The Big Dog made his much-anticipated return to the squared circle a couple of weeks ago, announcing that he was in remission. The sea of fans gave Reigns one of the biggest pops of his career, and it seemed that he would finally be accepted by the fans as a full-blown babyface.
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This is far from the truth though, as it's only a matter of time before the WWE Universe turns on Reigns again. Here are 3 scathing reasons why The Big Dog will turn heel soon, as early as post WrestleMania.
#4 The sympathetic cheers won't last long
Last year, when Reigns relinquished his Universal title and announced that he was diagnosed with leukemia, the crowd that was booing him moments ago, suddenly began cheering him!
These sympathetic cheers won't be lasting too long and it's high time WWE realizes the cold, hard facts - Roman Reigns needs to be a heel. The fans will blow up once again the minute Reigns is thrust into the main event scene.
WWE made the right decision this past week on Raw and confirmed that Reigns won't try to take Rollins' moment away, but that doesn't mean it won't happen after Mania.
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When it happens, the crowd will turn for sure, and the corporate giant knows this. Rollins won't be turning heel anytime soon, so they'll pull the trigger on a Reigns heel turn.
#3 WWE won't put all their eggs in one basket again
The company has already made this mistake with Roman Reigns, focusing on a single guy for the past several years and trying to turn him into the biggest superstar of this generation.
The problem with this move is that when the guy gets injured, all that long-term planning goes down the drain. WWE protected Reigns on multiple occasions, even letting him defeat The Undertaker at Mania. Suddenly, Reigns got diagnosed with leukemia and this resulted in major plans getting scrapped in the flick of a second.
WWE is bound to build multiple faces from now on, like Rollins and Balor. They won't be relying on a babyface Reigns, as anything could happen. A heel turn will keep the storyline plans at a minimum, and won't hurt WWE in case of another hiatus.
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#2 Heel Reigns is what's best for business
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Roman Reigns is one of the biggest merchandise movers in the company at the moment. WWE has marketed his badass logos and finishing moves to perfection and are making millions by slapping them on T-shirts and selling them.
A heel turn would serve two purposes: Reigns will instantly become an IWC darling, as they usually tend to cheer badass heels in favor of bland babyfaces. On the other hand, a freshly turned heel won't result in a sales slump, as Reigns' popularity has transcended beyond that. His merchandise looks badass, and casual fans would buy it no matter if he is a hero or a villain.
The biggest merchandise seller of all time, Stone Cold Steve Austin, wasn't a babyface in the literal sense. He was an anti-hero, who didn't care for anyone except himself. Turning Reigns into a darker version of Austin is what's best for business.
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#1 WWE can't force the fans to cheer for Reigns
Ever since The Shield broke up, WWE has done everything in its power to try to make Roman a fan favorite. This plan backfired gloriously, as the last thing the WWE Universe wants is for WWE to force them into liking someone.
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Although at first, Reigns was heavily cheered when he defeated Randy Orton at SummerSlam 2014 in the biggest win of his career till date, fans soon realized that Reigns was being shoved down their throats. His Rumble win was booed out of the building and even The Rock's presence couldn't save Reigns from fans' wrath.
WWE's numerous attempts to force the fans to like Reigns have failed, and they realize this fact. This will be the biggest factor to take into account when they turn him heel. The most likely scenario would be a ruthless Reigns turning on a babyface Rollins after Mania, and continuing their rivalry from years ago, with the roles reversed this time.
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