What If? – Roman Reigns Ended The Streak

TheChairshot.com asks the question…What If? Chris King discusses what if Roman Reigns ended The Undertaker’s WrestleMania Streak instead of Brock Lesnar!

At WrestleMania 30, The Undertaker’s legendary undefeated Streak was on the line against Brock Lesnar. In arguably one of the most shocking and questionable booking decisions, “The Beast Incarnate” ended the streak. During that time, there was another superstar that should have been placed in that position: The Shield’s silent brute, Roman Reigns.

Since The Shield’s arrival into WWE, Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and Seth Rollins ran roughshod throughout the whole roster. The unstoppable trio immediately went right after the top players, including Kane, John Cena, CM Punk, and many others. Following their impressive WrestleMania 29 debut, The Shield were red-hot and ready to take on any challengers.

To the shock of the WWE Universe on the April 22nd episode of Monday Night Raw, The Shield would take on Team Hell No (Kane and Daniel Bryan) alongside “The Phenom” The Undertaker in a massive six-man tag team match and were victorious. A few short days later, “The Hounds Of Justice” brutally attacked The Undertaker on SmackDown, taking him out and delivering a thunderous Triple Powerbomb through the announce table.

This was the perfect exit strategy for “The Deadman”, who typically disappears after Mania each year. This helped elevate The Shield as the biggest heel faction in WWE history. I thought surely Taker would look for some payback after being taken out so viciously. I fully expected Reigns to brag and boast about their recent victory and taking out the greatest superstars of all time leading up to WrestleMania 30.

The Undertaker could torment the young-and-coming superstar, playing mind games with the trio. Reigns would finally challenge The Deadman to a match on “The Grandest Stage of Them All”. Reigns would inevitably do the unthinkable and end the undefeated Streak at Mania, and the entire WWE Universe would be shocked, similar to when Lesnar broke it.

The biggest difference here would be that Lesnar, at this point in his career, was a seasoned veteran. He had already conquered WWE and the UFC; he didn’t have much to gain from beating The Streak. Reigns was fresh and was hungry and could have used the “rub” from “The Deadman”. This would have made Reigns feel unstoppable, and his arrogance would have grown exponentially.

I imagine Reigns coming to a chorus of boos just like the Raw after Mania 33; this time, however, he would embrace the heat alongside his Shield brothers. Reigns would have been one of the most hated superstars of all time after possibly sending Taker into early retirement. This could have catapulted him into the main event title scene, and the WWE fanbase would have believed he was ready, instead of how Reigns was shoved down their throats under ‘The Big Dog’ moniker. Reigns would stay at the top vying for the championship for years, but “The Big Dog” never worked because he simply wasn’t ready to be the face of WWE. Why? Because it wasn’t authentic. The WWE Universe grew tired of it.

I truly feel like The Shield could have gone another year as a dangerous force, with every member holding singles gold before inevitably breaking up. Not only would this have changed the trajectory of Reigns’ career, but also the whole group. The flipside of this is that if “The Big Dog” wasn’t such a failure, maybe we would’ve never gotten ‘The Head of the Table” character. Hindsight is 50/50, and we can always think about what might have been, but let’s all Acknowledge Our Tribal Chief! ☝️