The Stars are Aligning..........well maybe.

[Navi]

I was just reading on the Wrestling Observer that Meltzer is reporting Roman Reigns is due back sooner than we thought. He is saying that we could see Reigns in a WWE ring as early as December and he could possibly work the TLC PPV.

Apparently the WWE is in a bit of a quandary though. They don't want to rush him back and put him into a position where he might re-injure himself, and they don't know if leaving him out of the line up till the Rumble would be a good idea. They don't want another Batista episode on their hands like they had last year. Supposedly the plans are still in place for a Lesnar/Reigns match at Mania.

Personally speaking for myself only, I think the sooner he get back the better for him. The longer he stays out the harder it will be for him to come back, and look at what's happened since he left. Ambrose has rightly grabbed the spotlight and run off with it. Reigns needs to get back into the ring and make his presence felt.

I also think that he shouldn't go for the title at Mania, maybe Summerslam would be better. He's had no build to anything even resembling a feud, and I don't know if they can even make this possible with Lesnar showing up intermittently like he does.

It would take a Herculean effort for Reigns to come back in good shape, take on whoever they throw at him, and continue to be Alpha male right through till he meets Brock Lesnar. I would rather see him win the title at Summerslam and carry it through the winter. Not all title changes have to happen at Wrestlemania.

So what do you all think should happen? A return in December or a surprise run in during the Rumble?

 

[Hbk4life]

I don't miss Roman being shoved down my throat as hard as the Network at all. I like the guy but they were trying to do too much too soon, and Raw has been much better with The Ambrose/Seth/Cena/Wyatt things going on without Roman in the mix tbh.

 

[Aquaman6686]

Although I feel WrestleMania 31 is way too soon for Roman Reigns to be a main event talent, I think he's a much better choice than Bray Wyatt, Dean Ambrose, and Seth Rollins, who between the three of them suck up 95% of the TV time these days. As someone who can't stand any of them, right now Roman Reigns would be a relief, since he's the least ill-prepared of the current crop. But WWE has so many much more talented individuals they could be pushing for that top spot, how these guys got the nod over much better Superstars will always be a mystery to me.

 

[joey414]

Id have Roman return to raw after TLC spear rollins and announce his entry to royal rumble, have him win it from 20th placed entrant and go on to win at mainia

I just did it on WWE 2K14 and it worked out great

Reigns could have a stellar career at the top as long as he is managed properly and avoids injury, id have him go heel during the title run as well or we end up with a samoan cena, aint no one wanna see that

 

[L@RISANO]

I was just reading on the Wrestling Observer that Meltzer is reporting Roman Reigns is due back sooner than we thought. He is saying that we could see Reigns in a WWE ring as early as December and he could possibly work the TLC PPV.

Apparently the WWE is in a bit of a quandary though. They don't want to rush him back and put him into a position where he might re-injure himself, and they don't know if leaving him out of the line up till the Rumble would be a good idea. They don't want another Batista episode on their hands like they had last year. Supposedly the plans are still in place for a Lesnar/Reigns match at Mania.

Personally speaking for myself only, I think the sooner he get back the better for him. The longer he stays out the harder it will be for him to come back, and look at what's happened since he left. Ambrose has rightly grabbed the spotlight and run off with it. Reigns needs to get back into the ring and make his presence felt.

I also think that he shouldn't go for the title at Mania, maybe Summerslam would be better. He's had no build to anything even resembling a feud, and I don't know if they can even make this possible with Lesnar showing up intermittently like he does.

It would take a Herculean effort for Reigns to come back in good shape, take on whoever they throw at him, and continue to be Alpha male right through till he meets Brock Lesnar. I would rather see him win the title at Summerslam and carry it through the winter. Not all title changes have to happen at Wrestlemania.

So what do you all think should happen? A return in December or a surprise run in during the Rumble?

I too, believe he needs to return as quickly as possible before the Rumble if the Lesnar-Reigns plans are still in place as rumoured.
With Lesnar being built up as unbeatable, Reigns has to continue being built as the "Immovable Object" to counter him and more importantly, he needs to get a viable connection with the crowd before the Rumble itself.


As for your assertion that he doesn't need to win the title at Mania.
IF he does face Lesnar at Mania, then he needs to win the title, no doubt. However, I would love if a Rollins cash-in follows to end the night, as I don't believe Reigns needs that big moment of glory at such an early juncture in his Singles career(that big moment can always come at a different time).


