wrestling / Columns
Should Big E Cash In WWE Money In The Bank On Roman Reigns Or Bobby Lashley?
Last Sunday night was like being a kid at a candy fair for WWE fans.
The mark of fans returning to arenas full-time after almost a year and a half of absence from the setting that makes the product so great, a card stacked from top to bottom with great matches that all delivered in their own unique way and most importantly, a show that elevated both the stakes and excitement heading into SummerSlam next month.
While not a perfect show, it was all we really needed to get WWE’s product back on the right track in some fashion. Every star had a completely different aura due to the renewed setting which allowed for crowd engagements to clearly motivate each superstar to a different level as opposed to what we’ve seen previously, giving us hope that the damage of the company’s booking over the last year didn’t kill every ounce of momentum out of them.
Out of all the results, however, none are more important than the winner of the men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match, that being none other than Big E. In the days leading up to the contest, I picked Big E as not just the favorite leading up to the match, but the most logical and exciting choice available out of the field put together to compete. And to my own happiness, he ended up winning and sets himself up with a direct path to the main event picture when he sees fit to make the move on upwards.
But, much like any decision in WWE, there are directions that will be taken and choices that must be made when taking a superstar carrying a mantle like Big E is right now. Like so many of my other articles, I’ve decided to do just that, as Big E doesn’t just have a mountain of competition in front of him but two of the most dominant and intense World Champions in recent memory.
So I think it’s time we lay out the case for Big E’s Money in the Bank cash-in and which opponent he should pursue when that faithful time arrives: Universal Champion Roman Reigns or WWE Champion Bobby Lashley?
“The Head of the Table” Roman Reigns
Let’s get one thing straight, Roman Reigns is the single hottest commodity in professional wrestling as of right now.
As magnificent as AEW has been, as impressive a stride Impact Wrestling has made in the past few months, as consistent as NJPW has been over the majority of the last year, no other name in the business has received the recognition up to this point that Roman Reigns has since his return almost a year ago.
Reigns is one of the most remarkable examples of what a simple, overdue creative change can do to a character that for the longest time felt like a failed attempt at recreating a babyface megastar. In a few minutes last year, Reigns went from a babyface pouring dog food over the head of King Corbin, to one of the most intimidating, compelling, and memorable characters the company has given us in at least half a decade at that point. Everything about the new dynamic worked, and the recent change in entrance music finally establishes Reigns on his own, away from the trio that for so long defined him.
And ever since the re-emergence of Reigns, we’ve also witnessed the rise of Big E from the muscle of The New Day (which isn’t meant to sound as if it’s not an achievement) into a bonafide star on his own, the one we all knew he was destined to be one day. Both newer versions of these characters rose at similar points of the year and while Big E did take three months longer to have his first taste of gold in WWE, it was clear who the leader of SmackDown was at the time and who would one day be gunning for that throne when the stars align.
Both Reigns and Big E have been on opposite sides of the squared circle in the past, but never in a one-on-one contest. Most of their past interactions happened during the days of The Shield dismantling every member of the roster that set foot in front of them, a time when both men were at vastly different points in their careers. With close to a decade removed from those initial clashes, it’s clear we’re looking at stars that have molded into their own. Reigns is currently the company’s most compelling heel in years while Big E is one of the few babyfaces that is unanimously loved by the crowd due to the clear level of passion he has for the industry itself.
As I’ve said in the past, few matches of feuds seem as perfect as Roman Reigns vs Big E. The styles both men possess would mesh beautifully in-ring, their abilities to tell stories in polar opposite ways creates a compelling clash of characters and if there is anyone more worthy of dethroning someone as well-booked as Roman Reigns, it’s hard to find a replacement. It’s a match that makes as much sense as having Reigns collide with The Rock down the line should that ever happen.
Pitting two of your hottest young stars at the top of a “Big 4” card is exactly what that match deserves the day it happens, as you don’t only get to do what will be an excellent contest justice, you give the two hottest stars of the new breed of talent a spotlight worthy of their talents.
“The Almighty” Bobby Lashley
Much like Roman Reigns, Bobby Lashley is another star that took WWE the better part of three years to fully realized the potential they possess.
When you look at Lashley it’s fairly obvious what the selling points are to most people; the muscles, the freakish athleticism, his MMA background which could be marketable towards the character cross-promotion ability, and the fact that every move he hits looks like a finishing move. It isn’t hard to get a character like his right, but for the longest time, WWE took some truly bizarre directions with him.
