How Roman Reigns Can Keep His Momentum After WWE World Title Win

Roman Reigns has finally done it. The guy so many fans said could not pull off winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship did exactly that on Raw, and he looked like a million bucks in the process. But this is just the beginning for the new champ.

Reigns has a long road ahead of him, and certain steps must be taken for him to maintain his momentum from this point on.

This may have been perhaps the most forced title change in recent memory, but the fact is it worked on every level.

Reigns took on Sheamus in a punishing TLC match on Sunday, was attacked by Alberto Del Rio and Rusev, then took Triple H down out of frustration. One moment, fans were watching with mixed emotions in regard to Reigns; the next moment, they're on their feet chanting his name.

All of this happened in one night.

When TLC went off the air, it was apparent to many that WWE had stumbled onto something. Finally, the company had realized that giving fans what they wanted would yield remarkable results. Not every fan claimed to be an expert, but a good number of them believed from Day 1 that if WWE truly wanted to get Roman Reigns over, his mean streak would have to take center stage.

The soft side, the family man who loves his daughter and is basically a big teddy bear, is not the man that fans wanted. That man is OK in small doses, but for a guy who has been working for nearly a year to get over, it's the last thing fans wanted to see.

People wanted the killer, the big bruising Reigns who was the intimidating muscle of The Shield. That man was all business all the time, and he had no time for corny jokes and cheesy smiles. After 11 months of constant lukewarm reactions and a refusal to change course, WWE Creative finally let Roman become the man fans wanted.

If Reigns is to maintain any semblance of momentum, he must once again stay the course.

This is the person Reigns must be, this is what he's best at and, more importantly, this is what works. He can have a softer side. He can talk about his family and can be the guy who smiles when he's around friends such as Dean Ambrose. But this must come in small doses and only when he's not in a high-pressure environment.

Fans must know that when the bell rings, he will do whatever it takes to win. This does not necessarily mean he will go heel every time he works a match, only that he will always fight hard and will not be easily duped. So when an opponent such as Sheamus attempts to outsmart him or call in reinforcements, the tactics will not work.

The two sides of Reigns must be sold as what his character is; if he's pushed too hard he will snap, and once that happens, there is no stopping him. It's the best way to keep him going in the right direction and keep fans on his side.

Of course, the booking must be right as well. Reigns will have his hands full in the coming weeks with The Authority, as Triple H and Vince McMahon will seek to make his life a living hell. That means Sheamus will be back for Round 2, and The League of Nations will surely be back as well. So while Roman's not smiling at them and making silly jokes, he must take the fight to them.

He must be on the offensive, always ready for war and attempting to stay one step ahead.

Ruthless aggression must be the order of the day, and his attack on Triple H at TLC should pale in comparison to what he would do when The Authority attempts to hurt him or his family, including Ambrose and The Usos.

Getting him to this point and doing it with the approval of fans took nearly a year and a lot of maneuvering. Keeping him to this point will take less work if it's done right. Just let Roman be the guy fans saw at TLC and on Raw the night after.

If WWE can do that, then Reigns will keep every ounce of momentum he has and should gain even more.

Tom's work can regularly be seen on Bleacher Report and his podcast, Tom Clark's Main Event, is available on iTunes, Google Play, Windows Phone, Amazon Android and online here.