Roman Reigns vs. Dean Ambrose: Winner, Reaction from WWE Survivor Series 2015

Roman Reigns didn't need the help of The Authority in order to capture the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Survivor Series on Sunday night, but he could've used it to prevent Sheamus' cash-in at the conclusion of the pay-per-view.

Reigns defeated his former brother-in-arms on The Shield, Dean Ambrose, with a spear in the main event of the show.

Many wondered whether Reigns or Ambrose would sell out to The Authority. Instead, Sheamus turned out to be Triple H's new golden boy, and he nailed Reigns with two Brogue Kicks en route to winning the belt, per WWE:

Earlier in the night, Reigns and Ambrose advanced to the finals of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship tournament after winning their semifinal matches. Reigns defeated Alberto Del Rio, while Ambrose outlasted Kevin Owens.

It set up the highly anticipated clash that seemed to be telegraphed once the championship tournament was first announced. The match didn't disappoint, either, as Reigns and Ambrose laid into each other with massive blows.

Like in his match with Brock Lesnar that ended with Seth Rollins' cash-in at WrestleMania, Reigns looked great even in defeat. Sports Illustrated's Richard Deitsch believes it could be a turning point for the Superstar:

Still, the Atlanta crowd wasn't into Reigns' victory, which Maffew Gregg of Botchamania thought made for an entertaining visual and auditory experience as confetti fell from the rafters:

For Bleacher Report's Mike Chiari, the match firmly indicated WWE's future plans for Reigns:

Until the Royal Rumble is over, it will be difficult to say with certainty that Reigns will headline the main event at WrestleMania for the second year in a row, but that looks to be the direction in which WWE will go, especially with many other top stars out of action because of injuries.

With any luck, the company will build a more compelling narrative around Reigns than it did last year.

Crafting an underdog angle around Daniel Bryan was easier because he doesn't fit the mold of a typical WWE Superstar—not to mention Triple H and Stephanie McMahon spent nearly six months before WrestleMania making Bryan's life miserable and calling him a "B-plus player."

Additionally, the rivalry between Stone Cold Steve Austin and Vince McMahon worked in the Attitude era because Austin was a genuine rebel who was upsetting the natural order of things.

Reigns, on the other hand, is an underdog in the same way John Cena is an underdog, which is to say not really one at all.

However, WWE could make the story work if The Authority throws genuine roadblocks in Reigns' way, such as making him the No. 1 entrant in the Royal Rumble or forcing him to wrestle Lesnar at Fastlane or WrestleMania in order to go on to the WrestleMania main event.

The company still has a lot of time to finalize whatever plans it has in place.