Roman Reigns Still on Track to Be a Top Star After WWE WrestleMania 31 Loss

Roman Reigns had to swim through a sea of detractors on his way to the ring at WrestleMania 31. To many, he was on his way to winning a championship that he didn't deserve.

By night's end, Reigns failed to capture the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, and he'll be better off for it.

As soon as fans became clued in to the fact that Reigns was pegged as WWE's next top star, they immediately resented him. Daniel Bryan's return at the Royal Rumble only added fuel to that fire. But after shrewd booking during the main event and a surprise payoff, Reigns is a suddenly sympathetic hero.

Reigns smiling through a beating handed out by Brock Lesnar only to dish out a beating of his own makes him look like the "Samoan bad ass" Paul Heyman said he was both on and off camera.

In an interview with Ryan Clark of IGN on Saturday, Heyman responded to criticism of Reigns not being ready for a main event spot:

"

I think anyone who questions whether or not Roman Reigns is ready for where he is in his career is blind to how talented this young man is. I don’t see the criticism. I don’t agree with any of the critiques. Clearly he is a total bad ass that can bring it in the ring, and walked away from a promising football career to get into the business that has fed his family for many, many years.

"

Reigns seemed to be closing in on beating Lesnar before Seth Rollins showed up. As long as WWE has a slimy heel champion in Rollins, Reigns will continue to gain support from fans while he chases the titleholder.

Lesnar's absence will allow Reigns to grow as a main eventer as he continues to feud with Rollins, who excels as a true heel alongside The Authority.

Reigns won't even have to worry about the "Yes!" Movement since WWE placated it with Bryan's Intercontinental Championship victory at WrestleMania.

During a recent Q&A with Vince Russo, the former WWE Head Creative Writer opined that Rollins' win was all part of a larger plan to get Reigns over.

"[With] Lesnar, obviously, some people cheer him, some people boo him, but Rollins—the fact that he's going to be the full-fledged heel, he's with Stephanie, Triple H (and) the whole package around him—now Vince [McMahon] can have Reigns really positioned as a babyface and get him one more chance to beat a heel," he said.

"In my opinion, I think that's the only reason Rollins is in this spot right now. Listen, I know Vince McMahon and if he wants Roman Reigns, he's going to have Roman Reigns. Trust me. And to Seth Rollins' credit, all to his credit, he's a phenomenal heel, he's a great heel and he will help make Reigns a stronger babyface."

As great as Rollins has been, he'll function as a champion of the establishment. After losing to Randy Orton and winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship by nefarious means, he'll be presented as a very beatable champion moving forward.

Fans will be trained to believe he does not deserve the title. If or when Rollins and Reigns square off in the future, it will be the opportunistic champion against a resilient, persistent challenger. 

This bodes well for Reigns.

Reigns failing to capture the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania was a blessing in disguise. Nothing was handed to him.

In fact, it's Rollins who now looks like he was gifted the WWE World Heavyweight Championship after playing the vulture at the end of a hard-fought match. Fans are already changing their tune and backing Reigns after a brilliant performance:

"

For all those who hated on @WWERomanReigns post his RR win, it's okay to go ahead and apologize now! What a #WrestleMania. @WWE

— Daris Brown (@HTRMrWikipedia) March 30, 2015"

"

Brilliant #WrestleMania. A good @WWE ppv after years @BrockLesnar was awesome and so was @WWERomanReigns. But @WWERollins steals the title

— Varun Dhawan (@Varun_dvn) March 30, 2015"

"

He may lost the battle.... but he definitely won the war #RomanReigns #WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/ao3iLKjQKs

— Mlo_ok (@Malook_az) March 30, 2015"

"

All that energy you wasted worrying about @WWERomanReigns being WWE Champion seems kinda foolish now, doesn't it? #RAWTonight

— WWE Creative Humor (@WWECreative_ish) March 30, 2015"

Reigns can now continue a journey that previously wasn't executed well enough to make him seem like a deserving challenger. By the end of this prolonged journey, Reigns will be a top star and fans will accept it.

Unless otherwise noted, quotes were obtained firsthand. Alfred Konuwa is a Featured Columnist and on-air host for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @ThisIsNasty and listen to his weekly wrestling podcast.