Roman Reigns Gradually Becoming Main Event Talent WWE Wants Him to Be

It has been a long, long road for Roman Reigns—probably much longer than WWE anticipated when it set him out on this path—but he is slowly becoming the main event star WWE wants him to become.

There was very much an element of too much too soon with Reigns when The Shield split up. When Seth Rollins caused the group to implode by turning heel, Reigns seemed in the best position for a major solo push—and rightly so, as he was grabbing everyone's attention with some dominant, impressive performances inside the ring.

But he wasn't ready to win the Royal Rumble this year—nor was he the right man. The mega-push WWE forced on him caused the fans who were buying into what Reigns was doing to rebel, and it's taken him a long time to build a rapport back up with the audience.

But slowly, those boos when Reigns' music hits have started to get quieter and quieter. Time spent away from the main event scene has worked in his favor without a doubt, and the slow-burning approach WWE should have taken from the start is beginning to pay dividends.

His feud with Bray Wyatt is a prime example of how the slower approach is often the best one in WWE. There were plenty of misses before with Reigns' solo career, but he's now found a foe who brings the best out of him inside the ring.

A tinge of the Reigns who led The Shield 18 months ago is back, and he is not only delivering but entertaining again, too.

Take an episode of Raw last month in which Reigns and Wyatt closed the show with an absolutely barbaric brawl. It was pure anarchy—the kind of situation Reigns really thrives in. This is a guy who's an enforcer, and although he has to retain a bit of his babyface persona, watching him dismantle his opponents is what WWE fans want to see.

His in-ring ability has never been in doubt, but what did seem to hold him back sometimes was his promo work. It seemed stunted and ultimately rusty in the early stages, but again, with some careful work over the last few months, Reigns is getting there.

His sit-down with Wyatt on this week's Raw to sell their match at Hell in a Cell was perfect for developing Reigns' character. He wasn't nice to the core and didn't try to plug cheap applause from the fans. He sold his match, and sold it well.

He was in Wyatt's face, and he certainly showed that over recent months he's been able to pull off shorter, more intimidating promos a heck of a lot better than he could a few months ago. Sure, the week before on Raw, Reigns had to cut a lengthy promo, which didn't go too well—but that's a valuable lesson for WWE to remember in the future.

And as mentioned before, the one thing that never needed to improve was Reigns' ring work. He has an alarming amount of agility to add to his brute power and strength, all of which make him a fine entertainer in the ring. His leap over the top rope to take out The Wyatt Family this week was arguably the moment of the match.

This weekend's battle with Wyatt should be one of the very best on the Hell in a Cell card. It will feature two guys who very much have a future in the main event locking horns and will be the culmination of a rivalry that has been enjoyable over the last few months.

It's interesting to keep one eye on Rollins' match with Kane this weekend, because if Rollins does emerge with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship around his waist, he's going to need a new challenger.

Reigns might not be completely ready to become a world champion just yet, but perhaps another feud for the title could be the final piece of the puzzle to complete his road to redemption.

WWE fans would have scarcely believed it back at the Royal Rumble, but Reigns is gradually getting to the point where he's ready to take hold of the main event and make a world title feud work.