Roman Reigns' Best Booking Options for Feud vs. Rusev to Rebuild WWE Star

Roman Reigns' loss to Finn Balor during last week's episode of WWE Raw was the final act in the former champion's run as the show's top babyface. 

Instead, Reigns, who has been fighting for the company's top title for more than a year, had to find a new path to redemption.  

As WWE fans found out on Monday night: when one door closes, another opens. 

Instead of using Raw's main event scene to build Reigns back up, or turning The Big Dog into a heel, WWE made its best move yet in the short career of Reigns: It moved him into the upper midcard—the place he should have been all along. 

Following a stirring promo by United States champ Rusev, Reigns made his way to the ring to challenge The Bulgarian Brute and his anti-American rhetoric:

The move was met with mixed reactions by those on social media. Some believed Reigns had finally found his place in the WWE hierarchy. Others felt a returning Kurt Angle would have been a better choice to defend U.S. interests in the ring. And for some, Reigns can do no right:

It appears Reigns and Rusev are on a collision course for SummerSlam. So what are the best booking options to rebuild the former champ?

Roman Reigns Loses to Rusev at SummerSlam

A Reigns loss at SummerSlam accomplishes two goals.

First, losing to Rusev one-on-one would complete Roman Reigns' epic fall, having gone from world champion to valiant loser in mere months. Losing to Seth Rollins, Finn Balor and Rusev in a matter of eight weeks would prove Reigns isn't invincible—something WWE fans have come to expect. 

Second, a Rusev win makes The Bulgarian Brute a legitimate threat in the New Era. He becomes a dominant force—one of only three men to cleanly defeat the former world champion. 

Such a result would make their second matchup a must-see event. Rusev, riding high off a win over Reigns, would be as cocky as ever, spewing more vitriol at Reigns and the fans than ever before. 

And that's when Reigns can finally get back some of his mojo. Instead of the tired Russia-versus-America angle WWE typically uses in Rusev's storylines, WWE could incorporate its anti-bullying messaging—a campaign that features Reigns. 

It's a simple message, and one that can work in Reigns' favor.

Reigns Wins at SummerSlam, Only to Lose Title the Next Night

If WWE has Reigns defeat Rusev at SummerSlam, it needs to have him drop the title to another WWE Superstar immediately. 

Only then can Reigns finally undergo the heel turn so many fans are anxious to see. 

The "inevitable" Roman Reigns heel-turn angle has been bandied about more often than most any potential storyline or rumored return. Everyone from Stone Cold Steve Austin to Vince Russo to Jim Ross, as well as plenty of internet speculators, have talked about Reigns' potential as a heel. 

Imagine: Reigns defeats Rusev at SummerSlam. Reigns defends his title the next night on Raw against a Superstar like Cesaro or Sami Zayn and loses. 

That's when Reigns snaps, spearing his opponent repeatedly. Such a scene wouldn't be as dramatic against Rusev, Kevin Owens or Braun Strowman. The only way to accomplish that is to have him lose unexpectedly to a true babyface—someone the crowd adores. 

And then turning on that Superstar in a most violent way. 

Such an event would complete Roman Reigns' turn to the dark side—something WWE fans have been longing to see.