Roman Reigns Is Firmly Moving into John Cena's Spot Atop WWE
The train that derailed at the Royal Rumble, that one set to carry Roman Reigns up to John Cena's place on the WWE mountain, is now on the tracks again, barreling toward its destination.
In Cena's absence on Monday's Raw, it was Reigns who outlasted the opposition, defied the odds by way of pure power and ended the night on center stage. There is more at stake ahead for him than just an opportunity at Seth Rollins' world title; WWE is again positioning him to be its next top babyface, its franchise centerpiece.
That transformation is well on its way.
After losing his United States Championship at Hell in a Cell, Cena didn't show up on Raw. Many fans expected that. Weeks ago, Dave Meltzer reported on F4WOnline that Cena would be taking time off "for what the WWE has described as personal reasons."
And it's no coincidence that on Cena's first night away, Reigns played the triumphant hero.
WWE is committing to elevating The Juggernaut. The latest step in that process was a two-win evening and his claiming the No. 1 contender's spot for the company's World Heavyweight Championship.
Alberto Del Rio, Kevin Owens, Dolph Ziggler and Reigns all won play-in bouts to enter the Fatal 4-Way that closed Raw. Reigns knocked off Kofi Kingston to earn his place at the table.
He then cracked his fist against Owens' jaw, floored him with a spear and scored a major win under the heat of the spotlight.
And with that, Reigns is now poised to take on Rollins for the WWE title. With that, it's even more obvious that the narrative of the powerhouse's climb up the company ladder to become Cena's successor is gaining steam again.
It was clearly WWE's plan to anoint Reigns earlier this year. He emerged from the Royal Rumble field the winner, with gold and WrestleMania glory well within his reach. But fans rejected the idea, loudly and vehemently.
In part, the rejection was simply because he was not the hero many wanted to see do the conquering: Daniel Bryan. In part, some fans perceived Reigns' push as forced, with Reigns' being the second coming of Cena.
As Grantland's David Shoemaker wrote, "Many fans feel ostracized from the product, having spent the last decade bored by the sovereignty of Cena. Now they look at Reigns and see Cena being created all over again."
Booing, chants and online vitriol inspired WWE to take an alternate path. Rollins instead swiped away the WWE title. Officials then slotted Reigns a few rungs lower, forcing him to regain his momentum on the upper midcard.
That's where he began to rattle off wins and began a trek back to the cusp of headliner status.
And WWE has portrayed Reigns in that span as just as difficult to defeat as Cena, making him Superman in black, allowing him to club villain after villain into submission.
Reigns blasted Big Show until he could not get up in a Last Man Standing match at Extreme Rules.
He bested Kane. He toppled Bray Wyatt. And he would have become Mr. Money in the Bank had The Eater of Worlds not flung him off a ladder.
That set off a long rivalry that saw Wyatt frustrate, confuse and unsettle Reigns. Even with the monster adding another mountain at his side in Braun Strowman, though, Reigns came out on top.
At Hell in a Cell, he rose from a splintered table and shook off the effects of a Kendo stick to score a major win against his rival.
That victory is one of many that Reigns has enjoyed of late. While most wrestlers are victims of 50-50 booking and are not scripted to go on streaks, The Big Dog is getting the Cena treatment in terms of wins and losses.
He's even outpacing the leader of the Cenation at the moment. Cena sits at a .718 winning percentage for 2015. Reigns is winning at an even higher rate with a .767 winning percentage.
That's especially noteworthy when one compares how other babyfaces fare in that department. Dolph Ziggler, for example, boasts just a .547 winning percentage.
These kinds of numbers show how committed WWE is to Reigns. It can't decide whether it wants to put Cesaro on a roll or give Wyatt sustained momentum, but the man who once provided the muscle for The Shield has no such issue.
Beyond that, WWE is fitting Reigns for the role of its charity spokesman.
When the company saluted breast cancer survivors on Oct. 5, Ryback, Cesaro and a number of other stars stood on the entrance ramp. WWE positioned Reigns much closer to the action. He and Cena both stood in the ring.
After Cena gave his usual heartfelt speech, Reigns had his turn, talking up WWE's partnership with Susan G. Komen and directing fans to the company website to buy Breast Cancer Awareness Month gear.
WWE later released two "Rise Above Cancer" PSAs, one featuring Cena and one starring Reigns:
There couldn't be a more obvious sign of Reigns' heirship than that. Cena has long been the face of WWE's charitable outreach. It's been as key to his dominance atop the card as his in-ring work.
And the company is now working Reigns into that position, just as it is working to slide up the rankings onscreen.
Reigns' detractors either need to grow loud once again or grow accustomed to his enjoying Cena-like prominence. He is charging toward where Cena stands, set to begin his own reign as WWE's golden boy.
Match statistics and win-loss records courtesy of CageMatch.net
