Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre: Lost in the Shuffle Behind Shane McMahon

Roman Reigns will face Drew McIntyre in a match at WWE Stomping Grounds on Sunday, June 24. The two adversaries are squaring off again in a feud that never seems to end, while the diabolical Shane McMahon sits back and watches it all with a smile on his face.

But the problem is that Roman and Drew are getting lost in the shuffle. They’ve become background noise for Shane, who could actually be on his way to taking over SmackDown Live as the new WWE champion. Whether or not that will actually happen is unknown. But in the meantime, McIntyre versus Reigns is a feud that fans should care about and that is just not the case.

Indeed, this war is not really about Drew and Roman. It’s about Shane and Roman. WWE fans have marveled at just how high the company has elevated Shane McMahon as a performer, not just a corporate authority figure. All of this is obvious to anyone that has followed the product over the past few months. But what is not so obvious is why?

Why would WWE position Shane McMahon as the focus of a rivalry that should be on top of the company? Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre are two of WWE’s heavy hitters, with intensity, charisma and talent to spare. Both men have the ability to main event on any card in the world and it should be a must-see match every time they step into the ring.

But is that the reality of the situation? Is Reigns versus McIntyre really a can’t miss bout for the WWE faithful? Or is this feud falling flat every time the two men lock up? At some point, the idea of Roman versus Drew was perhaps so important and had so much potential, that the actual execution failed to measure up.

There seems to be no good reason why. Maybe it’s because the Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre simply do not have chemistry together in the ring. They seem to be perfect opponents for each other, but that doesn’t appear to be true. But maybe the biggest reason why this feud is not living up to fan expectation is due to the fact that nothing is at stake.

The WWE Championship is not involved. Neither is the United States Championship. In fact, there’s not even a title opportunity on the line. This feud is not about each man setting out to prove he’s the best. In the end, this is about Shane and nothing more.

Rather than move on from this rivalry however, WWE has chosen instead to stay the course. It’s clear that the company is moving toward a Shane versus Roman rematch, which is something that many WWE fans surely do not want to see. So as Stomping Grounds approaches, it’s become obvious that Drew McIntyre is just a roadblock on Roman’s way back to Shane.

But how did it get to this point? Roman Reigns was the top guy in WWE before being forced to leave in 2018. He was under fire from many fans because they didn’t want him in that spot, but he was there all the same. He was the man that WWE wanted on top and he carried himself like the megastar that Vince McMahon has always loved. 

However much of the recent conversation happening among WWE fans online is whether or not the company even needs a top guy anymore. The idea of one major star at the forefront leading a locker room full of talents behind him, suddenly seems like an antiquated process. The bulk of WWE’s presentation centers on the overall roster, after all. Fans have always believed that. So maybe that belief has now become reality.

Can WWE succeed with a shared top level system, where no one truly stands out from the rest? Is that a viable business model for the company? Or is it possible that system is the cause of WWE’s problems today, and leads to these issues for Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre?

Rather than create Superstars that people actually want to see, WWE has instead built a roster of talents that all seem to stand shoulder to shoulder with each other. It’s not that Roman Reigns should be hailed as the greatest of all time and as such, he’s light years better than everyone else in the company. But to book him in a spot where he can’t seem to rise up suggests that no one else can rise up either.

It’s a tough situation for fans, many of whom have hated Roman from the moment that WWE first sent him up the ladder. They wanted to see Reigns pushed back down because they felt the company was working much too hard to convince everyone to love him. But now, it’s as if the complete opposite is happening. So what is the truth?

Regardless of how little fanfare Roman Reigns versus Drew McIntyre is receiving, the fact is that this is a solid rivalry. They consistently have good matches and they are fully capable of having the match of the night. It may not be the hottest rivalry in WWE today. But then again, nothing really is. No matter what happens in the rivalry between Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre, the fact is that Shane McMahon is waiting. Whether or not it will make a difference is anyone’s guess.

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