Predicting How WWE Turns Paul Heyman on Roman Reigns
No matter what fans might argue to the contrary, it has always seemed that Paul Heyman will betray Roman Reigns.
It's a betrayal that could happen at Survivor Series, or at least be hinted at there.
The reasoning is simple—that's just how Heyman is. He's a snake. A Hall of Fame snake and perhaps the best on the mic of all time in the sport, but a snake with his own self-interests at the forefront of his mind.
One can just look at history. Heyman was the guy backing Brock Lesnar all those years ago, only to betray him at an opportune time via Big Show. He betrayed CM Punk, too. He had his reasons, but one can boil it down to him jumping to the next big thing when possible.
Reigns is next on the list.
This time, Heyman would have some pretty good justification for it, too. All he has to do is argue his Tribal Chief never returned to save him from the likes of Solo Sikoa and his Bloodline offshoot that bullied him consistently in the wake of WrestleMania.
WWE first teased this sort of idea when Reigns attempted to call Heyman, only for the number to stop working. That was after he had already mended fences with the likes of Jey Uso and even Sami Zayn, so why not Heyman next, right?
But then Heyman made his big return, bringing CM Punk with him to save the day as the fifth and final member of Reigns' team against Sikoa's Bloodline at Survivor Series.
Along with that came a not-so-subtle color-based hint at Heyman's allegiance, as he broke tradition and wore a red that just so happens to look like what Sikoa wears:
The inclusion of Punk doesn't help. While it was easy to think that Heyman would eventually jump to the next big thing like a Bron Breakker, the Best in the World's return to WWE after so many years is a pretty fun horse for Heyman to back, too.
In Punk, Heyman has an old friend who can chat on the mic with anyone and has proven he can beat literally anyone on the planet in the ring itself. If one had to guess, the soft arrangement might be that Heyman betrays Reigns and ruins his plans and Punk does it because of the long-running history he has with the Tribal Chief.
Maybe Punk's bought in because Heyman can help politic him into a top title match, too. Of course, his involvement in helping Reigns will make a guy named Seth Rollins pretty mad, too, as a nice bonus.
If that's the case, it could actually be Heyman targeting Solo, not someone like Breakker. Sure, they power-bombed him through a table and the like, but power is power. He can see the faction Sikoa has assembled and that faction will understand what Heyman can do for them as a manager, too.
It certainly makes sense from a booking perspective, too. Reigns doesn't need someone to hold a microphone for him, especially not if he's staying this babyface-tweener type who fans adore. But Sikoa needs all the help he can get on the mic—and some cheating wins, too.
This would extend Reigns' involvement in a feud with Sikoa's Bloodline far beyond Survivor Series, helping to keep him away from top title scenes. Ultimately, the end goal could be dragging feet just long enough to get a feud with The Rock up and running for a big WrestleMania match next year.
For now, perhaps this is merely hinted and not made explicit. Maybe Heyman keeps things vague before a full turn at a later date. But one can see it logically leading to a mini-feud where Punk clashes with Reigns a few times before the former moves on to Rollins and the latter to The Rock for 'Mania season.
What's nice here is that so much care and attention has gone into the story and character motivations over the years that pretty much anything would make sense. And in Heyman's case, it's a pattern of behavior spanning decades.
If Heyman does turn on Reigns, look for it, or the first big seeds of betrayal, to happen at Survivor Series. Not only does it make sense, and the timing feels right, but it's just one more way to get the crown in Reigns' corner and another obstacle for him to overcome on his path to redemption.
