Roman Reigns' Path Through WWE World Title Tournament Must Avoid Predictability

In the chase to the finals of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship tournament at Survivor Series, Roman Reigns is the racehorse going up against a field of one-legged stallions. 

There is little suspense about whether the powerhouse will make it through to the last bout of the tourney to crown the new world champion. His favorite status is only underscored by the lack of top-level names on the bracket with him.

And so WWE has its work cut out for it to have the audience experience anticipation, for there to be real drama as the tournament unfolds.

Just having Reigns waltz from round to round with no curveballs, no convincing near-misses, will do him a disservice in momentum. It also hurts the potential of Survivor Series. WWE needs to find ways to cram twists and turns into a narrative that has an arc anyone can see coming.

WWE did not get off to a great start in that regard with the first round. 

Reigns found out who his first opponent was when Big Show stomped down the entrance ramp. The giant pounded on Reigns for much of the contest, but there was little doubt about how this would end up. 

Reigns was not losing to Big Show, though. Fans knew that.

This was a man Reigns has beaten several times over. It's the same man he conquered at Extreme Rules and has defeated six out of seven times before Monday night, per CageMatch.net.

Writing for the A.V. Club, Kyle Fowle asked, "Reigns is obviously going to win, so why not put literally anyone else in that spot?"

The tournament's opening night featured a lot of easy-to-predict matches. There was no way Titus O'Neil was going to beat Kevin Owens. And WWE wasn't going to be bold enough to have Tyler Breeze beat out Dean Ambrose. 

It looks as if there are two bouts ahead for Reigns with the same lack of intrigue. 

Thanks to Cesaro knocking off Sheamus on Monday night, The King of Swing is now set to face Reigns. WWE, though, has shown little interest in truly showcasing Cesaro. His fanbase swells, but his place on the card doesn't change.

He's the guy who makes his opponent look good, produces a memorable match and ultimately misses out on championship glory.

Reigns will be heavily favored against the Swiss strongman, but not nearly as much as he will against whomever his semifinals opponent is. Alberto Del Rio, Stardust, Kalisto or Ryback will be in that spot. The only one who has been booked remotely close to being on Reigns' level is Del Rio. But is WWE really going to have the U.S. champ win the WWE title just months after Seth Rollins did that very thing?

The safe bet is that Reigns advances twice and that he meets a familiar face in the tournament's climax. The folks at The Canvas Theory are among those foreseeing a Ambrose-Reigns final:

Reigns is poised to be a part of a story that the crowd can recite before it happens. He is in danger of being to blame for a tournament that lacks spark thanks to a lack of suspense.

This is what happened at the Royal Rumble. WWE was so heavy-handed with its foreshadowing that it was obvious Reigns would outlast the other 29 competitors. It didn't make Reigns' rise feel like a journey worth watching as much as a predictable plot that went through the motions.

It certainly didn't help that Reigns was a man whom a horde of diehard fans didn't want to see ascend to the top, but the blase manner in which he did contributed to the overtly negative reception he received in a big way.

WWE fans are conditioned to be shocked.

So many of the company's biggest moments have come courtesy of the writers crafting something unexpected: Kane attacking his brother Undertaker in his debut appearance, The Shield storming onto the WWE landscape at Survivor Series 2012 or The Rock siding with Vince McMahon to nab the world title at Survivor Series 1998.

A retelling of that last one may be underway.

Triple H tried to tempt Reigns on Monday's Raw, putting a Faustian deal on the table. If Reigns pledged loyalty to The Authority, he would get an easy path to the WWE title.

More so than the in-ring action that followed, this moment created a sense of uncertainty moving forward. Many fans had to feel like Raj Giri of Wrestling Inc, unsure whether that segment was foretelling something major:

This is the kind of approach WWE needs to take for the rest of the tournament with Reigns. Even if the in-ring side of things is seemingly obvious, the company has to find ways to leave fans unsure. It has to provide reasons to watch on, even if the ending seems clear.

WWE can stack up the odds against him. Perhaps The Authority makes its presence felt during his showdown with Cesaro. Maybe he barely makes to that match thanks to an attack backstage. Reigns pulling a page out of The Rock's playbook and becoming a corporate champ is a far better option than just the standard babyface-goes-on-the-roll-we-saw-coming route.

Heel turn or not, it's going to take some unexpected additions to the story to maximize it. 

Otherwise, the audience will shrug its shoulders at Reigns' victory. And why not—it will be just like they have already read the spoilers.