Roman Reigns Should Retire the Big Show to Gain Credibility with Fans

The biggest storyline for Roman Reigns' match against The Big Show at Extreme Rules won't be how much punishment they can withstand from one another, but how much punishment they can withstand from a rowdy Chicago Crowd.

Reigns' match against The Big Show has no major stakes, thereby making it seem more like a retread of the countless matches they've had over the past few months. The wrestling snobs of Chicago will have no incentive to emotionally invest in a match between two WWE Superstars who represent the mainstream wrestling product they despise.

As I mentioned on this week's PodNasty Wrestling Podcast, fans will rebel against the WWE-approved Reigns while suffering from Big Show fatigue. The result will be a match where the Allstate Arena chants for everything but the participants.

In order to make Reigns' transition as a top star smoother, he needs fan-friendly victories. Retiring the Big Show would be a great start.

At the end of a promo against the Big Show during Raw in London, Reigns vowed to retire Big Show. Chants of "please retire" are becoming en vogue. A future retirement stipulation would add meaning to a stale rivalry. A Reigns victory would endear the WrestleMania challenger to even his harshest critics.

Reigns retiring Big Show also helps him beyond the appreciation of hardcore fans. To casual fans, he would literally be a giant slayer. Big Show won every active championship and feuded with wrestling's greatest legends. If Reigns can be the only man out of them all who retires Big Show, his own legend grows.

In a year in which Big Show won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and was marketed as the greatest giant of all time, Reigns stands to benefit even more by ending his career.

If Big Show were to retire from in-ring competition, he still has a lot to contribute to WWE. As a member of The Authority, he can serve as a suit-and-tie executive. Possibly even a future Director of Operations if tensions with Kane continue to escalate.

Big Show is underappreciated as a strong character in addition to being a Giant. Show could thrive if put in the right situation without being overexposed. If Big Show's feud with Reigns continued in a non-wrestling capacity, fans would be presented with a weekly reminder of Reigns' accomplishment.

The feud between Reigns and Big Show ran its course a while ago. If a match between the two ever happens again, it would be in desperate need of a retirement stipulation.

 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.