WWE: Roman Reigns' Spot on Top Isn't Guaranteed

When Brock Lesnar did the unthinkable and ended The Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak, it divided wrestling audiences everywhere.

Some people were mad that The Phenom lost, and others were too shocked to even develop an opinion.

But amongst those who knew that The Streak eventually had to end, the general criticism is that the man to end it was Roman Reigns.

Credit: WWE.com

The idea is that Reigns is the WWE’s obvious next big star, a fact that’s been foreshadowed by the company itself, so the landmark victory should’ve been used to propel him to his inevitable spot on top.

But the thing is, there’s every chance the powerhouse Hound of Justice won’t make it there.

Right now it looks like Reigns is a sure-fire future WWE Champion. He’s gotten a megapush; victories over the likes of Mark Henry and CM Punk, 12 eliminations at the Royal Rumble plus his epic Survivor Series performance make him look like wrestling’s next superman.

But nothing is a guarantee in the WWE.

To use the most recent in a long list of examples, take Ryback. Back in 2012, he seemed poised to be a future megastar. He had the look, and despite his in-ring deficiencies, he was over.

For five months he ran through everyone and was made to look indestructible.

But John Cena would end up getting injured in October, and thanks to the thin talent roster, Ryback was fast tracked to the main event, where he lost to CM Punk at Hell in a Cell.

That was the beginning of the end for Ryback, who suffered loss after loss after loss at pay-per-views before being sent down to the lower card, where he finds himself today.

The Ryback of 2014 doesn’t even vaguely resemble the Ryback of 2012, and the same thing could feasibly happen to Roman Reigns.

Credit: WWE.com

This is no slight against the performer. Reigns, though not as tenured as Shield stablemates Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose, is super-athletic and looks like a million bucks—he’s certainly capable of drawing more.

But fans should realize that all it takes is one poor booking choice for months of solid ones to be undone, and it only takes one powerful official to tire of a performer to begin their spiral down the card.

Hopefully Roman Reigns becomes a huge star—but too many fans seem to think this a foregone conclusion, whereas truthfully his path to the top is not as clear as it seems.