Roman Reigns' WWE TLC 2015 Performance Solidifies Him as Top Babyface

After Sunday night's Tables, Ladders & Chairs match against WWE World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus at the TD Garden in Boston, it is safe to say Roman Reigns has arrived—again.

The search is over. All outrage is futile. The false idols who myopic wrestling fans insisted were better alternatives are either in the midcard or on the shelf. And by the end of TLC, Reigns virtually erased all demand for any other savior.

In front of a hostile Boston crowd committed to rejecting the main event, Reigns' TLC performance and post-match antics turned the rabid TD Garden in his favor. By the end of the night, the crowd went from pockets of "We want Cena! (Cena sucks!)" chants to "We want Rollins!" to "NXT" to "Thank you, Roman!"

WWE shrewdly booked Reigns to once again come up short in the face of insurmountable odds. But instead of sulking like he has so many times before, Reigns went bonkers on Triple H. The key to Reigns' assault was the execution. It was clear that WWE was desperately trying to get fans on Reigns' side, but to truly pull this off, it was imperative that he make it believable.

Thankfully, he succeeded.

Reigns' attack didn't seem coordinated as much as it was an unbridled meltdown. The man snapped. It was straight-up violence. After this rampage, I have less incentive to go watch Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant.

His mannerisms hearkened to his Wild Samoan ancestry—one that featured characters who easily connected with fans without ever needing a promo—the same way Reigns connected at TLC.

The manic facial expressions, the athletic high spots, even the eerie post-rage smile, introduced the world to a new Roman Reigns. And they liked it.

Per storyline, Reigns did not deal with his latest bout of adversity very well. He was out of control. It was heavily teased that his career was in jeopardy after this stunt. JBL described it as a "systematic destruction to what could have been one hell of a career." Michael Cole even pointed out that Reigns himself was screaming, "I know I'm going to be fired!"

But in real life, Reigns masterfully handled the adversity of a frustrated fanbase that always thinks it knows better. The night wasn't about the lame open letters, a thin roster or bad ratings. The night was about Reigns, and he refused to make it about anything else.

Reigns is beginning to take control of a two-year, uphill climb. Moving forward, a possible firing storyline should only strengthen his support. With Reigns' career in limbo, a match against Triple H will likely be the only way he not only gets reinstated, but also gains a final WWE World Heavyweight Championship opportunity.

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