{"id":79307,"date":"2020-11-23T14:51:13","date_gmt":"2020-11-23T19:51:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=79307"},"modified":"2020-11-23T14:51:13","modified_gmt":"2020-11-23T19:51:13","slug":"the-rebel-and-the-chief-reigns-bryan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2020\/11\/23\/the-rebel-and-the-chief-reigns-bryan\/","title":{"rendered":"The Rebel and the Chief: Could a Reigns and Bryan Feud Be in the Future?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The November 22, 2020 <em><strong>Survivor Series<\/strong><\/em> match between WWE Champion <strong>Drew McIntyre<\/strong> and WWE Universal Champion <strong>Roman Reigns<\/strong> was the definition of \u2018synergy\u2019. No title was on the line, and neither was there a long history of acrimonious storyline between the two men. Instead, it was a sweat-soaked, bruise-stamped showcase of two of the WWE\u2019s biggest investments in the pandemic era, this side of the fiber-optic cables at the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2020\/11\/19\/wwe-thunderdome-moving-to-new-home\/\" target=\"_self\">ThunderDome<\/a>. As we look past this incredible moment, we take a look at what lies in the future for Roman Reigns and why it should be Daniel Bryan.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">MASSIVE FIGHT FEEL.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DMcIntyreWWE?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@DMcIntyreWWE<\/a> vs. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWERomanReigns?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@WWERomanReigns<\/a> starts NOW on <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWENetwork?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@WWENetwork<\/a>! <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SurvivorSeries?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#SurvivorSeries<\/a> \u25b6\ufe0f <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/mEtFCkYeOf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/mEtFCkYeOf<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/54XmOntC5O\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/54XmOntC5O<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; WWE Network (@WWENetwork) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWENetwork\/status\/1330698091612278784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 23, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>When Reigns returned from a health leave slightly prolonged by the advent of COVID-19, he did so in new storyline mode. Gone was the slightly wooden babyface of the Shield era, and with Paul Heyman as \u201cspecial counsel\u201d the new Reigns was a cagey, power-driven heel. Fresh from spoiling the <strong>Bray Wyatt<\/strong> and <strong>Braun Strowman<\/strong> match and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2020\/08\/30\/andnew-roman-reigns-wins-universal-championship-at-payback\/\" target=\"_self\">winning the Universal Championship<\/a>, Reigns strolled into <strong><em>SmackDown <\/em><\/strong>imposing his authority. It mostly centered on his cousin <strong>Jey Uso<\/strong>, delivering impassioned monologues bristling with conflict about how their legacy and lineage needed him to be the \u201cHead of the Table\u201d and \u201cTribal Chief\u201d for survival.\u00a0 The storyline has been compelling.<\/p>\n<p>As for McIntyre, when he stepped onto the <em><strong>RAW<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>ramp to meet <strong>Randy Orton<\/strong> and, eventually, win back the WWE Championship, brandishing a claymore sword borrowed from <strong>Vince McMahon<\/strong>, the sword was the physical embodiment the company has placed on the knockaround journeyman they once released in 2014. McIntyre built a healthy buzz at other promotions, and since being welcomed back into the fold has been leading the audience-less era. The match with the company\u2019s perennial man of the hour Reigns was a coronation for McIntyre, a respectable showing to solidify his place as the secondary champion.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Yes, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DMcIntyreWWE?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@DMcIntyreWWE<\/a> is somehow even MORE ready than you imagined for this <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/WWEChampionship?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#WWEChampionship<\/a> main event! <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/WWERaw?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#WWERaw<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/2ZrUQEr3cy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/2ZrUQEr3cy<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; WWE (@WWE) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWE\/status\/1328540297958133762?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 17, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>With McIntyre, and their cross-brand battle in the rearview, what\u2019s next when Reigns comes home to the Blue Brand? A true heel vs. face feud with <strong>Daniel Bryan<\/strong> may be in his future. Bryan was viciously battered by Jey Uso, at Roman\u2019s urging, and has made it clear that he lays the blame squarely with Reigns. Chances are he\u2019ll run right through Uso and aim his grievances at the self-appointed Head of the Table, himself. Both athletes\u2019 storylines need this feud.<\/p>\n<p>Bryan\u2019s \u2018Yes!\u2019 movement stormed the WWE in 2014, a genuinely grassroots appeal from the underdog\u2019s fans to land him on the <em><strong>WrestleMania<\/strong><\/em> card. The groundswell of support for Bryan was a pushback from the fans, themselves, against an era dominated by heavy-hitting, musclebound big name athletes, in favor of the unlikely scrapper and spirited upstart. He parlayed the \u2018Yes!\u2019 momentum into an <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2019\/03\/20\/return-of-yes-to-the-planets-champion-daniel-bryans-first-year-back\/\" target=\"_self\">environmental activism<\/a> bit, and a feud with Roman would be in character with his image as a principled fighter on the side of right. His cause, this time, would be addressing his own wrongs, the savagery of Uso ordered by\u00a0 Reigns as a show of loyalty.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Wwedanielbryan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@WWEDanielBryan<\/a> battles Jey <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWEUsos?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@WWEUsos<\/a> NEXT on <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SmackDown?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#SmackDown<\/a>! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/6ivr0S8kzZ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/6ivr0S8kzZ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; WWE (@WWE) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWE\/status\/1329977640242081792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 21, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>As for Reigns, with Jey Uso brought to the heel side and the McIntyre match behind him, he needs a worthy adversary. Reigns is the very kind of high-profile, herculean physique powerhouse the original \u2018Yes!\u2019 movement rebelled against. His current insistence on his authority and dominance going unquestioned is an establishment for Bryan and his fans to rail against. Storyline is more important than ever in the crowd-free ThunderDome, where the chants and outrage of fans cannot drive the action, and seeing these two characters-the rebel and the chief-face off would be a compelling story for <em>SmackDown<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Stay tuned to the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/\" target=\"_self\">Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/a>\u00a0for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.\u00a0WWE fan? You can check out an almost unlimited array of WWE content on the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/watch.wwe.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">WWE Network<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Looking to talk wrestling, pro football, or any number of sports? Head on over to the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/boards\/index.php\" target=\"_self\">LWOS Boards<\/a>\u00a0to engage in conversation with fellow fans!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The November 22, 2020 Survivor Series match between WWE Champion Drew McIntyre and WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns was the definition of \u2018synergy\u2019. No title was on the line, and neither was there a long history of acrimonious storyline between the two men. Instead, it was a sweat-soaked, bruise-stamped showcase of two of the WWE\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3715,"featured_media":79318,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[26,3],"tags":[56,1724,77,325,6977],"class_list":["post-79307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-smackdown","category-wwe-universe","tag-daniel-bryan","tag-jey-uso","tag-roman-reigns","tag-survivor-series","tag-wwe-smackdown"],"modified_by":"Brandi Wagner","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79307","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3715"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79307"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79307\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79318"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}