Seth Rollins Eliminates Roman Reigns in Gauntlet Match Opener

RAW opened with fireworks as WWE gifted us a 30-minute classic between Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns to start the Gauntlet Match. And it was Seth Rollins who snagged the victory.

Their match was a blast to watch and a lot of that had to do with lively Phoenix crowd. They were totally invested with both characters as they traded crisp offense. However, it was Rollins who won after a roll up.

The Shield brethren had a nice gentlemanly moment after the match but that was cut off by John Cena’s storied trumpets (We’ll have more on that match later).

The crowd still seems unsure as to how to react to Reigns. Men over the age of 18 still want to boo him but aren’t nearly as committed to hating him as they were this time last year.

Rollins, though, appears to be surging. It took a while, but his babyface turn is starting to pay dividends. For the first time we’ve noticed, Rollins received a “Burn it Down” chant from the RAW crowd. Even Rollins had to pause to acknowledge the moment.

Fans are getting behind Rollins and a good WrestleMania season may launch him back into WWE‘s main event.

For Reigns, he’s still not getting the reaction WWE officials may be hoping for. After losing, the Phoenix crowd even hit him with the “Hey-ey Goodbye” chant. However, there’s little reason for Vince McMahon to call an audible. This has been the seesaw of Reigns, some towns hate him more than others, but no matter what, the crowd is always making noise for The Big Dog.

And at Elimination Chamber, that noise will be very loud after he emerges as the victor.