Roman Reigns Riots, The Shield, John Cena and More in the Vocal Minority Mailbag

Is it me, or does it seem like some fans are sharpening their pitchforks to chase Roman Reigns out of the main event? WWE will have a real fight on its hands, and it will take shrewd, psychologically sound booking in order to trick fans into at least feeling sorry for Reigns so he is not seen as somebody who is "forced down their throats."

During his match against Big Show on last Monday's Raw, minimal chants of "Roman sucks" could be heard followed by slightly more vocal chants of "boring." The chants weren't significant, but they were there, and they'll only continue to grow as Reigns' stature does. WWE needs to be aware of the built-in insubordination and act accordingly.

No wonder he's still wearing his riot gear.

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@ThisIsNasty Can you see the Royal Rumble ending with Ambrose, Reigns, and Rollins as the last three men?

— Tom Johnson (@tjohn224) December 23, 2014"

Absolutely. This could be the first Royal Rumble final three that results in a "this is awesome" chant. The Royal Rumble is like WWE's all-star game. Those who have had the best years are usually highlighted in some form or fashion.

Given The Shield's incredible run from 2012 to 2014, combined with their successful singles careers post-Shield, having all three members in the final three would be WWE's way of establishing that the future of the promotion is now. What's tricky about this situation is how hot fans will be to see Ambrose win the Royal Rumble juxtaposed against the growing resentment toward Reigns.

It's inevitable that Reigns develops a sizable pocket of detractors among WWE fans. That's the world we live in. But WWE has to be careful his detractors remain split with ardent supporters—much like John Cena—so he does not become the Batista of early 2014.

The closer a Dolph Ziggler or an Ambrose comes to winning the Royal Rumble, the more fans will reject Reigns should he win. WWE needs to be smart about how cult favorites are eliminated. If a heel assists in these eliminations, all the heat will go to the heel in question rather than the WWE front office. From there, a WrestleMania storyline could ensue.

Fans are more likely to accept a cult favorite not being in the main event of WrestleMania if it means he'll get revenge on the villain who is to blame.

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@ThisIsNasty Do you think we will ever see Ronda Rousey enter a WWE ring? #mailbag #BIGnasty

— Lewis James Miller (@lewis_miller12) December 23, 2014"

Isn't it only fitting for what has become a cold war between the UFC and WWE?

The relationship between these two promotions couldn't have been any smoother earlier this summer when Ronda Rousey and her UFC peers assisted Stephanie McMahon in taking the Ice Bucket Challenge.

Since then, former WWE malcontent CM Punk has shockingly joined the UFC. With WWE world heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar set to become a free agent in 2015, UFC will figure to be involved in the Lesnar sweepstakes. According to a UFC.com interview with UFC President Dana White, the top mixed martial arts promotion would not be against having Lesnar return to the Octagon.

Rousey remains one of the biggest stars to compete in the Octagon due to a strong combination of dominance and marketability. Rousey's fights are usually closer to exhibitions with a field of impuissant contenders. With a dwindling field of competitive opponents to pit against the reigning women's bantamweight champion, it wouldn't be a surprise for the longtime pro wrestling fan to look at WWE as her next challenge.

Given the possibility of both CM Punk and Lesnar being under contract with UFC in 2015—not to mention growing whispers of Alberto Del Rio potentially competing for Bellator (from Marc Raimondi of MMAFighting.com)—WWE does not want to be seen as a place where its biggest stars leave to fight for real.

Landing Rousey would be a coup for the WWE, both for mainstream recognition and pay-per-view/WWE Network buys.

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@ThisIsNasty can you see John Cena beating Brock Lesnar at Royal Rumble and Seth Rollins cashing in his MITB briefcase?  #WWEMailbag

— Ty Thompson (@Ty_Thompson9) December 22, 2014"

No. If this is the plan for the Royal Rumble, then why have WrestleMania? Lesnar's first loss in two years and Rollins cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase should both be reserved for the biggest show of the year.

Assuming Reigns is in the WrestleMania main event, one way to create much-needed sympathy for Cena's projected heir apparent is to have him win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, only to lose it in the same night to an opportunistic Rollins.

If WWE really wants to go all in on Reigns as a sympathetic babyface, they'd book Cena's heel turn on Reigns, the return of The Authority and Rollins winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship to close WrestleMania. But that would never happen, would it?

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