That said; I still maintain that IF as the latest Reigns "satellite" interview asserted, and he is going to go after Rollins when he returns, then a well thought out, well booked programme where he finally finishes off the Authority with a match vs Triple H, should be kept until Mania itself, as I believe long-term, that might work out better for Reigns as a Singles star(its not like they have given Brock the kind of opponents to make him a true hated heel anyways...).


I, for one, can't wait for the Roman Empire to reigns supreme once again.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Not knowing how Roman's recovery is going....and how resilient his body & attitude are in these matters....leaves us all at a disadvantage in trying to determine whether he should come back sooner rather than later.

One thing: we wouldn't like it, and WWE might wind up regretting it, if the company's original intention was to have him fight for the world title at WM31....and they're going to follow through with those plans as if Roman hadn't been injured at all....and therefore bring him back earlier than the medical staff would advise.

That could be disastrous, obviously. On the other hand, if his injury has already forced management to acknowledge that he (and the storyline) wouldn't be ready in time for April, there's really no reason to force him to perform in December. The guy is young, there's plenty of time to build him back up without deciding the sky will fall if he isn't shooting for the top at WM31.

Give it another month 'til the Rumble. Better to be safe.

 

[Reflection]

The problem I foresee is that now in addition to the unbeatables John Cena and face-Ryback, we might have Reigns in the picture pretty soon as well. If Daniel Bryan comes back there will be one more face that cannot lose. Maybe that's why they f**ked Dean Ambrose in the a** at a time when everyone wanted to see him deliver that climatic c*mshot to end the episode. Ahem... Anyway, Reigns's road might seem a bit steep at this point, but I'm adherent he will better equipped than before and will make his ascension with more success this time around. The last couple of Streak matches didn't have a proper build-up until the final two weeks; John Cena vs The Rock feuds had more advertising than action; Roman Reigns too won't need too long a story or "build-up", in my opinion. All he will need is one auspicious moment to make his big return.

 

[Navi]

I too, believe he needs to return as quickly as possible before the Rumble if the Lesnar-Reigns plans are still in place as rumoured.
With Lesnar being built up as unbeatable, Reigns has to continue being built as the "Immovable Object" to counter him and more importantly, he needs to get a viable connection with the crowd before the Rumble itself.

As for your assertion that he doesn't need to win the title at Mania.
IF he does face Lesnar at Mania, then he needs to win the title, no doubt. However, I would love if a Rollins cash-in follows to end the night, as I don't believe Reigns needs that big moment of glory at such an early juncture in his Singles career(that big moment can always come at a different time).

That said; I still maintain that IF as the latest Reigns "satellite" interview asserted, and he is going to go after Rollins when he returns, then a well thought out, well booked programme where he finally finishes off the Authority with a match vs Triple H, should be kept until Mania itself, as I believe long-term, that might work out better for Reigns as a Singles star(its not like they have given Brock the kind of opponents to make him a true hated heel anyways...).

I, for one, can't wait for the Roman Empire to reigns supreme once again.

I don't think he should be going for the title at all during Wrestlemania. Remember last year Daniel Bryan, we watched that story develop for months, way before the Rumble and end up being victorious at Mania. A feel good moment for everyone.

There just isn't enough time to get a decent feud going. Especially with Lesnar who is MIA most of the time. He would need to do what Cena did, get beat by Lesnar and then return for the victory. Maybe more than once as I don't think they've ever met in the ring. Could be wrong on that though.

If Reigns does go against Lesnar for the title and then Rollins cashes in, it would be a waste of Reigns. Have someone else, Cena perhaps win it, then Rollins can cash in. Cena can tie Flair's streak and Reigns can then get into a feud with Rollins for the title and win it off him at Summerslam.

Not knowing how Roman's recovery is going....and how resilient his body & attitude are in these matters....leaves us all at a disadvantage in trying to determine whether he should come back sooner rather than later.

One thing: we wouldn't like it, and WWE might wind up regretting it, if the company's original intention was to have him fight for the world title at WM31....and they're going to follow through with those plans as if Roman hadn't been injured at all....and therefore bring him back earlier than the medical staff would advise.

That could be disastrous, obviously. On the other hand, if his injury has already forced management to acknowledge that he (and the storyline) wouldn't be ready in time for April, there's really no reason to force him to perform in December. The guy is young, there's plenty of time to build him back up without deciding the sky will fall if he isn't shooting for the top at WM31.

Give it another month 'til the Rumble. Better to be safe.

It would be disastrous if he was re-injured I agree with you there, but he has to get back into that ring. He needs to get the fans behind him again. The problem with Reigns has been his booking since the Shield broke up, it's been non-existent.

Reigns has to build up some credibility, so the fans don't turn on him. Come back slowly, but give him a feud with some meat to it, Rollins perhaps, not just Kane.

