Ah, the Roman Reigns heel turn. Rumoured by fans ever since Reigns won the Royal Rumble match in 2015 to a thunderous ovation of boos. The jeers have unfortunately never left the Roman Empire alone.
Including that fateful night in Philadelphia, there have been a number of opportunities to turn ‘The Guy’ heel, but WWE’s persistence on pushing him as a top babyface (despite constant negative reactions from a large section of fans) has prevented the heel turn from ever materialising.
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Although fan reactions for Reigns aren’t nearly as bad right now as they were throughout mid 2015-late 2016, boos are still there despite his improvements within the squared circle (and his current position in the mid card). Will Reigns ever get over with the fans as a babyface?
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Time will tell, but there have been plenty of opportunities to turn ‘The Guy’ heel, sadly, WWE just didn’t capitalise on them. Here are 5 Opportunities to Turn Roman Reigns Heel that WWE Wasted:
#5 Royal Rumble 2015
This is the unfortunate night where all the boos began. The Royal Rumble match for 2015 is now considered among one of the worst in history by fans due to Reigns’ victory.
Rejecting the whole match after Daniel Bryan was eliminated early and raining down boos on the Roman Empire, fans ruined WWE’s expected babyface victory for the former Shield strongman. If WWE had just steered into the storm, however, an otherwise poor Rumble could’ve been brilliant.
Also read: Should WWE consider a heel turn for Roman Reigns?
WWE had a splendid situation on their hands. Reigns could win the Rumble as planned, and then immediately turn on his Samoan cousin, attacking the incredibly popular ‘People’s Champion’. Rather than fighting the boos on the road to Wrestlemania 31, Reigns could have been embracing them.
The build (and the match) for the main event of Wrestlemania 31 would have benefited significantly, and WWE would still have been able to put Reigns over Lesnar in the main event on the Grandest Stage of Them All.
Instead of this splendid win/win situation, WWE took the weakest route possible, keeping Reigns as a babyface against the infinitely more popular Beast Incarnate. This was sadly the first of many opportunities wasted, as WWE could have prevented the negative reactions for a babyface Reigns before they even developed.
#4 Wrestlemania 31 vs Brock Lesnar
Although Seth Rollins’ cash in was incredible, WWE missed the chance to create an alternative iconic Wrestlemania moment . Although the Lesnar vs Reigns main event was still stellar, with Seth Rollins’ cash in being the icing on the cake, WWE could have booked one of the most high-profile heel turns of all time.
Reigns could have beaten Lesnar clean, receiving huge heat from the 77,000 fans in attendance. Fans would have experienced their worst nightmare, as it appeared Reigns had been victorious as a babyface. Then, The Rock would come out to celebrate with his younger cousin, embracing him on the Grandest Stage of Them All.
Also read: 5 Reasons why Roman Reigns should become WWE's top heel
But, before ‘The Great One’ could raise Reigns’ arm, ‘The Guy’ would hit Rocky with a Spear, cementing himself as the top heel in the company, as well as setting up a Summerslam dream match with the ‘People’s Champion’.
This shocking turn of events in the main event of Wrestlemania 31 could have cemented the Lesnar vs Reigns match as one of the best in recent years, and the thunderous boos that Reigns would’ve received had he turned on his cousin could have made him the biggest heel in years.
Unfortunately, once again, WWE missed the boat, and Reigns continued as a babyface despite consistent negative reactions, even though he hadn’t won the championship from Lesnar.
#3 Survivor Series 2015 vs Dean Ambrose
How neither man turned heel here is beyond me, as it was almost too predictable that one of the two men would turn on their friend for the sake of the WWE World Championship.
Despite the predictability, it was the only real option to make the main event a success (predictable outcomes aren’t always bad if the outcome is the right decision). But, WWE somehow made the weakest booking decision possible.
Reigns defeated the significantly more popular Ambrose clean but was then cashed in on by Sheamus, losing the WWE World Title almost instantly. Fans were supposed to feel sympathetic for the ‘babyface’ Reigns, but they were rather cynical that Ambrose had just been beaten so easily by ‘The Guy’.
