WWE Fast Lane: 6 Things You Need To Know About Reigns Vs. Bryan

2. They Are Following A Formula

The fact that Roman Reigns has to beat Bryan to move on to the WWE Title match at WrestleMania is disappointing in the sense that it diminishes his win. The guy that wins the Rumble should not have to defend the title shot. It wasn’t even that much of a controversial finish anyway.

This isn’t the first year where the Rumble winner had to defend his right, so to speak. In 2013, John Cena beat CM Punk in a fantastic match (famous for a piledriver) on the February 25 edition of Raw to earn the title shot. The outcome was obvious, but it was still a great match.

In 1996, Shawn Michaels won the Royal Rumble and was set to face Bret Hart at WrestleMania 12. Before he could get there, he had to beat Owen Hart. Shawn got the win in a great match that was done just because WWE needed some kind of big match there.

In 2006, there was a twist when Randy Orton beat Rumble winner Rey Mysterio. The reason that was done was because Orton didn’t have a feud and WWE wanted him in the WWE Title match against Kurt Angle, so they made it a triple threat. Even though Mysterio won clean, he still got the title shot and won the gold.

Last year’s Rumble winner Batista beat Alberto Del Rio at the Elimination Chamber PPV in a match where the crowd booed him for much of it. He turned heel at the Smackdown tapings two days later. The #1 contender status wasn’t on the line, but it was still a match designed to put over the Rumble winner.

WWE booking is very predictable when it comes to how they book the February PPV. Most of the time, the Rumble winner beats somebody to earn the title shot. This year’s Reigns/Bryans match is just following the same formula that happens most years.