The demotion of Roman Reigns was confirmed in this week's episode of Monday Night Raw when he confronted United States champion, Rusev. According to the latest rumors, Reigns may eventually win the US title from Rusev at SummerSlam.
Reigns was being groomed for the past couple of years as the next face of the WWE but he failed to get over despite all the best efforts of Vince McMahon. He even won the WWE World Heavyweight championship three times but fans still booed him out of the building.
During his third reign, Reigns failed a drug test and he was suspended for 30 days on June 21 for his first violation of the WWE Wellness Policy. He went on to lose the WWE title at Money in the Bank and lost cleanly for two straight big matches after his return from suspension.
According to WrestleZone, the three-time WWE champions' huge push ended when he was caught using an illegal substance that is rumored to be Adderall. WWE top officials including McMahon have lost faith on Reigns at the moment but it might be the best for his career.
In the latest edition of Raw, US champion Rusev successfully defended his title against Mark Henry when he started berating America. As he continued hating on the USA, many fans were expecting Kurt Angle to come out but Reigns ended up interrupting The Bulgarian Brute.
And for the first time in years, Reigns received a great pop from the crowd. According to Forbes, The Guy feuding with Rusev will help the careers of both superstars. It is expected that they will battle for the US championship at SummerSlam with Reigns possibly winning the match.
The report noted that even if it looks like a demotion for the former The Shield member, it is a great move on the WWE's part to put him in the midcard. He can make the US title more prestigious and he will not get booed because Rusev is a true heel.
The Bulgarian Brute is a simple character that Americans love to hate because he's a foreigner bragging about how great his country is and how the United States sucks. Fans can get behind Reigns as the hero and it will help him get over before being thrown into the main event scene again.
As for Rusev, he has revived his career following a disastrous love-square angle last year and the failed League of Nations stable earlier this year. He is primed to become a main event heel and a feud with Reigns will get him there.
Check out the video below for the confrontation between Rusev and Reigns this past week on Raw.