I wrote this last summer right before Roman received his Wellness Violation. At the time, I was projecting a long tenure as champion for Roman, and I felt that this would lead to Cena's heel turn at SummerSlam 2017. Since WWE's core business model since 2005 has revolved around one figurehead driving merchandise, it seemed likely that once Roman had been established as the Face of the Company that the WWE would have freedom of movement to turn Cena heel.
This is not farce, but what I seriously felt would be Roman's career trajectory had the Wellness violation not transpired:
Money in the Bank - June 19, 2016
Seth Rollins vs Roman Reigns (c)
Result: Kevin Owens attempts to cash-in during the match but is unsuccessful in actually getting added. Reigns super-man punches Owens. Rollins picks up the briefcase and hits Reigns, earning a disqualification as he is seen by the referee.
Battleground - July 24, 2016
Seth Rollins vs Roman Reigns (c) – Steel Cage
Result: Roman is reeling after receiving three pedigrees. Before Seth can go for the pinfall, Kevin Owens comes out from beneath the ring and blasts Rollins with the MiTB briefcase. As he turns to the referee to make the cash-in, Roman pops up and delivers a super-man punch to Owens. He spears the groggy Rollins to earn the victory. As he celebrates, Brock Lesnar rips the door off of the steel cage and knocks Roman out with the F5
SummerSlam - August 21, 2016
Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns (c)
Result: A toe-to-toe battle of the titans. Roman absorbs 15 German suplexes and 3 F5s. Lesnar is speared four different times and is super-man punched three times. Neither man can gain the advantage but eventually both are lying on the mat, spent. And that’s when Kevin Owens makes his official cash-in. He makes the mistake of trying to pin Lesnar, who kicks out and immediately pummels him. Brock turns and is hit with three more superman punches, and then finally a spear. Moments later Brock has received his first clean pinfall loss in years
Night of Champions - September 25, 2016
Kevin Owens vs Roman Reigns (c)
Result: After three failed cash-in attempts, Roman has accepted KO’s challenge of a conventional one on one match. Owens is surprisingly dominant, and Reigns loses the match via countout after being driven through the Spanish announcer’s table
Hell in A Cell - October 30, 2016
Kevin Owens vs Roman Reigns (c)
Result: Roman rebounds and is dominant in the return match. He has KO on the ropes when the lights go out. They turn back on and HHH – appearing for the first time since WrestleMania – is at the entrance to the cage. KO tries to go for the pin but Reigns blocks it. The lights go out again. When they go back it’s Shinsuke Nakamura, Finn Balor, Samoa Joe, and Austin Aries standing around the cage. The cage goes up, and all five men attack Roman. The match is a no-contest – but the NXT Invasion has begun
Survivor Series - November 20, 2016
Finn Balor & Shinsuke Nakamura & Samoa Joe & Austin Aries (w HHH) vs Kevin Owens & Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose & Roman Reigns (c)
Result: HHH holds down Roman’s legs at the ring apron, allowing Finn Balor to hand Reigns his first pinfall loss in almost year. Ambrose is counted out and Kevin Owens walks out, leaving Rollins against the entire Team NXT. Rollins pins Samoa Joe and Austin Aries, but is finally defeated by a fresh Nakamura.
Tables, Ladders & Chairs - December 18, 2016
Finn Balor & Samoa Joe (w HHH) vs Dean Ambrose & Roman Reigns (c) (stipulation if Ambrose is driven through a table, Reigns loses belt)
Result: Very back and forth match ends after botched interference by HHH. HHH holds Roman in his grip, waiting for Joe to drive them both through a table. At the last moment Dean clobbers HHH, allowing Roman to slip through his grasp. Joe sends HHH through the table, staggers back in horror, and is speared by Roman for the victory
Royal Rumble – January 2017
HHH (w Stephanie McMahon) vs Roman Reigns (c)
Result: A virtual repeat of last year’s WrestleMania main event, except this time Seth Rollins gets involved. He teases rejoining HHH, but instead pedigrees his former mentor. Roman spears Helmsley and gains the pinfall. Meanwhile at the Rumble match itself, John Cena eliminates Baron Corbin and Dean Ambrose to win a shot at the championship
Fastlane – February 2017
HHH & Finn Balor & Nakamura vs Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns (c) (stipulation if Ambrose or Rollins is pinned, Reigns loses title)
Result: The Shield reunion goes off without a hitch, while Helmsley is speared and pinned by Roman
WrestleMania 33 – April 2nd, 2017
John Cena vs Roman Reigns (c)
Result: Very similar to the Rock/Cena match. This is billed as a Face of the Company Past vs Face of the Company Future. Heavy emphasis is placed upon Cena wanting his 16th world championship. In the buildup to the match, HHH tries to get Cena to align with him but is soundly rejected. The match is very evenly matched, but in the end Roman prevails cleanly, despite everything that John throws at him.