Before becoming “The Almighty”, Lashley was the boyfriend of Lana for some reason, an ego-driven bodybuilder handled by Leo Rush, a lacky alongside McIntyre and Strowman, and worst of all, a nice guy who sent friendly messages on live television to his sisters at home. The fact that neither of those aforementioned gimmicks killed his WWE career entirely is a minor miracle in my eyes because coming back from booking like that takes an insane amount of skill and faith in those above you.
But now, Lashley has become the only star in the company with the aura of invincibility that Roman Reigns possesses, a truly unhinged, unstoppable athlete that runs through everyone and everything in his path. And as a result of this growth, he has actually formed a history with Big E’s former partners in Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods on his quest for total domination.
In fact, on the very card that Big E seized his ticket to a World Championship showdown with a champion of his choosing, Kingston got steamrolled by Lashley in a matter of minutes and prior to that brutalized Woods within the Hell in a Cell just a few weeks prior. From a storyline perspective, this does give the final man from The New Day an incentive to avenge his brothers’ failures.
Being the bigger, stronger member of the legendary trio can easily sell a story of Big E being the one true test for “The Almighty” that hasn’t challenged him yet considering Lashley has beaten virtually every other big name on the roster currently that isn’t named Goldberg or Brock Lesnar.
It’s a logical storyline that builds on Lashley’s history as champion, his history with Big E’s real-life closest friends and presents a clash of styles that, much like his potential bout with Roman Reigns, would result in a brilliant car crash for us all to witness.
What are the differences?
Despite both of Big E’s choices being somewhat similar in nature and even in terms of their character work to some extent, each direction we’re currently discussing has an element that differs from the other and may make one choice more widely chosen amongst fans.
With Big E vs Roman Reigns, you’re getting a first-time match that feels like a culmination of months of build-up between two stars that have finally come into their own outside of a trio that they’d identified alongside for the better portion of their careers.
Both men’s styles complement one another as hard-hitting and packed with big moves which will result in a slug-fest that professional wrestling fans like myself eat up. For me though, it’s the storytelling that’ll be the most interesting aspect due to the presence of Paul Heyman and the transformed Roman Reigns who oozes charisma. Big E is highly underrated with a microphone in his hands and the level of energy he brings to a crowd is what I think makes his character so exciting. As far as the “big fight feel” we all look for in the main event scene goes, this is the biggest match you can make right now.
Now, with Big E vs. Bobby Lashley, comes a slightly deeper story. The feud will likely playoff previous encounters the WWE Champion has had with both Kingston and Woods while fueling that as a solid motive to get Big E into a ring with “The Almighty”, but to me lacks that same drawing power due to the fact that most fans still think the biggest test for Lashley is a highly demanded match against Brock Lesnar.
Much like the Reigns feud, however, the storytelling potential with someone as good on a microphone as MVP is something that could truly take this to the next level in my eyes. Lashley isn’t bad in using words by any means, it’s just that MVP plays his role to near perfection in selling these big matches to us. Big E vs. MVP on a microphone could create fireworks and with a history to already work with, could result in a lot more heat for this program than we were expecting.
Whether it’s Reigns or Lashley, the programs you get could be somewhat similar. With the likes of a manager-figure accompanying our champion and leading large sections of the build-up while the clash in styles from either choice is exactly the same in my eyes but with Reigns likely edging out the slower pace between himself and the WWE Champion. But at the same time there are positives on both sides of the spectrum for us as fans, what we prefer is another question.
The Verdict
I hate these questions. As a fan of professional wrestling first before any company or wrestler, it’s questions like these that make it difficult. Because on either side of the choices present, we’re ensured a phenomenal program.
Rather than assert my choice immediately, for the first time I find myself torn as either Roman Reigns or Bobby Lashley aren’t just incredible choices for Big E’s first main-event program, but they will bring out the best in him without a question. In this case, either opponent is one I’d be completely satisfied with should Big E go one way or another.
Not only does either man offer something unique in terms of storylines for him but the match quality likely to come out of this is going to be at the very highest level without question. In terms of how things have fallen into place, there are no two better alternatives for Big E to go at as he launches to the top of the card.
It’s one of those rare circumstances where I think fans win, either way, we may have slight preferences one way or the other but no matter the outcome this time around, I think we’re in for something truly special.
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