Rather than aligning Reigns with the Authority or having him brutally attack Ambrose after losing (or even turning Ambrose heel), WWE decided the best option in a babyface vs babyface main event was to have the least popular guy go over clean.
Sheamus’ cash in was the terrible icing on the already terrible cake, and unfortunately, WWE somehow turned one of the most potentially intriguing main events of 2015 into an absolute flop.
Considering this was arguably the perfect situation to turn Reigns heel, yet WWE refused, we may never see ‘The Guy’ embrace the boos that continue to be a thorn in his side. Overall, Ambrose vs Reigns will go down as one of the poorest main events in recent WWE history, and it is all thanks to WWE’s insistence on keeping Reigns babyface.
#2 Wrestlemania 32 vs Triple H
Unlike his main event against Lesnar at the previous year’s Wrestlemania, Reigns vs Triple H was not stellar. Fans were desperate to see something different to the predictable finish that nobody wanted, with a vast number of intriguing possibilities being rumoured heading into the bout.
Would there be a double turn in the works? Was Reigns going to attack a top babyface after the bell, finally embracing the hate? Would Reigns cut a vicious promo on the fans after emerging victorious, turning heel in the process?
Any of these possible finishes (and more) would have satisfied fans more than the horrible ending we endured, with Reigns going over clean as a babyface. The match quality wasn’t top notch either, as both men failed to produce the type of high-quality matchup that should be the main event of a PPV, especially Wrestlemania.
WWE even muted the negative reactions to Reigns and irrelevant chants by the crowd, leaving silence as the main theme of the main event of Wrestlemania 32.
Rather than ending an otherwise solid Wrestlemania on a high note with a Reigns heel turn, WWE gave fans the worst possible outcome, with the finish leading to a much more negative reception of the PPV overall.
Whatever WWE were thinking, it was a horrific decision, and Reigns still remained a face despite a whole year passing since his rejection by fans at Wrestlemania 31.
Unfortunately, the main event of Wrestlemania 32 is another big example of WWE failing to deliver a Reigns heel turn when it is desperately needed.
#1 Money in the Bank 2016 vs Seth Rollins
If there was ever a perfect time and place to deliver a double turn, this was it. Even though WWE knew about Reigns’ wellness policy failure heading into the bout, the subsequent double turn would have led to a wonderful situation once he had returned, as he could’ve immediately become the top heel to his haters’ dismay.
Seth Rollins, fresh from a thunderous return at Extreme Rules, was incredibly over with the WWE Universe and could have been turned face easily through a number of booking decisions. Ambrose’s cash in wouldn’t be required to be scrapped either, as that could have played perfectly into the double turn.
Imagine Reigns retains, but Ambrose cashes in on him. Reigns, instead of fighting like a defiant babyface, disqualifies himself to keep the gold. Fans would instantly turn on him, as Ambrose’s incredible climax to the top of the industry would have been squandered by ‘The Guy’.
Reigns would beat Ambrose down with a chair, further cementing himself as a heel. Just when it appears Ambrose will be injured by Reigns, Seth Rollins saves Ambrose, attacking Reigns who escapes up the ramp.
The fans would’ve gone crazy if Rollins and Ambrose aligned, and Reigns would have cemented himself as a top heel in his attack on the Lunatic Fringe. On Raw the night after, Ambrose could be gifted a rematch and would win the championship against the heel Reigns, who takes time off due to his suspension.
I may have gone a little too in-depth on that possible booking scenario, but the situation wrote itself. Despite the strong finish and match at Money in the Bank 2016, this double turn could’ve been one of the best moments in the past decade of WWE.
Although it was considered by WWE as per recent reports, it should’ve been executed, and it is the most recent example of WWE wasting yet another wonderful opportunity to turn Roman Reigns heel.
Will we ever see Reigns turn heel? Is it necessary? Let us know in the comments!
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