Triple H Is Perfect Challenger for Roman Reigns at WWE Royal Rumble 2016

WWE's blueprint for Roman Reigns' World Heavyweight Championship run is to begin in explosive, powerful fashion by pitting him against Triple H early, telling the story of a rebel clashing with a tyrant at the 2016 Royal Rumble.

WWE has other options for WrestleMania. It's best to have Reigns amass momentum in a hurry in order to best take advantage of the electric connection between him and the crowd.

Reigns spent much of the year putting on clutch performances in the ring. Much of the crowd resisted his rise anyway.

He worked on his promo work, expanded his move set and impressively got a standout match from Big Show. Still, many fans weren't sold.

It wasn't until he let his fury overflow and pounced on Triple H at Tables, Ladders & Chairs 2015 that things changed. That vicious attack on the corporate braggart sparked the fire WWE had been trying to light for a long time. 

WWE would be wise to capitalize on that now and find alternative opponents for each man at WrestleMania 32.

Run with what's working. Don't fill Reigns' early time as champ with filler feuds.

If the company chooses to go with another Sheamus-Reigns match, it will risk losing the audience's interest.

Credit: WWE.com

That's a pairing that has little appeal. Remember that for much of Sheamus and Reigns' TLC match, the crowd seemed disinterested, and that The Celtic Warrior routinely earned church-mouse reactions as champ. And when Sheamus beat down Dean Ambrose in a steel cage on the Dec. 21 Raw, fans chanted, "Boring!"

Sheamus isn't clicking with the crowd.

Triple H is the juicier option. He is the more impressive foe to topple, too.

The match quality promises to be much better than anything Sheamus and The League of Nations could offer. At this point in his career, Triple H is the designated hitter who rarely comes to bat but only hits home runs when he does. From a surprisingly good showing with Sting to an instant classic against Daniel Bryan, memories of The Game's excellence is fresh.

Don Feria/Associated Press

And as Zachary Krasney of Wrestling News World put it, "Triple H in the championship match still ensures a strong draw for the match."

Triple H vs. Reigns is more of a money match than Reigns against Sheamus. It would add to the appeal of the Royal Rumble, making it feel like even more of a special event. The COO hasn't competed at the Rumble since 2010.

Should WWE book this match, an obvious narrative lies waiting to be told: Triple H returns from the beating Reigns handed him, enraged about what Reigns did to both him and his father-in-law, and uses his power to make himself No. 1 contender. 

The Game has leaned on a proxy during his time as the head of The Authority up to now.

Randy Orton didn't live up to his expectations. Injuries forced Seth Rollins to relinquish the gold. Triple H can now believe that the only way to keep The Authority in control is to do his own dirty work, to seize the world title himself. 

The question now, though, is just when WWE plans to tell that story.

ProWrestling.net's Will Pruett believes it will happen before WrestleMania:

If WWE goes in that direction, Reigns will be freed up to have a rematch with Brock Lesnar or a showdown with John Cena. Triple H can take on another insurgent on the roster like Dean Ambrose. Or maybe a retirement match against Batista will come to pass.

WWE would be best served in setting up Reigns' eventual WrestleMania clash by having him take down the boss. Should he spend the next few months tangling with Sheamus and Rusev, it wouldn't catapult him nearly as much as it would if he were to take a future Hall of Famer down one Superman punch at a time.

Triple H vs. Reigns is the strike-while-the-iron-is-hot option, the surefire way to make Reigns' title reign memorable early on.

The power of a hero's tale is often dependent on the quality of the villain. And in this case, Triple H is a class above Sheamus, a Jaguar compared to a Renault.