 

[Wrestlingaholic]

Given WWE's previous, it wouldn't surprise me if Reigns was the 5th member of Team Cena at Survivor Series

 

[TheICChampion]

I still think Reigns needs to go for the IC belt before he wins the World title. Think about it, even the golden boy Cena won a US title a few times before they gave him the WWE title. I can't think of anyone in WWE history (except maybe Hogan) who didn't win at least one mid-card singles title before being catapulted to World title level. Hold off, let him gain momentum, win a mid-card belt, lose it, THEN challenge for the World championship. One of the downsides of pushing someone is they have to get it just right, otherwise it'll fall flat. Too fast (like Reigns was before he got injured) and people will complain he's being shoved down their throat. Too slow and people will get bored and lose interest. WAY too much room for error.

 

[HBKistheHOF]

I agree with Hbk4life that RAW has basically been better without Reigns there & although I do really like him as a performer, the WWE was starting to push him too far, too fast.

In concern to Roman's relevance it would probably be best if he did return sooner rather than later, especially since all the updates via satellite got really old really fast.

But overall I think it'd be best if they really took their time bringing Reigns back. Rollins isn't going anywhere for the foreseeable future & their feud could pick back up at a moments notice. Roman really just needs more time to develop his craft & as much as I want to see him vs. Lesnar, Reigns isn't ready for the world title or a WM main event match yet.

 

[L@RISANO]

I don't think he should be going for the title at all during Wrestlemania. Remember last year Daniel Bryan, we watched that story develop for months, way before the Rumble and end up being victorious at Mania. A feel good moment for everyone.

There just isn't enough time to get a decent feud going. Especially with Lesnar who is MIA most of the time. He would need to do what Cena did, get beat by Lesnar and then return for the victory. Maybe more than once as I don't think they've ever met in the ring. Could be wrong on that though.

If Reigns does go against Lesnar for the title and then Rollins cashes in, it would be a waste of Reigns. Have someone else, Cena perhaps win it, then Rollins can cash in. Cena can tie Flair's streak and Reigns can then get into a feud with Rollins for the title and win it off him at Summerslam.

I do see where you're coming from and I do agree, but with Lesnar's possible challenger list by Mania looking like all John Cena, I doubt it matters at all whether Reigns was available or not....the Reigns feud that will definitely suffer if Reigns vs Lesnar goes ahead is a good long Final Authority Feud with Triple H which started as far back as the night after Mania 30(when Reigns speared HHH to start the Shield vs Evolution/Authority feud).


As for why a Rollins cash-in on Reigns makes sense. Simple really, and I am surprised you can't see the value in it.
Basically, Rollins cashing in on a hurt and tired Roman Reigns after his brutal match with the Beast, means that the new story going forward is all set with Traitorface vs A sympathetic Hero in Reigns who was screwed out by the sly scum of the Shield. It is the perfect set-up and Ambrose can be added in somehow as well, and we could well get that Epic 3-Way Shield match for the title at SummerSlam 2015.

Such a scenario is Far from being a waste of Roman Reigns, I think it is one of the scenarios that could help him get over more organically in the long term(the other being to turn him into the New Monster Heel after he defeats the Beast Incarnate).


Trust me, one thing I can see occurring if Reigns wins clean at Mania and gets a "Golden Moment" is the fans turning on him like they do with Cena, only it will be worse given his being much less established than Cena. Long term, that won't be a good thing at all.

 

[L@RISANO]

I still think Reigns needs to go for the IC belt before he wins the World title. Think about it, even the golden boy Cena won a US title a few times before they gave him the WWE title. I can't think of anyone in WWE history (except maybe Hogan) who didn't win at least one mid-card singles title before being catapulted to World title level. Hold off, let him gain momentum, win a mid-card belt, lose it, THEN challenge for the World championship. One of the downsides of pushing someone is they have to get it just right, otherwise it'll fall flat. Too fast (like Reigns was before he got injured) and people will complain he's being shoved down their throat. Too slow and people will get bored and lose interest. WAY too much room for error.

In today's world, the IC title means nothing at all. Having someone like Reigns/Rollins/Ambrose be saddled with such props(which is what they are now anyway) and who as the Shield were regularly in the Main Events of the past year, is a waste of their talents and overness.


Reigns just needs a proper well-built feud as a Singles to launch as his former teammates have had the benefit of, and he will be a nailed on Main Event talent through such. Making him go after the IC title would be a huge waste at this point given how high he has been futured until now.

