Discussing the Future Implications of Roman Reigns’ Suspension

Last night, Twitter exploded when the IWC found out that the WWE’s handpicked golden boy – Roman Reigns, has been suspended for 30 days for violating the company’s wellness policy.  Both the WWE and former three-times WWE World Heavyweight Champion commented on the news on social media. The company officially confirmed the suspension and Reigns tweeted out and apology to his family and fans.

Reigns’ failed drug test made a huge impression on the WWE Universe for a number of reasons. First of all, nobody expected it. There’s been a lot of talk in the IWC that top superstars are more or less shielded when it comes to wellness violations. Not to say that they are exempt from the obligatory random drug tests, but rather that they are previously warned, so they end up, being clean.  However, as many other rumors that roam around the internet, this one was proven to be completely bogus, as Roman Reigns has arguably been the most pushed performer in the WWE over the last three years and yet, he got caught.

There has been no official information as to what substances caused Reigns’ suspension. This information is considered confidential. However, regardless of whether he was on anti-depressants, on steroids, on common drugs, or something different, it’s a fact that the top superstar in the company felt the need to resort to such methods, putting his promising future in jeopardy. It’s a scary thought that paints a very dark picture of the business below the surface. It would be easy to think that Roman Reigns must be the happiest guy on the roster. He’s been blessed with the continuous support of the WWE for the last three years and he’s been kept in the spotlight, despite the opinion of the fans. However, in reality, this situation must have put him under tremendous amounts of pressure, which caused his current predicament.

Roman Reigns was supposed to be the next big thing. The fans knew it and the company knew it. Everyone seemed to be behind him as he came face to face with Batista at the 2014 Royal Rumble PPV. Then, the WWE Creative screwed up. They tried to paint Reigns as an invincible superhero, ignoring both the fans and his natural aptitude for being a heel. As a result, a large portion of the WWE Universe turned against The Guy and the displeasure with Roman’s status as the top superstar grew stronger and stronger, resulting in constant booing and YOU CAN’T WRESTLE chants. Suddenly, as if overnight, Reigns lost the WWE Universe and became the focus of scrutiny, while carrying the expectations of the WWE on his shoulders. The stress he was put under led to a wellness policy violation.

Although some sympathy is warranted, there’s no denying that fact that Roman messed up. The WWE has had its history with drug abuse scandals and since then the company has been meticulous when it comes to keeping a clean image. Potentially, Reigns’ mistake could prove to be costly when it comes to the future development of his career. One must wonder whether the WWE will continue pushing him as their ultimate favourite. Would the company want a man with a stained name to be the face that represents them in front of the entire world? In the worst case scenario, Reigns will lose his push and much to the pleasure of the haters, will drop out of the main event scene.

On the other hand, this issue could simply be ignored and forgotten. This is Reigns’ first wellness policy violation since entering the WWE. Some of the company’s biggest names are on the list of people, who failed a drug test. Superstars, such as Randy Orton, Edge and Rey Mysterio have earned a strike to their names. This didn’t stop them from becoming legends. After all, the punishment for a first violation is only 30 days.  To put this into perspective, Titus O’Neil got a 60-day suspension (reduced from 90) for touching Vince McMahon’s arm. What the WWE deems a serious offence might be questionable.

Then again, Roman Reigns’ 30 days off TV come at a very bad time. Two years after the break-up of the Shield, we were finally about to see the dream Triple Threat – Ambrose vs. Reigns vs. Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Ambrose and Rollins are more than capable of pulling off an exciting feud on their own. However, writing Reigns off and then back into the rivalry will be more difficult. At the moment, he’s a face. The only way the writers could keep it that way upon his return is if he comes back and pulls a sad story about crumbling under the weight of carrying the company on his shoulders. That would also serve as a direct hit to Rollins, who used a similar explanation for the injury that took him out of action. However, bringing Reigns back as a face would be a terrible mistake in itself. It would show that the company still believes in him, but it would only fuel the fans’ hatred for him even more, putting him under more stress. The best decision would be to use a bad situation and find the silver lining. Roman could return as a heel, blaming the fans for having turned on him, pushed him into a downward spiral and basically having ruined his career.

Another issue with the timing of this suspension is that it comes just before the RAW/SmackDown draw. Roman Reigns should have been one of the biggest names in the draw but now the company would look stupid, focusing on the draft of a suspended superstar on live TV. The brand split could also break up the three members of the Shield, killing the possibility of having their Triple Threat. Battleground might have been the last chance of pulling that match off. As Rollins and Ambrose are in a feud, they’ll probably end up on the same show. Reigns, however, might not. The WWE needs to decide whether they want him to join his former brothers wherever they are and create the Triple Threat on a much bigger stage with the upcoming Summer Slam, or if they want him to be separated from the storyline as a punishment. Where Roman ends up will be a good indicator of what the WWE plans for him.

The news of Roman Reigns’ suspension split the WWE Universe. There are the haters, who gloat over his fall and there are those, who feel for The Guy and wonder about the hidden sides of the business. Either way, the fans are all intrigued by what’s coming next for Roman Reigns. Let’s hope that this failure is only a blessing in disguise and will finally give Reigns an opportunity to tap into his heel potential.

What do you think? Comment below with your thoughts, opinions, feedback and anything else that was raised