Roman Reigns seems to have finally gotten the monkey off his back, winning not only the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) heavyweight title but also gaining the respect of the WWE universe.
The road toward finally being crowned champion and getting the fans behind him was not easy though. Everyone knows that at the start of 2015, Reigns was being groomed as the heir apparent to John Cena, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and so on.
But somehow, the WWE universe found it too predictable. Reigns seemed to be too perfect and such drew a chorus of boos from the crowds.
It wasn't really Reigns' fault. It was the manner in which he was being made for it that really made the road bumpy. On multiple occasions, he would have become champion; but somehow the WWE had to railroad it to calm down the rants heard left and right.
Add the fact that the WWE has been trying to improve on the ratings and the last thing that Reigns would want is to be made the scapegoat. Seth Rollins was elevated instead but that didn't help as well.
Rollins was hit for the poor ratings despite the fact that he was perhaps the hardest working wrestler before he fell to injury. With the WWE's back against the wall, it was time to make a decision — go with Reigns as champion or continue with the storylines that seem to be too predictable as usual.
Reigns needed the help of Triple H and Vince McMahon to get the fans on his side. The WWE COO took a beating and so did the WWE chairman the following night. Before the night was over, the fans had Reigns back.
And so, he is finally instilled as WWE champion, although the road ahead remains sketchy. How will Reigns rein? Will he live up to the WWE's expectations and succeed like his cousin, The Rock?
Much of that will probably be answered in 2016. For now, Reigns is ending the year on a high note, a triumph which sees him with the WWE gold finally around his waist.
