After a spending 2017 away from WWE‘s main event, it looks like Roman Reigns is set to return to wrestling’s biggest stage.
Cagesideseats reports that Reigns is expected to win this Sunday’s Elimination Chamber match, clinching a one-on-one showdown with Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 34. However, their story also indicated the Reigns will not be winning RAW’s arbitrary Gauntlet Match on Monday.
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To fans who follow WWE’s rumor mill closely, Reigns winning at Elimination Chamber is hardly news. Ever since WrestleMania 33 shut off its cameras, rumors perpetuated that WWE had already booked the next year’s main event — Reigns vs. Lesnar.
In the year that passed, WWE made a concerted effort to not just keep Reigns and Lesnar far apart, but to make sure the Big Dog stayed out of the title picture altogether. Aside from SummerSlam’s Fatal 4 Way, Reigns hasn’t sniffed the Universal Championship, instead, he’s been occupied with Braun Strowman, a Shield reunion, viral illnesses, and a brief stint with the Intercontinental Championship. While all of these (minus the illness) are enviable spots, WWE will happily point that none of them involved the Universal Championship.
But now, The Big Dog is free to run and barring a last minute audible, you can bank on him winning at Elimination Chamber. While a decent portion of the fans will reject Reigns’ return to the main event, WWE has done admirable work to rehabilitate his image since WrestleMania 33.
Reigns is no stranger to boos, but the night after retiring The Undertaker, Reigns was met with an unprecedented amount of vitriol. However, rumors asserted that despite the rejection Vince McMahon still pictured him as the company’s top babyface. With that in mind, WWE dedicated all of 2017 to getting Reigns back in the good graces of fans.
And to their credit, it’s worked.
While Reigns is still getting boos, many his haters have been converted to supporters – just in time for WrestleMania.
