Roman Reigns Poised to Repeat The Rock's 1998 Heel Turn at WWE Survivor Series

Greed will overpower honor at WWE Survivor Series 2015, just as it did at the 1998 edition of the pay-per-view, as Roman Reigns emulates The Rock en route to world title glory. 

WWE has laid the groundwork for Reigns to turn heel and the company to call back to the ending of the Deadly Games Tournament that saw The Rock win his first world championship. It's a reprise of a story that propelled a man into megastar status. It's a shakeup that's hard not to see coming.

In September of 1998, WWE vacated the world title after a controversial finish to a match involving the champ Steve Austin. Vince McMahon looked to screw the ass-kicking antihero out of his strap, both by stripping him of it and forcing him to battle through an entire tournament to get it back.

With one eye on the door, waiting for Austin to save the day, and another on Mankind clashing with The Rock, the audience watched the finals.

Fans knew that McMahon manipulating the outcome was entirely possible. They didn't know that his plan included convincing The Rock to join his villainous corporate stable. 

Now, 17 years later, that narrative is set to repeat itself.

Stories cycle in wrestling: the wedding-turned-disastrous angle, the invasion of mysterious newcomers, the tag-team-partners-become-enemies tale.

In fact, McMahon calling for the bell as The Rock had Mankind in the Sharpshooter was a re-telling of the infamous "Montreal Screwjob."

This would be a prime time to dust off The Rock's shift to the dark side. Reigns could certainly use it. Having him just tear through the opposition at Survivor Series and be the conquering babyface champ would churn up the same emotions that had fans boo him after he won the Royal Rumble.

A vocal portion of the crowd is rejecting WWE's decision to push Reigns to the top. To that group, it feels too much like he's a company-made superhero—John Cena 2.0.

The Rock knows that feeling well.

His early years as the happy-go-lucky Rocky Maivia saw him experience the same backlash and resistance that Reigns has this year.

It was turning heel that made The Rock cool to many. It allowed him to truly show off his personality. It catapulted him into true stardom, as he could then battle opposite Stone Cold.

WWE looks to be ready to try that formula out once more.

On Monday's Raw, Triple H tried to talk Reigns into joining The Authority. He offered him glory and gold, but Reigns would have to sell out—just as The Rock did in 1998—in return.

Reigns rejected the deal, but the moment felt like WWE was teasing what was to come for him.

In theater, there's a theory that if you show a gun in the opening act, then someone has to fire it at some point. You don't plant seeds unless you want them to grow. You don't hint at a future unless you plan on making it happen.

Expect WWE to follow that rule. The interaction between enemies we saw in Manchester, England, had all the makings of foreshadowing.

The tournament without that final twist just won't have enough oomph. With Reigns being such a heavy favorite and two tournament entrants already having titles, it's too predictable for The Big Dog to overcome it all and win out.

Bleacher Report's Matt Camp is among those who believe that the tournament needs a major swerve:

Turning Reigns heel and dramatically changing the makeup of The Authority would be exactly that. It would be an eye-catching move that sets up future angles.

Dean Ambrose could go ballistic afterward, betrayed now by two of his former brothers in arms. There'd be a great feud awaiting him against Reigns and The Authority. When Seth Rollins returns, he could turn against the faction, saying that it abandoned him in favor or Reigns.

A Rock-like heel turn for Reigns is a scenario Hall of Famer Jim Ross believes is best for business:

Chair Shot Reality host Justin LaBar sees it happening. Daily DDT's Jordan Campbell wrote that he believes it would be a "disappointment if Reigns does not turn heel at Survivor Series."

Former WWE writer Kevin Eck drew up a scenario on his blog where Reigns accepts Triple H's offer and becomes a corporate champ a la The Rock.

Eck imagines a promo where Reigns says "that the fans never truly accepted him no matter what he did to try to please them, so now he's going to do what's best for him and what's best for business regardless of what they think."

That's a smart move to play on the fans already booing Reigns. It allows him to fire back at a fanbase that has been far from welcoming.

That's just what The Rock did, laying into all those who chanted, "Die Rocky Die!"

WWE tried to get Reigns over as a babyface by having The Rock raise his arm at Royal Rumble. Boos rumbled through the arena anyway.

It's best for the company to go the opposite route, for Reigns to morph into a villain—this time, The Rock providing the template rather than the support.