4 negatives from Roman Reign's WWE run in 2017

There is surely nobody on the WWE roster with more pressure on his shoulders than Roman Reigns. After 15 years of the John Cena monopoly, fans are desperate for a change of personnel at the top of the card and Roman looks like the man for the job - at least in Vince's eyes.

While 2017 has seen its positives for the Big Dog, things have not gone according to plan and there is still a considerable amount of work that needs to happen before the WWE can rest comfortably with Reigns at the helm.

In our final instalment of the Positive/Negative 2017 series, we take a look at 4 negatives from Roman Reign's run in the WWE this past year:

#4 His match with Undertaker at Wrestlemania

Right person, wrong time.

While many will bemoan the fact that Roman Reigns was given yet another Wrestlemania main event despite not being over with the WWE Universe as the 'top guy', there's no denying the fact that Reigns is certainly on his way to replacing John Cena at the top of the WWE pile. Signature moments and matches like this are crucial to helping the guy build up his poster-boy status.

That being said, when Reigns is handed these opportunities, he has to make sure they are executed effectively. Becoming only the second man in history to defeat The Undertaker at Wrestlemania is no doubt a huge achievement to have on your CV, but the way it all went down was a huge disappointment.

True, it was not all Reign's fault. Taker has been showing his age over the past few years and struggles to see through an entire bout without burning out. But Reigns still could have found a way to complement Taker's laborious approach by doing everything he could to make the Deadman still look respectful.

They say that the truly great performers can have a 5-star match with a broom on their best days, but Wrestlemania certainly proved that the Big Dog of WWE doesn't belong amongst them.

#3 His feud/match with John Cena

Not what we expected.

In a further indication as to how big a year it has been for Roman Reigns, after defeating Taker at the show of shows he then moved onto the guy he is meant to be replacing at the top of the WWE main event picture.

Rather than using this as a way to claw some credibility back to the character and give Roman a chance at fulfilling his destiny, everything about the way the WWE handled the Roman Reigns vs. John Cena program was a massive let down.

First of all, it all happened out of nowhere. One minute Cena was defeating people over on Smackdown, and the next he was demanding a match with Reigns over on RAW. This really should have been a Wrestlemania or Summerslam feud, with weeks of build and a lot of effort being put into the narrative.

And while there may have been a couple of memorable moments along the way, it all essentially fell under the radar, culminating in a match at a throwaway B-PPV.

Worst of all, as far as Reigns is concerned, fans were witnessing how much of a gulf still exists between the two men. Cena's mic skills, while not his best, were still considerably better than Roman's. There is still, sadly, a long way to go before Vince can fully trust his new pet project to lead his company into the future.

#2 Failing to develop his gimmick

Stuck in a ruck.

Whether or not you agree with the notion that Roman Reigns is fully ready to lead the WWE at its next top star, you can't deny that things haven't quite gone according to plan. His initial run with the Shield was largely a success, but since going it alone he has been met with widespread resistance. Some blame his mic/wrestling skills while others say he has just had a series of bad luck.

One thing we must also acknowledge is that Reign's character hasn't really developed, making him appear stale even at this relatively early stage of his career.

Being able to develop your gimmick or persona is crucial to staying relevant and interesting, but there are a few individuals afforded the luxury of being able to rely on their well-established characters like Triple H or John Cena.

Roman is by no means there yet. 2017 would have been the ideal time for the Big Dog to at least add a few nuances to his gimmick or consider his appearance. Instead, he has pretty much finished the year like he started it, which at this stage isn't good enough.

#1 Not managing to reverse the WWE's fortunes

A struggling company.

This point may be seen by some as overly harsh, but when it comes to WWE history, there has always been that one signature individual tasked with carrying the company on his shoulders, and when all things are taken into account, Roman should be that man in 2017.

There were certainly other superstars around n the 80s to give Hulk Hogan some support, for example, but the company's fortunes pretty much depended on how well the Hulkster performed when the occasion called for it.

Similarly with Stone Cold in the late 90s, if he had a few bad weeks, WWE could have been at risk of going out of business. No matter the size and depth of the roster, Vince's preferred model has always been to choose one Alpha amongst his pack with the strength to pull the rest of the team with him.

One of the major criticisms of John Cena over the years is that during his time at the top, the WWE has seen a decline in ticket sales, less and less cultural relevance and an overall weaker product. While there are many reasons for this, Cena is ultimately the last man standing.

Reigns might still be fairly new to the WWE main event scene, but things have certainly not improved with him now in the John Cena/Hulk Hogan spot. Half empty arenas have been a sorry feature of live shows this year, and the company is more under threat from ever by rival promotions in the US and abroad.

Maybe 2018 will see a reversal of fortunes, but Reigns surely has to do more to allow this to happen.