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WWE RAW came to us from Chicago this week and was a pretty dull show. We're so close to WrestleMania, and yet WWE has not gone 'all guns blazing' for their mega event yet. One of the questions that everyone has been asking is where the Big Dog was is. This is because he wasn't featured on the show this week.
Having returned from leukaemia, Reigns' popularity is at an all-time high right now. For the first time in his career, Reigns is a babyface through and through. So why did WWE keep The Big Dog off TV?
I don't really know the reason, but I can certainly speculate. This is my reasoning about why he was kept off television.
Let me know if you agree or disagree with the following hypothesis.
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#5 To sell the beating from Drew McIntyre
So, Roman Reigns and Baron Corbin were scheduled to lock it up on RAW last week. This would have been Reigns' valiant and triumphant singles return, after his comeback from leukaemia. But before the match could even get underway, Drew McIntyre attacked him.
And when I say attack, I use that term lightly because Drew McIntyre absolutely pulverised Roman Reigns and left him in a heap in the middle of the ring. Had Roman Reigns come back this week, it would have undersold the attack and made Drew McIntyre appear as a lesser threat than he is, at the moment. Which is why Roman Reign had to sit out for a week, to properly sell the effects of the attack.
In doing so, McIntyre has appeared to be a worthy contender for Reigns' throne as 'the guy', creating heat for the WrestleMania match. This is why Reigns wasn't on the show, this week.
#4 To refocus the spotlight on Rollins vs. Lesnar
WWE's main focus before Fastlane revolved around The Shield. The question was whether or not Ambrose was in the right frame of mind to join forces with his brothers again. After all, he had turned rotten not long ago and embarked on an ill-fated heel turn.
But now with WrestleMania on the horizon, the need of the hour is to remind everyone that the money match is Rollins vs. Lesnar, and that The Shield doesn't figure into those plans at all. And this is why, had Reigns returned, we'd have forgotten that we have this big match coming up. Thanks to Lesnar's part-time schedule, this contest hasn't been built up the way it should have been.
WWE managed to push the Lesnar vs. Rollins contest, to an extent, into our consciousness on RAW this week. But does anyone else feel that the build has been quite meh?
#3 To build anticipation for Drew McIntyre's challenge
Drew McIntyre took on Seth Rollins on RAW and had a pretty good main event match this week. Before the match, Drew McIntyre cut a passionate promo about Roman Reigns and challenged him to a big match at WWE WrestleMania 35.
In the rare case that Drew McIntyre does manage to defeat Roman Reigns at WrestleMania, the title of 'the guy' could transfer to The Big Dog, going forward, in my opinion. This is because both men are special Vince McMahon projects and they fit the mould of superstar that the boss likes to push to a pretty good extent.
Reigns could have accepted the match this week, but WWE likes to stretch things out, as we well know. So, I expect him to rise up to Drew McIntyre's challenge next week.
Who else thinks that these two men could potentially steal the show at WrestleMania 35?
#2 To not have Chicago turn him heel again
Roman Reigns has never been the favourite of the WWE Universe. No sir, not by a long shot. But ever since he's returned after vanquishing his more feared opponent, leukaemia, in a non-scripted battle, the WWE Universe seems to have had a change of heart.
But then again, the Chicago crowd is known to be vocal and they do not think twice about unleashing a 'CM Punk' chant on superstars they dislike. WWE probably did not want them to ruin Reigns' fairytale comeback story, so soon after his return. They wanted him to return as a babyface and go all the way to WrestleMania 35 as one.
So, this is probably why it may have been prudent to skip Chicago for Reigns during this particular run. Do we really need to hear 'what?' chants ring out while Roman Reigns cuts a promo?
#1 Keeping Roman Reigns special
One assumes for the sake of the product that Seth Rollins will pin Brock Lesnar and recapture the Universe Championship at WrestleMania 35. If Rollins becomes the face of the red brand, Reigns needs to become a special attraction in a way. Only by keeping him off television for a spell, can he be considered special. This is what works in Brock Lesnar's favour.
Like him or hate him, it is impossible to deny the aura that Brock Lesnar carries with him. And this is why he does not show up every week. The same was the case with Hulk Hogan in the 90s, who only turned up on special occasions to wrestle or cut a promo.
Is this the first step towards Reigns not being a weekly TV attraction? Maybe it is, maybe it isn't.
Why do you think Roman Reigns was kept off TV this week, guys?
