SummerSlam, aka “The Biggest Party of the Summer”, is a week from Saturday. You will see people with their predictions. To be clear, that is fine since I might do so as well. However, we must discuss legacy. In this case, the legacy of “The Head of the Table”, Roman Reigns is at stake on August 21st at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. He steps into the squared circle against John Cena, a 16-time World Champion.
Reigns have fought some of the biggest names in WWE on the biggest stages. For instance, he fought Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam in 2018 to reclaim the Universal Title. Furthermore, he became just the second man to defeat The Undertaker at WrestleMania the year before. Unquestionably, Reigns has proven himself time and again of his greatness.
His Return to WWE
Sooner or later, we were expecting to see Reigns return to the company and got that wish at last year’s SummerSlam. He went after both “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman after the Universal Title match. After that, it felt to me we saw the Roman Reigns that we wanted for a while.
At this point, he recruited one of the best managers in the history of professional wrestling, Paul Heyman, as special counsel. All things considered, the transformation became complete. He went from being a good guy or bad guy to the guy.
What’s at Stake
As I have noted, I will not make a prediction right now between Reigns and the leader of Cena Nation (do not @ me), John Cena. This match will undoubtedly be one of the best matches at “The Biggest Party of the Summer”. For Reigns, a win here over Cena will solidify his return back. Before I get lambasted, I am not mitigating his championship matches versus superstars like Cesaro, Daniel Bryan, Edge, or Jey Uso.
This match will cement his growth from the last time we saw Reigns compete against Cena. Rewinding to their match at the No Mercy pay-per-view in 2017, he is no longer a wrestler looking to breakthrough. To put it another way, he is not just looking to sit at the table; he is the head of it. To borrow a line from AJ Styles, Reigns is the face that runs the place, that place being Friday Night SmackDown.
Right now, he has held the Universal Title for over 350 days. If he wins this time over Cena, who will be next? His legacy will be of dominance, evolution, and being on the way to be the next Cena (without the jorts and sneakers).
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