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The red-hot humor and speculation for The Rock coming back to WWE to face Roman Reigns in the WrestleMania 39 main event is a huge story in wrestling. Months of hype has fans building their own expectations before WWE even started teasing it. Both Roman and Rock saying things in interviews have shown a reaction confirming the strong interest in their match.
Many fans overlook or forget that Reigns and The Rock had one meaningful interaction in their WWE pasts that could be a huge addition to a feud. Royal Rumble 2015 featured a pivotal moment in the career of Roman Reigns involving The Rock. WWE can easily use this to help create an all-time great wrestling attraction match.
Roman Reigns' Worst Night Was At The 2015 Royal Rumble
WWE wanted the Royal Rumble 2015 event to be the crowning night of Roman Reigns starting his main event ascension. The Shield were about ten months after its end, with Reigns remaining in a relevant position leading up to this night. However, it was a disaster of a plan to have Roman dominate the Royal Rumble match before winning to earn a WrestleMania 31 title shot.
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Fans were instantly upset when Daniel Bryan was eliminated relatively early in the match as the only other realistic threat to win the match. Reigns received massive boos from the start of his entrance to the quick eliminations he started to pile up. The fan base was aware of all the rumors and speculation of Roman being booked above everyone else starting with this match.
Only a few instances can even be argued as matching this night among the most hostile reactions in WWE history. Reigns witnessed the fans turning on him after this night started everything. The other fan favorites like Dolph Ziggler and Dean Ambrose getting eliminated made the spotlight on Roman lead to more boos heading into the end stretch of the match.
The Rock Was Used To Try To Get Roman Reigns Over In An Impossible Situation
The most glaring thing about the booking for Roman Reigns in the 2015 Royal Rumble match was The Rock making a shocking return just to help him get cheered. That made it even more embarrassing when the fans cheered The Rock and still booed Roman winning.
WWE booked Big Show and Kane to dominate the Rumble representing The Authority, onlyfor Reigns to get the better of them. However, an attack by the two giants led to The Rock coming out to even the odds and deliver some of his trademark moves to his old rival, Big Show. Roman got back to his full strength to get rid of Big Show and Kane again. WWE had Rusev come back into the match after being outside the ring without a proper elimination only to get tossed out by Reigns for the official victory.
The Rock raising Roman’s hand led to more loud boos from the audience, making it clear they weren’t accepting Reigns’ victory. The awkward moment of The Rock trying not to react to the scenario can easily be used if WWE books the dream match everyone wants. WWE should already be thinking about using this history in the build if a Roman vs Rock match is even slightly realistic.
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The Rock Bringing Up Roman Reigns Being Booed By The Fans Would Make Things Even More Personal
The natural story of The Rock and Roman Reigns feuding can see their family background come into play, but The Rock has a lot of ammunition. Roman calling himself the head of the table should see The Rock making it clear that he’s been a bigger star in and out of wrestling. The 2015 Royal Rumble moment is perfect to add to the trash talk and personal elements of promos.
The Rock can reference having to show up to save Reigns, who still got booed out of the building that night. The element of Roman never winning over “the people” like The Rock did as “the people’s champion” is perfect to play into their respective face/heel dynamics. The Rock making note of Reigns getting rejected by the fans and having to turn heel to get to his current spot is a compelling point for both parties.
Even the family element of The Rock calling Roman a failure for that Rumble moment can be used to add cracks to his Tribal Chief argument. WWE needs to utilize everything in play to make this story connect beyond just a legend returning. The 2015 Rumble is the perfect backstory to create tension and hype for a must-watch match.