 

[Aquaman6686]

In today's world, the IC title means nothing at all. Having someone like Reigns/Rollins/Ambrose be saddled with such props(which is what they are now anyway) and who as the Shield were regularly in the Main Events of the past year, is a waste of their talents and overness.


Reigns just needs a proper well-built feud as a Singles to launch as his former teammates have had the benefit of, and he will be a nailed on Main Event talent through such. Making him go after the IC title would be a huge waste at this point given how high he has been futured until now.

That's a matter of opinion, not fact. I don't see any of the former Shield members as being big enough to hold the Intercontinental Championship. I think one of the biggest misconceptions in wrestling with fans today is "the guy makes the title". That will NEVER be true in my eyes. The title makes the guy, not the other way around. None of those three are anywhere close to main event status in my eyes.

 

[L@RISANO]

That's a matter of opinion, not fact. I don't see any of the former Shield members as being big enough to hold the Intercontinental Championship. I think one of the biggest misconceptions in wrestling with fans today is "the guy makes the title". That will NEVER be true in my eyes. The title makes the guy, not the other way around. None of those three are anywhere close to main event status in my eyes.

If the title actually meant anything, then I'd accept the notion that the "title makes the guy", but in today's world, it is very much the other way around, and you only have to watch the product in order to realise that.


If the Shield aren't 'close' to Main Event status, I am curious to know which Current Active Superstars can be termed as being of such a status...

 

[The Samoan Heritage]

I can't wait to see the return of Roman Reigns. Every since guys like Taker, Edge, Michaels, etc have left or became part timers, a lot of my family/friends had lost interest in Wwe. Lately they seems to have all been praising guys like Bray, Ambrose, Neville, etc. And have found new favorites, while I seem to be the only person that has yet to find a new favorite. Reigns is the only guy that has given me any reason of interest, and I am very intrigued by what his future holds in wwe.
I believe when it comes down to Rollins and Ambrose's push, wwe has been doing an exceptional job. When it comes to Reigns they are f***'n things up by rushing it. I feel like Reigns and Rollins should've turned on Ambrose, but the next week have Reigns also turn on the Authority and go his seperate way as a bad@** tweener/heel. They should've build Reigns up as a mega heel, that always had Cena's number when matched up. Have Lesnar/Heyman gloat about being the most dominate in wwe, there's no one who could dominate Cena and undertaker the way he has.....when out comes Reigns. I feel like When Mega heels turn face, it always gets over in a big way. (Look no further then Randy right now)
I hate that wwe is rushing Reigns's push, because its obvious he isn't ready, but he does have major potential. Its only good news that he is taking acting classes while out, because its pretty clear that he needs it, if he's going to become the face of the company.

 

[kadroan]

Since they're so high on him main eventing WrestleMania the sooner his return the better.

He needs to prove to the masses that he's worthy of main eventing WrestleMania vs. being like Batista and winning the Royal Rumble on his first appearance back and having to feud with Del Rio to justify his push.

Him returning at the Rumble and winning it would be worst than Batista. I don't think fans would be too happy if he won it over Orton, Ambrose and Bryan.

His best bet is to comeback the RAW after Survivor Series and feud with Rollins right away and get the win he probably would have got at Night of Champions.

 

[Navi]

I still think Reigns needs to go for the IC belt before he wins the World title. Think about it, even the golden boy Cena won a US title a few times before they gave him the WWE title. I can't think of anyone in WWE history (except maybe Hogan) who didn't win at least one mid-card singles title before being catapulted to World title level. Hold off, let him gain momentum, win a mid-card belt, lose it, THEN challenge for the World championship. One of the downsides of pushing someone is they have to get it just right, otherwise it'll fall flat. Too fast (like Reigns was before he got injured) and people will complain he's being shoved down their throat. Too slow and people will get bored and lose interest. WAY too much room for error.

If he was going to go for the IC he should have done it right after the Shield broke up. it was clear though that the WWE had plans for all three of them, and going for a mid card title wouldn't have made any sense. It's like someone suggested the other day Cena should feud now with Rusev. That maybe a bad example, but it's somewhat along the same lines. It would be a step down for Cena to feud with him and win the IC title, when he's embroiled in a feud with Lesnar for the WWE title.

Not only that Reigns and Rollins are former tag team champions, so he has in effect held a title.

I do see where you're coming from and I do agree, but with Lesnar's possible challenger list by Mania looking like all John Cena, I doubt it matters at all whether Reigns was available or not....the Reigns feud that will definitely suffer if Reigns vs Lesnar goes ahead is a good long Final Authority Feud with Triple H which started as far back as the night after Mania 30(when Reigns speared HHH to start the Shield vs Evolution/Authority feud).

