A Roman Reigns Victory over Daniel Bryan Won't Cause Fan Outrage

Early into a WrestleMania season that seemed destined for doom, Roman Reigns is suddenly a sympathetic figure.

Raw's opening segment was an allegory of current events. Reigns stood on one side in intense solitude. On the other side was Yes Movement leader Daniel Bryan and The Authority, now questioning Reigns' Royal Rumble win.

The "Reigns against the world" storyline is working. On Raw, Reigns' fans cheered with as much defiance as those who support Bryan do. Bryan has the Yes Movement, The Authority has everything, and Reigns has nobody.

At the conclusion of WWE Fastlane, Reigns may also be left with nothing come WrestleMania. Reigns will face Bryan for the right to main event WWE's biggest show. Budding sympathy, combined with a smart finish, will quell any uprising that defined yet another Royal Rumble.

WWE was doomed with Batista in a similar role this time last year. He simply didn't work as a sympathetic figure. Batista was already a multiple-time world champion. His ties to The Authority were pronounced, even as a babyface who remained chummy with Triple H.

Reigns is still an upstart in the midst of his first hero's journey.

A high-stakes match between Reigns and Bryan is the key to restless fans accepting Reigns as the next top star. Reigns and Bryan have had good matches in the past. A competitive, show-stopping match at Fastlane will solidify Reigns as the right choice for Brock Lesnar, especially if he wins.

A defeated Bryan shaking hands with Reigns after a narrow loss would be like passing the baton from WrestleMania XXX to the present day. Still, WWE may need to get a little more creative.

Following Dolph Ziggler's challenge to Bryan on Twitter, F4WOnline reported Bryan vs. Ziggler is on the books for WrestleMania. This is an ideal matchup to placate those who desperately want to see Bryan in another main event.

A Ziggler heel turn would set the stage for an intriguing feud from an in-ring standpoint and creatively. If a Ziggler-Bryan feud begins at Fastlane, The Yes Movement will forget why it was ever mad at Reigns.

Listen for more on Reigns-Bryan at Fastlane, Undertaker-Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania and other wrestling stories!

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