According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter , by way of Sportskeeda , WWE officials turned Roman Reigns heel after the superstar approached Vince McMahon and requested the change.
Reigns returned to WWE at this year’s SummerSlam pay-per-view following a lengthy hiatus. He took time off during the pandemic due to family reasons and COVID-19 concerns, but the company’s move to the ThunderDome seemingly eased his worries about catching the disease.
Upon his return, the superstar attacked Braun Strowman and Bray Wyatt following their Universal Championship match. The angle set up a title Triple Threat bout at last week’s Payback event, which Reigns won after entering the match late and dominating his opponents.
As documented by WrestlingNews.co , Reigns is expected to have a long reign with the Universal Championship. This is because McMahon reportedly wants to push him to the moon. The chairman sees a strong heel run as the best way to make the polarizing performer a popular fan-favorite in the long run.
The boss supposedly views “The Big Dog” as a potential megastar who can reach the same level of fame and success as John Cena.
Reigns has been pushed as the company’s top babyface in the past, but fans haven’t always responded positively to the champion. There have been calls in the wrestling community to make him a bad guy for years, and officials now seem open to the idea.
The Sportskeeda article also stated that it’s unclear who decided to pair the superstar with Paul Heyman. However, the reason for the unexpected alliance is due to Brock Lesnar’s future being up in the air. Heyman reportedly receives a lot of money, and the company wants to make sure he’s being put to good use.
The report also highlighted that Heyman would likely have been used as a booking consultant if he wasn’t brought back to television. He has worked in backstage creative positions in the past, but officials seemingly want to use him as an onscreen character these days.
The alliance with Reigns has taken fans by surprise. Reigns and his new manager have been foes whenever they’ve encountered each other in the past. Some of Reigns’ most memorable feuds have been against Lesnar when he was being represented by his advocate.
Reigns is expected to reveal his change in attitude on tonight’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown . A segment involving the new Universal Champion and his manager has already been confirmed.