It may be a long time before Roman Reigns can call himself "The Guy" again.
The WWE announced a 30-day suspension for the leader of the Roman Empire on Tuesday stemming from a wellness violation. While it's uncertain exactly what he failed the test for, considering his standing in the company, the ban he forced upon himself is simply inexcusable.
Reigns was tabbed as the top babyface for the WWE despite most members of the WWE Universe being all too familiar with his lack of skills on the microphone and his less than stellar in-ring work. Nevertheless, the WWE stuck by him despite myriad boo birds sounding off during his matches.
The WWE gave Reigns consecutive WrestleMania main events -- something the likes of CM Punk never got -- and he has had three runs with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, the last of which ended this past Sunday at Money in the Bank. The WWE stuck by Reigns through all the adversity he received, and he certainly let the company down.
Reigns was being polished as the next edition of John Cena, though love him or hate him, the "Cenation" leader is miles ahead of Reigns when it comes to mic skills and in-ring prowess. Cena is a larger than life personality with a body that is so muscular it borders on cartoonish, but he has never let the company down in this fashion.
To Reigns' credit, he at least owned the violation on Twitter, but his actions are not only a betrayal to the WWE, but also to his peers, especially those striving for a main event spot who have stood in the midcard while Reigns has headlined nearly every event for the last two years.
The former Shield member has taken strides to improve in the ring and recently had a string of great matches with AJ Styles, but if the boos were loud for him before, they will be simply deafening upon his return. The crowd was absolutely brutal, possibly even too mean, to him on "RAW" this past Monday, but that will pale in comparison to the jeers he'll receive when he returns.
The WWE can overcome this when Reigns returns like they have in the past with the likes of Randy Orton, but he certainly should have to work his way back up to the main event instead of being placed back there right away. The company may also have to consider turning him heel.
It's still unknown if the WWE knew about the violation prior to Money in the Bank and RAW, but if they did, the booking that night is very questionable since they announced a Triple Threat Match between Reigns, Rollins and Ambrose at Battleground. The event is after the 30 days runs out, but Reigns should be held off of it if he's going to miss all of the buildup.
After the WWE went out on a limb for him and gave the world to him, Reigns' actions here are unforgivable.
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