Reigns Retains; Rollins Returns

After defeating AJ Styles in yet another phenomenal match (no pun intended), Roman Reigns retained the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. In these two recent battles with Styles, Roman has proven that he has what it takes to dance in a high quality match by bringing his very best as AJ brought his best. Roman proved that he is no slouch despite what the IWC critics say, and that he has improved gradually as an in-ring performer. The match at Payback was very thrilling, even though they had to restart thanks to Shane and Stephanie. However, I would say that this match tops it just because it did not have those interruptions. Roman is truly an athletic stud in the ring, and he let it be known with what he pulled out of his arsenal. He even turned a Razor's Edge into a Sit-Out Powerbomb. This match was a straight-out war. The veteran AJ Styles did the Styles Clash not once but twice and Roman kicked out. I'm not surprised because that is how WWE likes to book someone that they have chosen to be the franchise star. That is why fans are tired of John Cena. Then again, if Roman gets criticized, look how many times Styles kicked out of Roman's signature moves. It's all about adding suspense to the match and telling a story and both of these men did that. The USO's and "The Club" would get involved, but "Super" Roman survived the onslaughts and won with a Spear. This was easily a candidate for "Match of the Year".

I am not the number 1 Roman Reigns fan, but I am willing to give him a chance. I see plenty of upside in him to make it as the Marquee Star that WWE desires him to be. After Roman emerges victorious, Seth Rollins surprises everyone by attacking Reigns from behind. Seth ends the night by giving him the Pedigree. Rollins would stand over his former Shield partner while holding the WWE Championship. The sight of Seth holding the title in the air was reminiscent of when he held the gold high at the end of WrestleMania 31. The fans cheered Seth for attacking Roman, even though Rollins is naturally a heel. Seth colored most of his hair black as he has gotten rid of the "Rogue" hairstyle with the streak in his head. Seth's injury was so severe that he was expected to be out for 9 months going into Summerslam. Instead, he returned in 6 months.

The next night on RAW, Shane McMahon set up the match between Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Seth missed out on WrestleMania, which was a huge void for the overall match card in spite of the 101,763 fans in attendance that night. I believe that Mania STILL would have reached that number with Rollins healthy.

Either way, I believe WWE still had big plans for Seth going into the Summer. It seems as though Roman has moved on from this chapter with AJ Styles. The feud with Styles was beneficial in the sense that it challenged Roman to improve as an in-ring worker.

Now that this chapter with AJ Styles has come to an end, Roman can now transition to his primary rival, his former brother in The Shield. The match with Seth at Money In the Bank could be the launching pad for bigger matches down the line. This chapter with Rollins is what is "Best for Business" for both Roman and Seth.