As for why a Rollins cash-in on Reigns makes sense. Simple really, and I am surprised you can't see the value in it.
Basically, Rollins cashing in on a hurt and tired Roman Reigns after his brutal match with the Beast, means that the new story going forward is all set with Traitorface vs A sympathetic Hero in Reigns who was screwed out by the sly scum of the Shield. It is the perfect set-up and Ambrose can be added in somehow as well, and we could well get that Epic 3-Way Shield match for the title at SummerSlam 2015.

Such a scenario is Far from being a waste of Roman Reigns, I think it is one of the scenarios that could help him get over more organically in the long term(the other being to turn him into the New Monster Heel after he defeats the Beast Incarnate).

Trust me, one thing I can see occurring if Reigns wins clean at Mania and gets a "Golden Moment" is the fans turning on him like they do with Cena, only it will be worse given his being much less established than Cena. Long term, that won't be a good thing at all.

No I do see what you're saying, but I think it should work in a different and more believable way.

Since Lesnar won the title he's had one title defense and that was against Cena. Now Cena has won the right to have another rematch with Lesnar for another title shot. Reigns has been out almost this whole time with an injury and hasn't been involved in the picture at all. Now I think it's too late to inject him, and for what reason. The fans would crap all over him, just like they did to Cena in the Ambrose/Rollins feud.

Even if the WWE has plans for a Lesnar/Reigns battle at Mania, they don't have much time to get it started. I do see the value in a Rollins cash in but against who is going to be the big question. Even if Reigns wins the Rumble, you still have Cena to contend with, plus a Randy Orton who still is owed a match. Maybe a returning Daniel Bryan, or a Batista. All of a sudden you have a lot of people wanting the title and they all have good reasons for it.

 

[GeminiGarlord]

If Bryan actually return they could teaming them together and have them feud GoldStar for the title. Seems like a demotion but it actually has lots of pros.

1- diminished work rate so they can be safe and recover better
2- both will build up face overness, and reigns turning on bryan would make for a great feud
3- help give prestige to the hopelessly repetitive tag team division
4- At the moment the main event doesn't really needs them
5- Having a returned Reigns immediatly go for the championship may have the audience turn on him, since they weren't so big on him even before his injury

As both have already been tag team champions it wouldn't even be that far-fetched a run.

 

[HeroForHire]

I think Reign's needs a better build up, and he it needs to be done right. Having him beat Brock at WM to me is crazy. I'm flummoxed at the WWE for thinking I want to see a guy win the World Heavy weight title right away. Sheamus has done a decent job after he won it, but there is no where else to go for them. Let Reign's win the IC title, and have him crush everyone in his path. Then at SS he puts it up against Brock, who also has crushed everyone, and then they clash at SS. WM is already a big seller. You can help SS too with that match up.

 

[willross]

If Reigns isn't the 5th member of Team Cena, then I doubt he returns prior to Royal Rumble and will probably come in at #29 just to get some what of a shock pop out of the crowd that will very likely be anticipating his return.

 

[L@RISANO]

No I do see what you're saying, but I think it should work in a different and more believable way.

Since Lesnar won the title he's had one title defense and that was against Cena. Now Cena has won the right to have another rematch with Lesnar for another title shot. Reigns has been out almost this whole time with an injury and hasn't been involved in the picture at all. Now I think it's too late to inject him, and for what reason. The fans would crap all over him, just like they did to Cena in the Ambrose/Rollins feud.

Even if the WWE has plans for a Lesnar/Reigns battle at Mania, they don't have much time to get it started. I do see the value in a Rollins cash in but against who is going to be the big question. Even if Reigns wins the Rumble, you still have Cena to contend with, plus a Randy Orton who still is owed a match. Maybe a returning Daniel Bryan, or a Batista. All of a sudden you have a lot of people wanting the title and they all have good reasons for it.

Thing is, based on how Brock's dates work, I doubt we'll get a good enough build for his Wrestlemania feud regardless of who he faces(remember the build for the Streak match last year? It was crap,lMO.)


I do agree with your point wholeheartedly in that such a match between Reigns and Lesnar requires a proper build, but whether he got injured or not, I don't see it happening, unfortunately.



That said; I just worry that an Epic feud between Reigns and HHH will be lost or toned down because of a set plan involving Reigns and Lesnar.
Again, my point from a couple months ago stands, Lack of Continuity will hurt Reigns in the long run, and I am appalled that the WWE don't quite see it.



On another lighter note: I read that Roman Reigns is taking acting classes with Howard Fine.