REIGNS-O-METER #120: An irritated Roman Reigns face to face with Edge

If there is one thing that you should be aware of, dear reader, it’s that Kevin Owens would not be on Smackdown. Roman Reigns was very clear on this. Kevin Owens is done. We will never see him again. Have we seen the last of Kevin Owens in wrestling?

Now that that’s settled in your mind, let’s start talking about Smackdown, shall we? Roman Reigns opened the show by coming down to the ring on the lookout for Edge. This wasn’t our usual calm, stoic, leader. This Roman Reigns was annoyed and infuriated that Edge would dare to not challenge him. He called Edge out but our ultimate opportunist was nowhere to be seen.

Over the course of the night, Edge would appear backstage. Meanwhile, Roman would quietly sit somewhere backstage contemplating his navel and wondering. Would Edge challenge him? Would Edge challenge Drew McIntyre instead? All of a sudden, Roman Reigns is someone who panics.

Thankfully, the one thing he doesn’t have to worry about is Kevin Owens, who most definitely would not be there. We all know, absolutely, that we would not be seeing Kevin Owens at any point.

The rest of Smackdown covered a lot of bases. There was a big triple threat Intercontinental Championship match and two of the competitors got a chance to talk to the camera before it. The other one didn’t. Apollo Crews isn’t allowed a microphone.

Bianca Belair pretended that she wasn’t going to challenge Sasha Banks for the championship match at WrestleMania. Reginald, on behalf of Carmella, played up to this, suggesting that Belair would have no chance at beating Banks. I think it’s fair to assume that Belair will be running through Carmella en route to Banks.

The dastardly Mysterio family worked together to put our poor heroic Baron Corbin on his back. Corbin can box, don’t you know? The WWE really want you to know.

All the while, Roman Reigns sat backstage with Jey Uso and Paul Heyman. Did they talk about Kevin Owens? Nah, he wasn’t there. Did they play a whole lot of Pokemon board games? Probably. I can see Roman being a Pokemon fan. Admittedly, he probably just played Call of Duty. Did you know Roman was into Call of Duty? The Undertaker must be rolling in his grave.

When Edge did finally arrive, fist bumping Sonya Deville as he wandered into the arena, Roman continued to wait for his moment. I always admire that the WWE make a point of leaving a gap at the end of the show in case the people they announce for the show don’t bother to turn up until later on. You know who never turned up late? Kevin Owens. Such a shame we’ll never see him again.

Edge would finally enter the arena for the final ten minutes of the program. The pyro would hit and he would talk up his dreams and his ideals. In the shadow of the WrestleMania sign, Edge was the returning hero. With someone as dominant and powerful as Roman Reigns in the back, Edge could not be allowed to continue. Smackdown is the Roman Reigns show now. There can be no returning heroes.

Roman would enter the arena all swagger and attitude. If Edge was looking for someone to view him as a threat, I’m not sure he’ll find it. Our champions are McIntyre, Balor and Reigns. They’re not exactly cowardly heels. Who else have we got that Edge can challenge? Bobby Lashley? Maybe not. Big E? Not a perfect opponent. R-Truth? Whatever happened to cowardly heels? Roman Reigns is not afraid of Edge. He doesn’t see the Rated R Superstar as much of a threat.

Apparently feeling nervous, Edge points out Roman’s backup. Politely, Roman asks them to leave. This proves to be a mistake. Out of nowhere, in a move that nobody could possibly see coming, Kevin Owens arrived to hit the Stunner and run. With Roman down, Edge dropped his microphone and walked away.

The decision remains to be made.

NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S REIGNS-O-METER: REIGNS-O-METER #119: Reigns takes a back seat to Royal Rumble hype