Roman Reigns Is Being Overshadowed by Kane's Latest Push

There is nothing worse than an aging veteran who overshadows a younger, brighter star attempting to rise up the ranks to Superstardom.

In 1993, Bret Hart found that out the hard way as his push was derailed by the return of Hulk Hogan, who stole the WWE Championship out from underneath him, thus putting a halt to all of the momentum the Hitman had built for himself.

That is just one example but it is something that has happened repeatedly throughout WWE history: A young competitor, seemingly destined for greatness, sees his growth stunted by a veteran on the receiving end of yet another unnecessary push.

Fans of today's WWE are watching it happen week by week as Roman Reigns, the man chosen by those in power to be the next face of the company, is being overshadowed by yet another ridiculous attempt to make Kane relevant.

Not only has Kane had opportunity after opportunity over the course of his two decades with WWE, he has done everything there is to do with the company. There is no measurable career growth for him left. There is no upward mobility. He has been to the mountaintop and back again so many times over the years.

That he has been truly awful inside the squared circle over the last year, showing his age repeatedly and proving difficult to get a good match out of at this point in his career, only solidifies any argument made for him to settle into the midcard.

That he has taken the spotlight off of Reigns, who is coming off two consecutive superb pay-per-view performances against Brock Lesnar and Big Show, respectively, is the biggest tragedy.

Reigns has overcome negative criticism from fans, questionable booking and the tremendous shadow of Daniel Bryan to prove that he deserves his current push and that he really is capable of carrying the company into the future. To see his growth stunted because WWE has again opted to put the spotlight on Kane, who will never be more or less over than he has been in the past, is truly disheartening.

At this point in his career, Reigns has the makings of a franchise player, the type of performer WWE can build the company around for years to come.

He has that "it" factor that every promoter so desperately wants. But fans will never fully get behind him if the company itself does not. Regardless of how Vince McMahon and Triple H view Reigns, booking Kane as the centerpiece of the main event creates questions and doubts about the support for Reigns within management.

Reigns' quest for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship should be the key story in today's product, culminating with him winning it and ascending to the mountaintop, the new face of the industry.

Instead, Kane's slow turn from corporate stooge back to Big Red Demon from Hell is dominating airwaves. That story not only threatens to overshadow Reigns, but also WWE World Heavyweight champion Seth Rollins.

And therein lies the biggest problem with Vince McMahon and the current nature of WWE storytelling.

Whenever the slightest hiccup occurs with one of the younger stars he and his company are pushing, he leans on the veterans, such as Kane, John Cena, Randy Orton and Big Show, as if they are crutches. In the process, he affects his own talent, stunting their growth in favor of promoting the same old handful of guys he has been throwing out on television for the last decade.

It is tiresome and will ultimately cost McMahon the opportunity to find the successor to Cena if he is not careful.

In the year 2015, there is no excuse or valid reasoning for Kane to get the type of television exposure he is right now, at the expense of Roman Reigns. Unfortunately, until the Chairman of the Board learns the hard way, it is a harsh reality fans will have to live with.