Extreme Rules – April 2017
Randy Orton vs Roman Reigns (c)
Result: This is another face vs face encounter, but like WrestleMania we see the younger champion just a step quicker than the established, multi-time ex-champion. Following the loss, Orton tries to blast Roman with a chair but is stopped by Cena – but in turn is blasted with a chair by Dean Ambrose. A brawl ensues, which see all three members of the Shield fighting Cena and Orton
Payback – May 2017
John Cena & Randy Orton & Brock Lesnar (w Paul Heyman) vs Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns (c)
Result: Billed as a past vs future match, Cena's team is surprisingly dominant against The Shield. The tied turns however; Shield gains the upper hand, and Rollins pins Cena to gain the victory for his team
Money in the Bank – June 2017
Randy Orton vs Roman Reigns (c) – steel cage
Result: An increasingly dominant Reigns makes short work of Orton in this encounter and wins cleanly. Elsewhere in the card, John Cena wins the Money in the Bank briefcase
Battleground – July 2017
Dean Ambrose vs Seth Rollins vs Roman Reigns (c) – Three Way Championship Match
Result: An encounter booked by a vengeful HHH, who tries to lure Ambrose and Rollins back to his side in the build. During the match both tease heel turns, but in the end all three remain faces. Reigns pins Ambrose after 33 minutes in an excellent match to retain the championship. The night afterwards, John Cena announces his intention to cash in the MiTB briefcase at SummerSlam
SummerSlam – August 20, 2017
John Cena vs Roman Reigns (c)
Result: The build is in some respects similar to WrestleMania. HHH again tries to get Cena to join him. When John refuses he tells Cena that this will be his last ever chance at the title. HHH also makes a token play to get Roman to join him, but is rejected. In their final face to face meeting on Raw, Reigns applauds Cena for his accomplishments and acknowledged that he is a future Hall of Famer. However hall of famers belong in a shrine, not in a ring as champion. His time is past.
The match is back and forth, with Cena hitting Roman with five AAs and being speared at least four times himself. Finally, it appears that Cena is getting the upper hand. He grabs the championship belt and holds it up yelling, “This is mine!” when HHH, Stephanie, and Randy Orton come out to ringside. Cena tells them to leave…then ducks, knowing based on prior history that Roman would pick this time for a superman punch. Cena hits another AA, but refused to go for the pin. Instead, he picks up the belt, grins, and blasts Roman with it. The referee moves for a DQ but is prevented by HHH. Cena hits Roman again and again with the belt and finally makes the cover. The referee is forced to make the pin, and John Cena becomes the 16 time World Champion,
After the match HHH enters the ring. It’s tense and they appear to about to comes to blows…and then Cena grins once more and embraces him. Orton, Stephanie, and then Vince McMahon enter the ring as balloons and confetti reign down upon them. Cena cuts a killer promo, thanking Roman for freeing him of the lie he had been living for the last 13 years. The purple t-shirts, the jorts, the support of the kids…all of it was a carefully crafted package designed to present the model WWE champion and to fuel the lifestyle that he has so happily lived. And as for respecting America, he doesn’t even like this country. It’s all an act…and everyone fully fell for it. Except for those who booed him this last decade, and my new championship reign will be for them. Because, Cena promises, he will be the ultimate and only Face of the WWE. As he always has been.
Thus John Cena turned heel, a new Authority was constituted, and the chase began.