After months of programming that was, to be completely honest, subpar, WWE is finally rebounding. The first big move was to finally shift weekly programming away from the Performance Center and into the Thunderdome. The tone of the product immediately changed and Raw and Smackdown felt important again. Now, the return of a single talent has seemingly resurrected one of the company's two main roster shows, making it feel like can't-miss television once again.
Roman Reigns is back. The Big Dog made his return at SummerSlam, attacking Braun Strowman and the newly-crowned WWE Universal Champion The Fiend, leaving them lying in the ring and showing the audience a new edge to his character. Then he added Paul Heyman as an on-screen advocate, and went on to take the WWE Universal Championship, picking his spot in a triple threat match after Strowman and The Fiend destroyed each other at Payback.
This is the Roman Reigns WWE fans need right now. What's more, this is the shot in the arm that Reigns, who never fully rebounded as a top character in WWE after taking time off for health reasons, needed.
When Reigns returned in February 2019 after his leukemia went into remission, he received a hero's welcome, which was in stark contrast to the boos he normally got prior to going on hiatus. However, the adoration didn't end up establishing him as the face of the company in the minds of fans. He took part in a number of feuds on the Smackdown brand, but the character had trouble connecting. Ultimately, Reigns had gone so long without evolving or changing that the goodwill couldn't last.
Now, though, he's back after a hiatus that began with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. And this time, Reigns has changed--or at least the perception is that he has. The visual of seeing him stand next to Heyman, the longtime advocate of Brock Lesnar--one of WWE's top heels for years--has immediately changed the perception of Roman.
No longer is he the man many fans felt WWE was pushing down their throats to be John Cena's heir apparent. By pairing him with Heyman, WWE is elevating Reigns to the status of Lesnar, branding him a top-level monster of a superstar worthy of fans' time, attention, and money. In this case, though, the upside for WWE is even better.
Unlike with Lesnar, Reigns is not a part-time performer. He will most likely be on every show and pay-per-view, representing the company to the best of his ability. And having Heyman at his side will only elevate him further, although that's not to say Reigns needs Heyman to do the talking for him. Unlike Lesnar, Roman is very comfortable with promos. Over the years, he's steadily grown to be one of the strongest on WWE's current roster with a microphone, having honed his skills against many of the best talkers in the industry--from John Cena to The Miz.
What Heyman brings, though, is credibility. Heyman's on-camera stamp of approval makes Reigns a threat and immediately establishes him as the top heel on Smackdown. That's exactly what WWE has been missing of late. Over on Raw, Randy Orton hasn't evolved in years, while Seth Rollins has been feuding with Rey Mysterio for what seems like a decade. Meanwhile, the top heel on Smackdown has been The Fiend, the demented version of Bray Wyatt that the audience is too fascinated by to hate.
Reigns as the top heel is not only refreshing for the current product, it's enticing because this is the first time it's ever happened. Since the initial split of The Shield, Reigns has been portrayed as a conquering hero, even while the audience tended to reject that image. Now, though, he's not seeking audience approval. Instead, he's there simply to take what's his--the WWE Universal Championship--and wreck anyone who gets in his way.
A force like that, with a mind like Heyman helping to chart the path, is exciting. Plus, let's be honest, any reason to have Heyman back on TV is a good one. You'll be hard-pressed to find a promo of his that wasn't downright incredible in the last several years, and that was when he only had Brock Lesnar to talk about. Having a new talent to advocate for gives Heyman fresh material to work with--and someone he can go back-and-forth with, much as he did during his time as CM Punk's manager.
The future for Smackdown looks bright with a newly-turned Roman Reigns at the top of the mountain. As WWE continues to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic, the company has struck on something that could very well keep fans invested until such a time comes that the audience is allowed to return to arenas full-force. And once that happens, imagine the vitriol and rage that will come from those fans when they finally get the chance to tell the brand's primary villain what they think of his new persona and associate in person.
At long last, watching WWE is getting very exciting once again.
