Republished from Bleacher Report
(Credit: WWE.com)
When Stephanie McMahon closed the January 25 episode of Raw by announcing a Triple Threat No. 1 Contender match forWWE Fastlane, she carried out the worst possible booking option available for Roman Reigns.
The second-generation star has already struggled to connect with audiences the way one would hope a franchise player would. One must look no further than the 2015 Royal Rumble match, the WrestleMania 31 main event against Brock Lesnar and the 2016 Rumble bout to see just how unreceptive fans can be of WWE's leadbabyface.
So why then would Creative think the best course to take would be to put Reigns in a match in which both of his opponents, Lesnar and best friend Dean Ambrose, are significantly more popular than him?
The entire purpose of this year's Road to WrestleMania is to finally establish Reigns as the top star in the company. Those in power are banking on him becoming the most recognizable star in the industry, this era's John Cena, Steve Austin, The Rock or Hulk Hogan.
How WWE figures to accomplish that by exposing his lack of support from the fans in that match is a question the powers that be probably have not considered to this point.
Yes, a victory over those two Superstars would lend credibility to Reigns, but after two WWE World Heavyweight Championship reigns in the past two months, no one really doubts the son of Sika is a legitimate main event star.
They just do not particularly like him, and forcing him into a match where he is sure to generate more boos than his two opponents is not going to help matters. WWE Hall of Famer and legendary commentator Jim Ross echoed that sentiment on Twitter.
Certainly non traditional booking. Too bad for @WWERomanReigns as he's going to unnecessarily get booed. https://t.co/ugvXUWt7jj— Jim Ross (@JRsBBQ) February 4, 2016
Both Ambrose and Lesnar are infinitely more entertaining characters. The former is the Lunatic Fringe, an unpredictable and frenetic wrestler who will risk his own safety for the sake of hurting his opponent, while the latter is a brute ass-kicker the likes of which simply do not exist anywhere else in today's WWE. Those characters have a connection with the audience that Reigns does not.
As hard as he has worked to develop his in-ring game, he has been failed by writers who have not worked nearly as hard to develop his character and give fans someone they can invest themselves in emotionally. There is no reason to care about Reigns as it stands right now.
The company nearly accomplished its goal, as witnessed at TLC when Reigns laid out The League of Nations and Triple H, turning boos into chants of "Thank you, Roman." The following night on Raw, Reigns captured the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, turning the intense hatred that greeted him in that same arena 11 months earlier into cheers.
Unfortunately, a failure on the part of WWE Creative to maintain that momentum has Reigns right back where he started, a potential megastar seeking the acceptance of an audience hesitant to buy into another generic, white-bread babyface.
Which brings us back to WWE Fastlane and Reigns' date with Lesnarand Ambrose.
The lack of character development, a frustrated and indignant audience and two much more compelling personas sharing the same ring has Reigns facing certain backlash that could have been avoided with smarter decision-making on the part of those in power.
For the second consecutive month, Reigns will take to the squared circle on the WWE Network, fans booing his signature Superman Punch, the jeers intensifying as he launches himself across the squared circle with the spear, most likely on Ambrose.
And management will undoubtedly wonder why, unaware of the numerous missteps it has taken in crafting a star out of Reigns.
The Fastlane Triple Threat should not exist. It is a bout from which nothing good can come. Reigns will once again be rejected, sabotaged by the same management tasked with protecting him and doing everything they can to get him over as a top-flight babyface.
Ambrose will be the fan favorite, the audience will chant "Suplex City" as Lesnar tosses opponents around the squared circle and Reigns' path to WrestleMania will be riddled with even more bumps and potholes than before.
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