finally arrives in the rumble when Cesaro wins and he heads to Wrestlemania as a face.

Now if Reigns gets injured at say SummerSlam, you'd have much more time to figure it out. If he got injured then, I'd say they would probably push Orton to the title match soon and if we assume Bryan is still injured, I think it would be Dean time. You'd have plenty of time to build a match for Seth to lose his MitB briefcase maybe at Survivor Series and build Dean up. It would go pretty well with his character, nobody at that point wants to battle Lesnar and Dean steps up and says at Wrestlemania I'll fight you. He announces it a head of time like a face and like a lunatic. The problem with this is the rumble winner would be forced into this match, maybe throw Orton in there? I don't know it kinda falls apart being as there's only 1 title for the rumble winner to fight for

 

[Chicago1989]

Good thread. Anyways, to be realistic, Roman Reigns is the WWE's last hope as far as being the next guy that the WWE will be giving the big push to. DB's time as the top babyface has come and gone before it even became official, Cena's time at the top is starting to fade out, and Cesaro's momentum has gone totally downhill since WM. If Reigns gets injured, WWE's current main event scene would be in such bad shape.

Logically, I see 3 options that make sense as far as competition for Lesnar - Randy Orton, Batista, and The Rock.

Orton has learned and evolved a whole lot since Lesnar and Orton last faced off. Orton as a veteran could probably hold his own against Lesnar wrestling-wise. In a brawl, Orton wouldn't stand a chance.

We've never seen Batista and Brock go at it one on one on TV. Both are about the same size and both have an athletic, MMA background. But Batista is 45. How would an old Batista compete with an aggressive, healthy beast like Brock?

Now The Rock makes the most sense to me. He's about the same size as Brock and stays in great shape for someone his age. He is also looking to come back for WM31 and to face a big name. So if Reigns gets injured, getting The Rock as a replacement makes the most sense.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

There's a wildcard in all of this now... the guy who for much of the last year has been hated but now is likely to be universally loved...and a big deal.

Batista.

Guardians has opened and it's BIG... big numbers in terms of box office AND reviews for Dave's performance. He is surprisingly to many one of the 3 best and many people#s favourite thing in the film and this is going to translate into WWE without question when he returns.

If Reigns got hurt, or even if he doesn't... Dave is going to be "the guy", Vince can't let this pass without exploiting it... it was kindof the original plan for him to be going into Summerslam challenging but the fans crapped on him... it is likely now that Batista could even get the title BEFORE Reigns... sure he's not "new" talent, but he has a new lease of popularity... the numbers the movie and word of mouth means most people will know who Dave Bautista is... and suddenly Roman Regins may not be quite as "must get over" as before...

 

[Poop Master Flex]

If it was me I would go with Cesaro but WWE would have to act quickly and get him where he needs to be.

The problem with Cena and Orton is they first became main event stars 10-11 years before, they may be established but if you are going back to them after that much time then every member of creative should get shit canned (every member of creative should get shit canned anyways but that's for another thread at another time). Seriously if you can't build any new talent that can take Lesnar 10 years later then they're fucked hard creatively. Same thing goes for Triple H and Batista, nothing good comes from moving backwards.

Bray is losing his heat plus him facing Lesnar would mean he would have to go face (WWE won't do a heel vs. heel main event) and Bray's character has little to no legs going face. I like Rollins and Ambrose but I don't think either guy is main event material and it will probably be a long while before they are.

The reason I would go with Cesaro is simple; he has already proven he can hang in the main event, he's believable in the main event and would already be there if creative didn't fuck him over hard. Cesaro is a believable opponent for Lesnar, has a tremendous upside and although it would be a challenge to get him back to where he was at Wrestlemania 30 it's doable. Cesaro may not be a main eventer but he carries himself as a main eventer, even more so than Reigns in my opinion. Whenever he's in a big match he delivers big (his matches with Cena and Orton were top notch) and that's something Reigns can't say as of yet.

