Keys to Roman Reigns Thriving as WWE World Heavyweight Champion

Building on the resounding animosity from the audience, Roman Reigns is poised to have one of the most memorable WWE World Heavyweight Championship runs in a long while.

Crowds have refused to treat The Big Dog as the triumphant hero WWE wanted him to be. He has since begun to turn on those crowds, focusing instead on glory and gold.

To maximize his reign, WWE has to lead the champion further down that path. The darker and more aggressive Reigns becomes, the more captivating he will be as the top titleholder. His continued evolution can easily be the story of the year.

Intensifying key elements of his character, choosing the right challengers and making use of several pieces of the storytelling puzzle make up the formula for Reigns to flourish. 

Character Development

Reigns has shown flashes of his ideal role—the smug, belligerent and cold villain. The progress toward that evolution, though, has been slow.

The champ has told fans that he doesn't care about being liked, that respect and the title are more important to him.

WWE's next step should be to let Reigns dive further into that character. He should outright reject the fans booing him, as The Rock did years ago when he moved away from being Rocky Maivia. WWE should present Reigns as a guy who thinks he's too good for backstage interviews and who thickly lays on his disdain for everyone.

That feels like it's on its way, but Reigns hasn't yet added much to his shtick beyond his new trademark catchphrase—"I'm not a bad guy. I'm not a good guy. I'm the guy." 

WWE can't have him run the tires on those lines too thin. There's so much more to explore about this changing version of Reigns beyond that superficial concept.

Kyle Lewis of the Three Man Booth podcast joked about how repetitive Reigns' act has been of late:

And with the boos for Reigns only growing louder, WWE has to take advantage of that backlash. Moving him from tweener to full-fledged heel will allow him to reach his potential.

He can bark back at the fans who have rejected his rise for the past two years. He can be angry and imposing, a persona that's more fitting than the John Cena-like babyface WWE has tried to get him to be recently.

Quality Opposition

The more clearly that Reigns is the villain in each story, the easier it will be to juxtapose him with the fan favorites on the hunt for his world title.

He should face babyfaces that diehard fans are fully on board with. That will only heighten the animosity the crowd has for Reigns and serve to create added buzz for his adversary.

AJ Styles is a smart first choice, but only if the expected heel turn is fully realized. The Phenomenal One is a fresh face and an underdog who built his name outside WWE. Having him oppose Reigns has already created a compelling contradiction.

Straight Shoot podcast host Aubrey Sitterson was among those excited about this feud:

As Reigns' run as champ continues, WWE needs to find more foils like Styles. Let Reigns crush Sami Zayn, breaking the diehards' hearts. Let him deny Dean Ambrose his dream of a world title once more.

The Big Dog's heel heat will increase exponentially. 

And making sure he's in the ring with guys who can produce stellar matches with him will make his run more memorable and more exciting. Better mic workers should be moved to the front of the line. Reigns is best served letting his opponent lead in a verbal battle.

Paul Heyman carried the load in the Reigns-Brock Lesnar feud before WrestleMania 31, and that worked to a tee. The recent Styles-Reigns showdowns have been lackluster.

Having Reigns start feuding with Ambrose or Seth Rollins later will make for far better promos. 

Creative Storytelling

Monday's Raw created the most sparks when Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson stormed into the Styles-Reigns storyline. Styles' old Bullet Club buddies attacked the champion, but the former TNA cornerstone seemed uncomfortable with the situation.

He didn't instruct these attack dogs to pounce. 

This is a narrative well worth playing with. Perhaps Styles angers Gallows and Anderson by resisting their help, leading to Reigns joining forces with the two newcomers. Suddenly, Reigns is flanked by a pair of titans, WWE's king securing his throne by way of hired muscle.

Crafting a story with that much intrigue will get fans invested in how things unfold rather than get caught up in criticizing Reigns. When The Shield was at its peak, the audience didn't worry so much about Reigns' limitations. Watching the trio destroy everything in its path was too much fun.

WWE needs to be bold when it comes to what's next for Reigns. 

It may have envisioned that next great in-ring superhero being adored in every arena, but clearly that's not going to happen. Instead, a more fascinating version of Reigns is ready to emerge, a coldhearted champion wielding a devastating fist.