Despite the obvious fan resistance to the seemingly never-ending push of "The Big Dog," WWE insists on establishing Reigns as "the guy" (a.k.a. its top star) not just on Raw but in all of WWE. In fact, a recent report from BodySlam.net (h/t Ringside News) states that Vince McMahon still views Reigns as the company's top star even though crowd reactions suggest there may be at least a handful of WWE stars who are more popular than Reigns is.
At the top of that list is Rollins, who is
generating better crowd reactions than anyone in WWE at the moment, Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles included.
Rollins has benefited tremendously from WWE going about his push the right way. The creative team started off his singles career with a lengthy heel run from 2014 to 2016 so that fans grew accustomed to seeing him as a top star who was consistently involved in major storylines. Even though Rollins was a clear-cut villain for roughly two years, fans obviously appreciated his great performances as he was a top five merchandise mover in 2015 and appeared to be one in 2016 as well.
WWE didn't always book Rollins perfectly, and the creative team nearly ruined things for him in 2016 when he returned as a heel after a lengthy absence due to injury even though fans were begging to see him as a babyface. While the creative team quickly rebounded when it began pushing Rollins as a face, it really wasn't until early 2018 that Rollins began receiving a massive push, one that truly started with his record-breaking gauntlet match performance when he beat Reigns and John Cena clean back-to-back in a matter of mere minutes.
That was WWE's way of saying that Rollins has indeed arrived, and the company hasn't let its foot off the gas pedal since then.
WWE has consistently put Rollins in a position to shine, and whether it's on Raw or a pay-per-view, he's been stealing the show night in and night out, as he did at WrestleMania 34, the Greatest Royal Rumble and Backlash when his matches were arguably the best of the night each time. With that extra boost from the creative team, Rollins, who once again appeared to be a top merchandise seller in 2017, has solidified himself as one in 2018, and based on WWEShop.com advertisements, may even currently outrank Reigns in that department.
And in terms of likability and popularity, Rollins is already light years ahead of "The Big Dog."
Hello, my name is Jack Sparrow. I'm a 50 year old self-employed Pirate from the Caribbean.
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