I know WWE seems to have a boner for Reigns but he hasn't really shown he has what it takes to be the top guy in WWE. Say what you want about Cena but you could tell a good year before he became the top guy that he was going to be the top guy, you would have to be an idiot not to see it. I just don't see that with Reigns and I think it's one of those situations where WWE is trying to force it a little too much and that just doesn't work in the long run.

At the end of the day they don't really have anyone that screams "big star" like Cena did before he became established and they have been quite thorough at crippling stars that are well on their way. Reigns is the guy that WWE has all their faith in but I think Cesaro is the better option, I really do.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

WrestleMania is still well more than half a year away and, as someone else pointed out, a LOT can go down in that span of time. As a result, any of the potential scenarios has a possibility of coming to pass. I've read reports of Reigns possibly facing Lesnar at WrestleMania XXXI as well, though the ones I've read made no mention of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship being on the line. If Lesnar wins the title at SummerSlam, I don't see how he's champ all the way until WrestleMania unless he adopts a full time schedule and there's virtually no chance of that happening.

If Reigns suffers an injury that knocks him out of a possible bout against Lesnar, you have to look at what's available.

If Daniel Bryan is healthy and still has his rapport with fans as much as he ever did, he'd be a great opponent for Lesnar as they can definitely use the underdog and David vs. Goliath angles to their fullest effects. We know Bryan could help male Lesnar look like a million bucks, look even more like a monstrous beast than he already does and have fans rally around him via that determination and scrappy passion.

If it's Cena vs. Lesnar, I don't look for interest to be all that high as, more than likely, we'll see Cena against Lesnar in a one on one bout other than the one scheduled for SummerSlam. If they can deliver a couple of matches that tears the house down like their match back at Extreme Rules 2012, it might be a different story if something happens that requires WWE to put Cena in Reigns; spot.

I know that Orton vs. Lesnar interests some but I personally couldn't care less about seeing this bout happen. I've been a fan of Orton for almost his entire career but, like so many others, I'm tired of seeing him in the title picture. I can see why WWE ultimately pushed both Orton & Cena so hard over the years, but we've been seeing the negative consequences of that over the last several years because they're two guys who ultimately did everything there was to do in WWE multiple times by the time they were 30 years old. Orton has little or nothing to gain in a match against Lesnar and I'm not all that sure it'd be a significant draw either.

We've seen Triple H vs. Lesnar 3 times thus far and while I personally thought all of them were physical matches where both men worked hard, the fans simply didn't give a shit. I thought they put forth a VASTLY better effort than fan reaction suggested but, ultimately, I can also see why people weren't into it. As with Cena or Orton, Triple H's legacy is set in not stone but solid steel and it's obvious that many fans would have preferred seeing someone fresh against him.

Moving up pushes of Rollins, Ambrose or Cesaro is something that I think could be interesting. From a character perspective, Ambrose is the strongest of these guys and I think he could put on an entertaining brawl with Lesnar. In my eyes, Rollins & Cesaro are stronger inside the ring and could deliver potential classics against Lesnar. Rollins is very solid on the mic, so he'd at least be able to carry his own weight in the promo build up of the match, but not so much with Cesaro. If he really, really worked on his mic work, practiced often and was ultimately allowed to use his own words as he did in NXT with his feud against Sami Zayn, there's potential there.

I think Punk may return to WWE someday, but I don't see Vince caving in and offering all sorts of money, practically begging him to return. There are several much fresher, younger and hungrier guys on the roster right now that fans are digging. His match against Lesnar at SummerSlam last year was killer, however, there's no denying that and seeing Punk have an opportunity at avenging his loss by slaying the beast that conquered the streak would definitely draw interest.

Whatever happens, I think WWE will get the Batista response if they were to go with Cena, Triple H or Randy Orton against Lesnar for WrestleMania XXXI IF it's set to be a title match.

 

[Softcore Holly]

Hard to say this far away from WM31, but least WWE still has plenty of options.

Cena is the most safe yet boring choice. Still adding in some sort of stipulation/something extra to the match(No DQ for example) just to make it different from SS makes it interesting enough to market.

