Despite his incredible run for the past two years, Roman Reigns’ victory at WrestleMania 39 was something of an upset.
Heading into the blockbuster main event, Cody Rhodes was the sentimental favorite for many and seemed destined to capture the gold. Ever since he returned to WWE he has made no secret of his desire to become World Champion and his Royal Rumble victory seemed to set him up to do just that.
However, surrounded by an emotionally charged atmosphere, Roman Reigns defeated Rhodes with a helping hand from Solo Sikoa. The result left many fans stunned, while others questioned who could possibly dethrone Reigns, now he has defeated every top star in the company.
Reigns’ victory also sparked speculation that Vince McMahon could have been involved in the decision-making process.
A new report from Fightful Select has attempted to shed some light on what happened and why.
The report states that while Vince McMahon was running creative there were no plans for Reigns to lose the World Championship to Cody Rhodes or anyone else. However, once he stepped away, Rhodes was penciled in as the man to face Reigns at WrestleMania.
Fightful adds that over the past week, people within WWE began to defend the idea of Reigns winning, and there were also murmurs at this point that he would do so. In fact, the decision to have Reigns defeat Rhodes was taken “several weeks ago.” Many elements of the match involving the run-ins weren’t relayed to talent until the day of the show.
When Fightful asked WWE sources whether Vince McMahon was involved in the decision making they claimed he wasn’t.
Roman Reigns Stands Tall As Vince McMahon Era Ends
On April 3rd, just hours after Roman Reigns retained the World Championship it was announced that WWE has agreed a merger with UFC worth a staggering $21 billion. The new publicly listed company will consist of 51% ownership of Endeavor (UFC’s parent company) and 49% of existing WWE shareholders.
Ariel Emanuel of Endeavor will act as CEO, with Vince McMahon taking the role of Executive Chairman.