Roman Reigns' Loss on Raw Builds Fan Compassion Heading into WWE WrestleMania 31

Taking a loss on the Road to WrestleMania was a blow to Roman Reigns during Monday night’s edition of Raw, but his defeat at the hands of Seth Rollins is only helping to build compassion from the WWE Universe.

There is a vocal majority of the fanbase that legitimately likes Reigns, and the number of supporters is growing with every well-booked segment the company produces.

Many people believe that Reigns should be portrayed as strong as possible leading into a match against WWE world heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 31, but the creative team is doing a stellar job giving the Royal Rumble winner the opportunities needed to prove his doubters wrong.

While he may have lost the match Monday night in a fluke, he still managed to hit all of his spots and stand tall for the night. Unlike John Cena, Reigns is slowly losing the perception that he is being booked as the second coming of Superman. After being portrayed as the quiet tough guy in the final segment of the night, taking losses doesn’t hurt as much as long as he is able to clean house following the match.

It has been clear for months that Reigns was the company’s hand-picked cornerstone, and his victory at the Royal Rumble cemented the decision. As much as the fans want to believe Daniel Bryan had a chance at Fastlane, the more likely scenario is Vince McMahon never wavered on his decision.

Bryan and Heyman have commented that Reigns is the real deal and one of the best in the business, all with the intention of helping both hardcore and casual fans embrace the former member of The Shield. A loss Monday night gives further proof to the WWE Universe that it’s acceptable to like Reigns.

With Reigns continuing to fight fairly and dealing with outside interference, the majority of the fanbase can’t help but get tired of the heels getting the upper hand and will instinctively began rooting for the good guy. Losses humanize Reigns, and that should cause fans to want to support him more.

Another factor changing Reigns’ public perception is the belief of most fans that Lesnar would destroy him physically in a real fight. While Reigns will likely win the WWE championship, there is a growing portion of the WWE Universe that is starting to feel bad for the challenger as he prepares to step into the ring with one of the most physically imposing figures in wrestling history.

If the company wants to continue building fan support for Reigns, the first step is cutting back on his mic time. He has grown leaps and bounds with his promos, but with Paul Heyman doing most of the heavy lifting, Reigns should become the strong, silent type.

A loss on Monday’s episode of Raw helped break some of the negative stigmas that surrounded Reigns, but the WWE must continue putting the No. 1 contender in a position to succeed in the ring and on the mic.

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