WWE WrestleMania Backlash is in the books, and with Hell in a Cell just a few weeks away, odds seem good that Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre haven’t seen the last of one another. They were part of a six-man tag main event on Sunday night, partnering with the Usos and RK-Bro, respectively. The finish could have gone in any number of ways, but the show ended the way that it began: with Roman Reigns on top, looking down on the rest of the WWE Universe. Or, rather, out at the WWE table as Tribal Chief at the head of it.
Backlash could have realistically been used to set up a multitude of angles. From RK-Bro looking like a legit threat to unify the tag team titles—which they could very well do after beating the Street Prophets on Raw on May 8—to Randy Orton or McIntyre picking up at least a little steam ahead of a showdown with Reigns. None of that transpired, though, as The Big Dog speared Riddle in half en route to the win. The Bloodline stood tall at the end of the premium live event, still in control of a majority of WWE’s major male hardware. Will that still be the case after Hell in a Cell on June 5?
WWE was reportedly concerned that Roman Reigns against Drew McIntyre one-on-one was too big for WrestleMania Backlash. This is why things evolved into the six-man spectacle that eventually transpired at the Dunkin Donuts Center in Rhode Island. That could leave the door open for an interesting push into a main event caliber feud between Reigns and McIntyre. Usually, audiences see rivalries settled at the Hell in a Cell premium live event. As fans are sure to be reminded countless times in the coming weeks, the structure changes the trajectory of careers and shaves years off of lives. The event could provide an intriguing launching point for the two biggest superstars on Friday Night SmackDown, though.
The issue with Reigns at the moment is that no one really feels like a legitimate threat to his unified titles. Cody Rhodes may eventually get there, but he’s still got unfinished business with Seth Rollins despite beating him for the second time at Backlash by using some underhanded tactics. Fans probably won’t see Brock Lesnar again until SummerSlam (a show he’s been advertised for) and the list of top-end threats to Reigns dries up pretty quickly after that… Unless something is done to boost McIntyre and his stock. One way to do that would be by allowing him to get over on the leader of the Bloodline in a non-title match at Hell in a Cell. Perhaps he could appear to have Reigns beat, only for the Usos to interfere.
Regardless of how things develop in the coming weeks, something must be done to put someone in a position to appear capable of taking down Reigns. McIntyre doesn’t need much in terms of additional character building or a push. Just a bit of momentum and a few good promos could have these two set up to headline the marquee during WWE‘s slate of stadium shows and SummerSlam.