If Bryan is close to or at 100% by WM season I would greatly consider him. Him and Brock never faced each other so it'll be brand new and if anyone can play Goliath to DB's David it would undeniably be Brock. Of course his health is the biggest factor here and tbh I'm not all that confident he'll be ready by then.

Rollins is a crazy idea I've recently thought of. If they wanted to turn him back face this would be the a huge way to do, especially if he cashes in to get the WM match. Which is another good note for him since no one has done that yet.

Orton vs Brock has also never been done, so there's that. I'm not a huge fan of Orton as face but against Brock it can work. I would be really tempted to bring back the Legend Killer idea since that would give Orton something extra to work with.

Batista - No one's going to believe me on this but last year when rumors of Dave coming back surfaced I thought he and Brock were going to face each other at WM30. He probably would've gotten a better reaction that way too. Anyway if Guardians helps make Dave a huge face and he gets into good ring shape by then Batista would be a great pick.

Punk is unlikely as hell, but giving him a big WM payday along with the main event he always wanted might be enough to get him back.

And even more unlikely but hell I would go nuts if they can make it work: Undertaker. (I can hear the groans already) IF Taker can come back in good shape and IF he's capable of putting out a good match then this basically writes itself. Taker gets revenge for Brock breaking the streak, gets one last big win at WM and gets to retire as WWEHC. A extremely long shot I know but that would be a WM moment for the ages.

The rest of the roster has some intriguing choices but it would take a lot of pushing to do and I'm not sure they can pull it off. But 8 months is a lot of time so anything can happen. Thanks for reading.

 

[TheICChampion]

This is the problem with WWE. They more or less paint themselves into a corner and then if something happens then they're stuck with more of the same old stuff. Why does it seem like they're only pushing Reigns? Then if he does get injured and Bryan's not ready, then they're more or less screwed. I kinda wish they had kept pushing Cesaro since WM 30, or someone else as a Plan B. You know what match would've been awesome is Ryback vs. Lesnar or Sheamus vs. Lesnar. Too bad Ryback has been more or less irrelevant since he got buried by Cena. Sheamus is too busy in the midcard. I really don't want to see Boreton vs. Lesnar, HHH vs. Lesnar 4 or Cena vs. Lesnar (however many times they have them face off between now and 'Mania 31).

 

[Pedigree1]

Agreed batista would be an interesting choice. I guess his movie is doing better than expected and Vince would love batista to go against Brock. Vince loves him, batista brings in money, is a big dude and can cut great promos.

Batista though, exactly wasn't welcomed back when he returned. When batista is motivated he is a top top tier guy. Vince will probably make this match regardless if Roman is healthy or not. Batista though, needs to get into better cardio shape. Can't be getting gassed 5 minutes into a match, not against Brock anyway

 

[Hem]

So lets get ready to play the what if and the fantasy booking game.

If Roman Reigns gets injured sometime before WM and is unable to compete at the event than I believe we have a few safe bets that we can make as far as who might take his spot on the roster.

1) The most likely in my opinion is Dave Batista, this time Batista comes back to face the biggest heel in the world of pro wrestling at the time so we know that he won't be trashed with boos. I wouldn't mind seeing Batista Vs. Brock Lesnar as a main event of WM but I don't think that it is really a match I'd put the titles in because both men are part timers and really it makes little sense to me (even though Batista could hold it for a long time)

2) Cesaro while I think due to recent bookins is out of this certain race, the wrestling world is a never say never place. I think if WWE is smart than they will also build up Cesaro while they build up Reigns with Cesaro taking over for Orton after he and Reigns finish so that Cesaro (The Authority) Vs. Roman Reigns can take place next. This helps continue both guys' push move further along.

3) Randy Orton, this guy I think will be the front runner if Reigns is about. The story could play out as how the hell can you give my title shot to Lesnar and so Lesnar comes out and f5s him (thus making the challenge to him for the championship),

4) Daniel Bryan, now granted the fact that he is well enough by WM to face a wreckless beast like Brock than I think Bryan is a strong candidate for the match up. I think the match could be spectacular however I wouldn't necessarily enjoy the story of it as i feel it will just be the same thing we saw last year.

