Roman Reigns isn't the guy anymore

Image credit: WWE.com.

A lot of ink has been written about how well Roman Reigns is succeeding as a top WWE star. But just as much will be written over the next few days about his 30 day Wellness Policy violation. Reigns went from one of the biggest stars WWE has to a man that will be sidelined until Battleground on July 24th. Whether WWE will keep him in the main event of that show remains to be seen, but answers will probably come on tonight's prerecorded Smackdown.

This also creates a huge hole in WWE storytelling as not only does the company lose him for four weeks of television, but he will also be gone for the huge Smackdown live debut and the roster draft that takes place.

That being said, I don't feel bad for Reigns. He did what he did and he's paying the consequences.

I do think WWE should look closely at this incident however. They put a year into building this man as a top star at the expense of all other talents. It should be time to reconsider that as a long term booking strategy for the company, instead focusing their energy on building an array of new stars. One look at Sunday's Money in the Bank ladder match should show them where to start.

I strongly suspect that Reigns might stay in the main event scene for a few weeks after his return, but much like Randy Orton after his violations, I wouldn't expect to see it last. I would guess Reigns is in for some lean times for the rest of 2016, and maybe beyond.

With a WWE that finally seems ready to push their New Era properly, this creates even more possibilities for newer stars to grab the brass ring.

Let's hope they make it happen.