Roman Reigns Will Be an Unpopular Favorite to Win the Royal Rumble

If Roman Reigns is the next John Cena, it’ll certainly sound like it in Philadelphia.

Through one week of WWE programming since making his return at WWE TLC, WWE has made no bones about Reigns being the lights-out favorite to win the Royal Rumble.

Reigns has been fed Fandango, and on multiple occasions he stood toe-to-toe with the Big Show, who he will likely beat in a future one-on-one match. Reigns remains the only WWE Superstar officially entered in the Royal Rumble match. He received the fanfare of announcing his participation the same way a presidential candidate accepts his party’s nomination.

Many vocal wrestling fans of this era have a tendency to reject any WWE Superstar they feel is being forced on them. The big-four pay-per-view will be held in the birthplace of the famed underdog Rocky franchise. In the context of a Rocky movie, Reigns is being booked like Ivan Drago.

Reigns’ injury abbreviated the time WWE had to slowly, methodically build him up to the main event. Now returning just before WrestleMania season, with WWE failing to tell a compelling story of his comeback, he has since been booked into overdrive to make up for lost time.

A similar situation played out with Batista at the beginning of 2014. His sudden return in January led to resistance from fans who preferred a more deserving competitor in Daniel Bryan. And while Reigns presents the most viable choice to not only win the Royal Rumble but also eventually unseat Brock Lesnar, he will not win over the cynical fan of today if his road to WrestleMania remains this smooth.

At this point, WWE doesn’t need to announce anybody else for the Royal Rumble, as Reigns has been the focal point of potential contenders. As the field continues to fill up, it is important that WWE focuses on a handful of stars trumpeted as candidates who could actually spoil Reigns’ currently inevitable journey to the top of the WWE.

Rocky Balboa became such a boxing icon because his success was improbable, if not impossible, to fathom. Much like the movie itself, WWE is scripted. As a 6'3", 265-pound heartthrob, Reigns isn’t an ideal underdog. But roadblocks—from the return of The Authority to a field that conspires against him—will help create sympathy for a character who is far too dominant for his own good.