5 ways in which Bray Wyatt has rejuvenated Roman Reigns as a babyface

The feud with Bray Wyatt has changed audience perception about Roman ReignsWhen Roman Reigns’ push at the Royal Rumble did not sit as well with the audience as the WWE would have liked, they were presented with a tricky situation to say the least. While completely back-tracking his push was likely never an option, the audience reaction was so hostile that the WWE were forced to reckon with it nonetheless.Although since then, the WWE think-tank has played its cards rather soundly.By opting to hold back on Reigns’ purported push at Wrestlemania 31, they bought time to steadily inch him into the good books of the audience. The positive reaction that he engenders for the most part today testifies to the progress that the company has made with respect to establishing Roman Reigns as a babyface.At the epicenter of this progress however, dwells the ‘new face of fear’ Bray Wyatt. It is arguable that much of the increased audience acceptance towards Reigns has been manufactured off the back of the feud with Bray Wyatt; a fact that the WWE seem well aware of given that the storyline did not culminate at Battleground. With the future looking bright as far as Reigns is concerned now, here is a look back at 5 ways in which the feud with Bray Wyatt has helped rejuvenate him as a babyface.

#1 Established Heel

Bray Wyatt has established himself as a bonafide heel in the WWE

Renowned equally for his gift of gab and shrewd mind for the business, the retired Jim Ross’ opinions are thoroughly respected in the industry even today. As he recently pointed out in his blog, a good heel should look to manufacture genuine heat from the audience so that the babyface gets put over as a likeable character by juxtaposition. He alludes to how too many heels are preoccupied with obtaining cheap pops today, thus compromising on the true purpose of a heel.

In keeping with the same vein of thought however, one Superstar who has undeniably established himself as a heel in the truest sense of the word is Bray Wyatt. From the cryptic promos to the deranged in-ring demeanour, Wyatt has created a niche for himself as a dominant heel in the eyes of the audience. It presents little surprise then that a storyline involving him and Roman Reigns has considerably furthered the WWE’s cause of establishing Reigns as a top babyface in recent weeks.

#2 Diverting Attention

Bray Wyatt’s superior promo skills have shielded Roman Reigns from the spotlight

Unfortunately for Roman Reigns, and the WWE, the charisma that he possesses in abundance does not seem to filter through into his promo cutting skills. While he does not lack in conviction, his microphone work still leaves much to be desired for a Superstar destined for the very top. Despite being a stop-gap solution, the feud with Bray Wyatt has allowed Roman Reigns much needed respite to work on his promo skills.

With the segments being predominated by Wyatt’s cryptic backstage promos, Reigns has found himself free from the responsibility of furthering the storyline on the microphone. While this may not provide a long term solution to the chinks that persist in his repertoire, Wyatt’s propensity in promo cutting has indeed drawn the spotlight away from Roman Reign’s struggles on the microphone for the time being at least.

#3 Underdog

With his intimidation tactics, Bray Wyatt has revealed the vulnerability in Roman Reigns

Before Bray Wyatt prevented Roman Reigns from winning the Money in the Bank ladder match, his portrayal as an all-conquering, bad-ass Samoan with a chip on his shoulder did nothing to disprove the claims of a riled up fan-base, that the WWE was again shoving a John Cena-esque babyface down their throats.

Ever since the onset of the storyline with Wyatt though, Roman Reigns has continually been placed on the back foot. The constant sneak attacks and scare tactics that Bray uses have shed new light on the persona of Roman Reigns; for the first time in his WWE career, he is being portrayed as the underdog.

Coupled with the believability that Wyatt espouses as a dominant heel, this has certainly led to a greater portion of the audience warming to Roman Reigns off late. With the storyline set to continue, Reigns could yet emerge from the feud one step closer to being “ready” for the top spot.

#4 Preventing Victories

Ever since Money in the Bank, Wyatt has prevented Reigns from winning any of his matches cleanly

With the inclusion of Bray Wyatt into a storyline with Roman Reigns, the Samoan has been prevented from picking up a clean victory in any of his matches lately. Apart from furthering the storyline, this has also left the audience eagerly anticipating the eventual victory that logic dictates, the babyface will score over the heel to culminate the feud.

Instead of presenting Reigns as an unstoppable force that can overpower all his opponents, showcasing his vulnerability has also yielded greater endearment from the crowd. If Wyatt is to continue interrupting and distracting Reigns in his matches, it may yet serve to increase the anticipation amongst the audience to see him finally succeed.

#5 Major Storyline

With rumours suggesting a comeback for Sting to help Roman Reigns, a feud with Bray Wyatt could set the perfect backdrop

Considering that the Wyatt Family and the Shield are the two hottest factions in recent WWE history, a feud between Bray Wyatt and Roman Reigns has opened up avenues for greater character integration and an overall major storyline leading up to Summerslam.

After Luke Harper’s intervention at Battleground, it seems a matter of mere formality that Dean Ambrose will also likely get involved into the storyline. With Erick Rowan or Bo Dallas also possibly on the wings, rumours suggest that the returning Sting may side with Roman Reigns to even up the odds at Summerslam.

With a potential major feud brewing, we can agree that Roman Reigns’ career has undergone a revival of sorts after his association with Bray Wyatt. If the WWE’s decision to keep the storyline from ending at Battleground is anything to go by, we can assume that the best of Roman Reigns is yet to come.