Roman Reigns Must Face Triple H Before WrestleMania 32

With a thin roster and an uphill battle, Roman Reigns needs all the help he can get before WrestleMania 32 takes place on April 3, 2016.

As part of his ongoing, seemingly inevitable climb to the top of the WWE, Reigns has been positioned against The Authority and a myriad of imposing heels—most notably Triple H.

The dynamic between the two is being cultivated into a budding rivalry. The strategic staredowns and brief moments of physicality are not-so-subtle hints that something is brewing here.

While a Triple H-Reigns match seems fitting for WrestleMania 32, Reigns would capitalize on much-needed momentum with a win over The Game headed into AT&T Stadium.

Triple H was positioned for multiple possible WrestleMania feuds that have since fallen through. Run-ins with The Rock certainly teased a promising matchup, but according to Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, (h/t WrestlingInc.com) movie commitments that very weekend will likely block The Rock from having a full-blown match.

With Seth Rollins also out of the WrestleMania picture, Reigns has suddenly become an early favorite to become Triple H's opponent. This would be a mistake, and WWE would have to overcome several awkward storyline hurdles in order to make this work.

WWE already tried going to the Royal Rumble well with Reigns in 2015, and the man almost drowned. In all likelihood he will not even participate in the 2016 Royal Rumble—let alone win. With a very limited pool of babyfaces in a now-or-never situation, there's a good chance Reigns will enter WrestleMania 32 as WWE champion.

If so, how will WWE establish Triple H as a No. 1 contender? Will he flex his authoritative muscles to win the Royal Rumble? Will the Royal Rumble winner receive his title shot early only to lose? Either of these options will further harm the prestige of the Royal Rumble, which is quickly gaining a reputation as a hotbed for nerd rage.

A win over Triple H in a singles match at Royal Rumble makes more sense to solidify Reigns as a viable champion heading into WrestleMania. WWE could even opt to book that showdown at WWE Fastlane on February 21, 2016. The event needs a marquee match of that nature more than the Royal Rumble.

Reigns will get more value out of an opponent like Brock Lesnar, who he came close to beating last year before their match was blown up by Rollins. Imagine Lesnar winning the Royal Rumble at No. 30—with the angry beast throwing every remaining entrant into the third row of The Amway Center—assuming they hadn't already preemptively eliminated themselves.

Based on how WWE has protected Lesnar, Reigns beating The Beast means much more than a victory over Triple H. Triple H has lost three of his last five WrestleMania matches. One of those included a curtain-jerker to Daniel Bryan. I understand WWE borrowing from Bryan's underdog story to get Reigns over—but an exact replica?

A Reigns win over John Cena would be just as symbolic as it would be meaningful. It's no secret WWE is positioning Reigns to be his heir apparent. Why not make it official at WWE's most important event?

As far as Triple H's options at WrestleMania—this presents WWE with a golden opportunity to build its nonexistent babyface roster. A young up-and-coming babyface will grow, simply from being in the same ring as Triple H. WWE is past WrestleMania 32 being a showcase of every dream match imaginable just because it's in a big ole stadium.

Steve Austin and Sting have serious neck problems. The Rock will make a guest appearance at best. Hulk Hogan is currently in timeout. Kurt Angle was sent to voicemail. All Shawn Michaels does these days is deliver expensive superkicks, so he won't wrestle. Neither will Ronda Rousey, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ric Flair, Bruno Sammartino, Kevin Von Erich or Mick Foley, who may or may not be watching the product by then.

WWE has been dodging the bullet of a developmental WrestleMania for years by hiding behind the Attitude Era. But the time to bite that bullet has come. This will be disheartening for a potentially record-breaking crowd—but good for WWE's long-term business.

Perhaps Batista can make some time in his budding A-list schedule to finish the storyline stemming from his 2014 departure from Evolution. If not, it won't be the end of the world if Triple H simply does not compete at WrestleMania 32. His presence will be felt—regardless of if he is able to make one of those grand entrances. Triple H heads up NXT, and alumni from the WWE breeding ground will benefit if WrestleMania 32 is filled with fresh faces.

Alfred Konuwa is a featured columnist and on-air host for Bleacher Report. LIKE him on Facebook, and subscribe to his weekly wrestling podcast.

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