5) The super dark horse in this match (ironically enough) is Sheamus. With several reports over the course of the past few months that Sheamus is back in line for a main event push I think it insures he may have a greater impact at this WM than he did at the previous one. Now whether that means facing the beast or having an upper mid card match who knows.


Of all of these candidates I would have to choose no one to beat Brock at WM, emphasis on WM. The man who is the 1 behind 21-1 does not lose merely a year later, it just won't feel right. I think that either Lesnar loses the title in some screwy way post Summerslam/Pre WM due to perhaps a MITB cash in or something or that he loses after WM but for sure he cannot lose at WM.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Sheamus is a guy I forgot about, the "force" so to speak may be very strong with him about that time if it is right that he is in Star Wars playing Darth Vader... or indeed any character... his absence in Ireland while they are filming and his playful but barely coherent attempt at "working" the fans on Twitter have pretty much given the game away... Disney will love the promotional opportunities WWE offer for both GOTG and Star Wars... I'm pretty amazed Dave isn't announced for Summerslam or RAW with his fellow Guardians already...perhaps they are waiting for the word of mouth to travel a week or two...


So WWE could have 2 guys in major roles in the 2 biggest films of this and next year, although Star Wars isn't due out until December... so it's more likely Sheamus would be pushed at the Rumble and into Mania 32 rather than 31...

To me Orton is already out the running with his "flub" last week... I have long said he had too long on his deal not to cock up and get that 3rd strike and the pattern is he always starts gaining heat for things he does, stops caring, does what he wants and then gets a suspension. Add to that he's been constantly "on" for over 12 years and it's not likely he's getting the title soon... if anything they need to start moving him down the card as others like Big Show and Kane did...whether he handles that is up to him.

The most realistic outcome still for me is Batista, but the most viable plan B would be for all 3 Shield members to headline Mania against each other... Have Rollins cash in on Reigns after he wins the title in a particularly brutal Elimination Chamber match... Ambrose could either win MITB at Mania itself and be first guy to insert himself into the match or be given the Rumble win (Reigns is too obvious at this point, but Ambrose being in the Rumble winner position would be very interesting)

That way all 3 of them would be at the same main event level, and able to cover if one got hurt..

 

[Ric 'The Nature Boy' Flair]

I can only pray,that is my only option,to pray,that CM Punk returns. He had a brilliant match with Brock LESNAR last time and they can do it again and all these fanboys saying that they don't want CM Punk back will still cheer loud for him and Punk might come back because he wanted a main event match at Mania and WWE can just give him a little more money. All I can do now,is pray.

 

[Aquaman6686]

If I was in charge of booking, Roman Reigns wouldn't be headlining WrestleMania anyway. WrestleMania 31 is WAY too early for Reigns to be a main event superstar, no matter what Vince thinks. My main event would be Dolph Ziggler defending the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against the Royal Rumble winner, Daniel Bryan. Reigns would be in an upper-midcard match, possibly facing someone like Sheamus or The Miz for a midcard championship and winning the title, or beating Bray Wyatt.

 

[Navi]

To me Orton is already out the running with his "flub" last week... I have long said he had too long on his deal not to cock up and get that 3rd strike and the pattern is he always starts gaining heat for things he does, stops caring, does what he wants and then gets a suspension. Add to that he's been constantly "on" for over 12 years and it's not likely he's getting the title soon... if anything they need to start moving him down the card as others like Big Show and Kane did...whether he handles that is up to him.

The most realistic outcome still for me is Batista, but the most viable plan B would be for all 3 Shield members to headline Mania against each other... Have Rollins cash in on Reigns after he wins the title in a particularly brutal Elimination Chamber match... Ambrose could either win MITB at Mania itself and be first guy to insert himself into the match or be given the Rumble win (Reigns is too obvious at this point, but Ambrose being in the Rumble winner position would be very interesting)

That way all 3 of them would be at the same main event level, and able to cover if one got hurt..

