For many, the 2014 Royal Rumble ended in the worst way imaginable: instead of watching the up-and-coming Roman Reigns come out victorious, fans had to watch as Batista - a part-time superstar who'd been gone for years - won out of no where. It was immediately obvious that fans weren't happy with the match's ending. It felt like WWE was ignoring its newer, younger superstars in favor of that guy from Guardians of the Galaxy who hadn't wrestled in forever.
Well, it may have taken a year, but fans have gotten their wish: at the 2015 Royal Rumble last night, Reigns (with a little help from Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson) was finally able to win the Rumble match and secure a spot a Wrestlemania. It felt like the obvious conclusion after the previous year's match, and fans finally got what they wanted...right?
Actually, no - despite calling for blood after Reign's loss in 2014, the WWE Universe is now calling for blood after Reign's victory in 2015: enter #CancelWWENetwork.
A fan of @WWE for 25 years. This is a sad day for me. #CancelWWENetwork pic.twitter.com/oks5WOrtqp
— Steven (@OaklandRovers) January 26, 2015
WWE stock fell over a point overnight. #CancelWWENetwork crashed the cancel page. Philly enraged, blocked cars from leaving. Amazing. — Rave (@RaveHound) January 26, 2015
In case you're wondering: yes, #CancelWWENetwork is completely backwards. Fans wanted Reigns to win last year, but he lost - then, after taking months off due to surgery, Reigns returns and wins, and no one wants him there. The reasons for why Reigns shouldn't have won are just as mind-bendingly backwards as the argument itself: he's not ready, he didn't deserve it, blah, blah, blah. It's almost as if everyone already forgot about last year's Rumble.
Here is a good one for all you #CancelWWENetwork tweeters out there! pic.twitter.com/WUprDPKMaJ — Justin Truax (@Tarantula152) January 26, 2015
The best thing about @WWENetwork is that now the fans have a voice that can't be ignored. #CancelWWENetwork to be heard. — Danruto (@Danruto) January 26, 2015
"The audience always tells us when we're wrong" Really? Well, we told you! @VinceMcMahon what's your next move going to be?#CancelWWENetwork
— Matthew Caligari 63* (@MatthewCaligari) January 26, 2015
If anything, people are upset that Daniel Bryan - a favorite to win the match - was eliminated relatively early on, meaning that Roman Reigns was the obvious choice to win. Sure, there were plenty of other entrants, but it was somewhat obvious that WWE would make it up to Reigns for last year's loss to Batista. Here's the thing: Daniel Bryan doesn't need the push. He'll have a WrestleMania match regardless; he's one of the WWE's most popular superstars. Roman Reigns, on the other hand, hasn't seen the same popularity following his surgery, so a match against Brock Lesnar for the title could really help his momentum pick up again.
#CancelWWENetwork is still trending. Time to listen @wwe. Fix this BS. — Matt Zion (@MattZionWE) January 26, 2015
#CancelWWENetwork isn't trending world wide because of one match. It just happens it was the last straw. People have been tired for a while. — Nathan Robinson (@NJWRobinson) January 26, 2015
The WWE Universe is obviously upset - it's startlingly similar to the reaction Batista faced after his win last year, and for almost the exact same reasons. Hopefully, Reigns' push won't be thrown off due to fan complaints. Batista's reputation in the WWE never really recovered after the Rumble, but he was only back for a few months; if something like that happened to Reigns, it could cripple his career.
Either way, Reigns is on his way to WrestleMania - whether the fans like it or not.
