WWE TLC: Why Roman Reigns had to snap and win the WWE Title

Barnaby Read 17:41 16/12/2015
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  • Reigns is the new heavyweight champion.

    After a year in which the WWE attempted to give Roman Reigns a foot up, he finally seized the world heavyweight title with the full backing of the Universe.

    He was given the nod of approval at TLC as he set about dismantling Triple H and finally taking devastating ownership of his feud with The Authority.

    For the majority of the past 12 months, Reigns has been pushed to the fore, only for his spell in the limelight to come to a grinding halt.

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    Two ‘Money in the Bank’ winners denied him the gold at times when his standing wasn’t quite fulfilling its potential with RAW, Smackdown and PPV audiences.

    His talent is undoubted but there was a certain je ne sai quoi missing from the Superstar that could validate his position as a champion of the people.

    At Tables, Ladders and Chairs, however, he finally found his place and in one of the WWE’s finest pieces of booking in an otherwise disappointing year for Creative.

    With Sheamus sparked out on the canvas, Reigns looked to climb the ladder to rising boos around the stadium.

    It showed that Reigns was not quite ready to be welcomed as WWE champion, but all would change just half an hour later.

    Sheamus – with the help of the League of Nations – went on to retain his title but Reigns came out on top after dismantling Sheamus, his stooges Rusev, King Barrett and Alberto Del Rio.

    Where Reigns truly stole the show however was by finally unleashing his anger on Triple H, putting him through a table, wrapping chairs round him and spearing him outside the ring as he was being carried out the stadium.

    The sudden, brutal manner in which Reigns took apart the WWE COO resonated with the Universe and 24 hours later a RAW show to remember finally took Reigns to the next level.

    The big guns were out as Vince McMahon made his first appearance on the show in over a year and Reigns was finally given a heel to build momentum against, the backing of the crowd centred on his hatred for The Authority – a cause they could support.

    Reigns went on to dethrone Sheamus and leave the crowd on their feet, lapping up his victory.

    Finally, the WWE were rewarded for their faith in Reigns, a masterstroke capping off the year that sets the company on the Road to WrestleMania with a fully fledged champion, grudges to bear and a captive audience ready to tune back into the show.

    Tis the season to be jolly for the WWE. 

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