Oh God what did I miss, what Orton flub? And here I thought I was pretty up to date with everything.

And please no not Batista. The guy hasn't been around for the last 4 years, and to bring him in to wrestle in the main event at Mania is a slap in the face to all the wrestlers who have been working their butts off. I'm going to Mania this year and Jesus Christ if he's in the main event picture, I'll reconsider the trip.

Would love to see the Shield members in a three way for the title. That would be awesome and you're right if one gets injured there are two backups. But quite honestly if Roman Reigns gets injured and can't compete I know what I'll do, I'll cry, honestly I will.

 

[DreadMaster Davis]

If Reigns gets injured, the wheel will keep spinning with somebody in his place. Namely Cesaro or Bray Wyatt. If Bray was in the top babyface role it seems ludicrous but it will work. I remember recently seeing a post that WWE had cut Bray's "(input city's name), We're here." Bc he was getting a baby face reaction and he was supposed to be a heel. He can play the character so well, if he was to face Brock, he and Heyman's promos would be so golden I'd be sold on Mania with that match alone.

 

[lil steroid meat]

Cesaro vs. Lesnar, with the angle revolving around Heyman in some way.

Actually, I'd do that anyway, with Reigns taking on a (possibly heel) Cena or The Rock.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Oh God what did I miss, what Orton flub? And here I thought I was pretty up to date with everything.

And please no not Batista. The guy hasn't been around for the last 4 years, and to bring him in to wrestle in the main event at Mania is a slap in the face to all the wrestlers who have been working their butts off. I'm going to Mania this year and Jesus Christ if he's in the main event picture, I'll reconsider the trip.

Would love to see the Shield members in a three way for the title. That would be awesome and you're right if one gets injured there are two backups. But quite honestly if Roman Reigns gets injured and can't compete I know what I'll do, I'll cry, honestly I will.

There were reports that Orton put on a very bad match at one of the house shows that had gotten him in a bit of trouble... nothing major, but generally when Orton gets heat, justified or not, his history is that things go downhill quickly attitude wise. If Orton isn't quite "with the programme" on getting Reigns over then with the seeming desperation from the office it can't end well... or maybe he just had an off night... but it wouldn't be the first time he's dicked about with talent about to be pushed big...Kennedy being a prime example.

Like Batista or not but he is gonna come back big after this film... with hindsight they would have been better holding off till after it came out but they will not pass up the opportunity

 

[L@RISANO]

There's a wildcard in all of this now... the guy who for much of the last year has been hated but now is likely to be universally loved...and a big deal.

Batista.

Guardians has opened and it's BIG... big numbers in terms of box office AND reviews for Dave's performance. He is surprisingly to many one of the 3 best and many people#s favourite thing in the film and this is going to translate into WWE without question when he returns.

If Reigns got hurt, or even if he doesn't... Dave is going to be "the guy", Vince can't let this pass without exploiting it... it was kindof the original plan for him to be going into Summerslam challenging but the fans crapped on him... it is likely now that Batista could even get the title BEFORE Reigns... sure he's not "new" talent, but he has a new lease of popularity... the numbers the movie and word of mouth means most people will know who Dave Bautista is... and suddenly Roman Regins may not be quite as "must get over" as before...

Indeed.

And as one who is a huge fan of Roman Reigns and hoping that he does succeed eventually.... having Batista gain a new lease of life might well be beneficial for Reigns in the long run, lMO, and allow him to hone his skills a bit more and endear himself to fans even more also.

Reigns is only "must get over" because of Daniel Bryan's injury,tbh. So having Batista returning soon with all the great reviews might well be a boost for the WWE as a whole.

 

[kadroan]

The smart choice would be just let him face Bryan (if he returns at the RR and wins it). That way they wouldn't have to worry about the crowd sabotaging the WM season like they did last year.

Bryan's pop at RR would be just as big, if not bigger than HHH's pop at RR 2002. It would be a great story going into WM.