WWE Royal Rumble Is Roman Reigns' Chance to Cement Status as Company's Top Star

Roman Reigns will enter the Royal Rumble first on January 24.  The announcement was made on the January 18 edition of Monday Night Raw, thanks to Vince and Stephanie McMahon, both of whom were suspiciously too happy at the result of the drawing.

But even though the deck is stacked against him like never before, this is all being done for a specific purpose.  The company wants Roman to reign at that top level, and this is the best possible way to cement his status as WWE's top guy.

Many fans may have seen this coming.

After all, booking the Rumble as a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match automatically plays in Roman's favor.  It immediately puts doubts in the minds of fans as to whether or not he can retain the belt, which puts him in an underdog role.

People love the underdog, and this is especially true in WWE, where Superstars like Rey Mysterio and Daniel Bryan have built their careers on that very premise.  

It's difficult not to support a guy who is outnumbered and on the ropes, though he's trying to fight the good fight.  That kind of talent is easy to love, and that kind of talent is easy to follow all the way to the win. Considering how hard he's fought to build and maintain his pop, putting Reigns in that spot is just smart booking.

Of course, making him the first Rumble participant is a whole other level of underdog.

This is really the only logical move for Roman.  It continues The Authority storyline that has centered on Reigns and keeps him fighting back from seemingly impossible situations.  This is the space that John Cena's career was created in, the space that he will likely inhabit until the day he retires from active competition.

Similarly, this is the part where fans begin to see Roman's heart and determination.

They already had a pretty good idea of that notion, of course.  WWE has spent over a year trying to convince fans that Roman was worthy of their support because of his tremendous fighting spirit and will to win.  Only now has it truly been accepted, and only now does Roman have a true opportunity to expand upon it.

Seeing Roman enter in the first spot and then go on to win the Royal Rumble would build his legacy like nothing else to this point.  

It's a constant uphill battle for him, one that began last year and continues now.  Reigns as the next top guy sounded good on paper to many, but seeing it executed every week on TV did not get the positive response that WWE was likely hoping for.  He needed every ounce of goodwill he's been able to muster during this time, and he needed every opportunity given to him to prove his critics wrong.

Now that he's finally gotten over, he needs to maintain, and the only way to do that is to keep his head down and keep battling.

Brock Lesnar's reappearance has not helped matters any, as Reigns is once again thrust back into the subservient role he played next to The Beast Incarnate at WrestleMania 31. But if he can hold his ground and weather the storm, then he will come out stronger than when he went in.

However, the key for Roman is he must have a great showing at the Royal Rumble, and that means he must win.  

It's much too soon to take the title off of him and if it happened, it could potentially damage him to the point that he cannot be saved.  Fans have gone along for the ride and finally bought in with Roman, but to ask them to do it all over again is just too much.

With John Cena on the shelf and no other apparent talents ready to seize the top spot, Roman is the best possible candidate.  Winning the Royal Rumble would indeed put him squarely in that role and give him even more momentum than he has now.  

If WWE truly believes he is their next top guy, then now is the time to prove it.

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