2. Triple H vs. Roman Reigns – SummerSlam 2014
WWE’s plan for 2014 was to build Roman Reigns as a mega star and get him ready to be the next face of WWE in 2015. WWE began investing a lot in Roman Reigns.
That’s the reason why he dominated the Survivor Series Elimination match in 2013 when he eliminated 4 wrestlers and was the last man standing. He then broke the record for the most elimination in a single Royal Rumble match when he eliminated 12 superstars. He then got pinfall victories for the Shield at WrestleMania 30 against Kane & New Age Outlaws and against Evolution at Extreme Rules & Payback.
After the Shield split, it was time for a singles push for Roman Reigns. There were plans for him to face Triple H at SummerSlam 2014. However, he was booked in a match with Randy Orton at SummerSlam and Reigns vs. Triple H was postponed to a later date (possibly at Survivor Series 2014).
Reigns defeated Orton at SummerSlam (which was billed as the biggest victory in Reigns’ career at that point). He was scheduled to face Seth Rollins at next month’s Night of Champions PPV, but he got injured a couple of days before the PPV. This led to a planned Triple H vs. Roman Reigns match idea being dropped.
The match finally took place at WrestleMania 32 in 2016, where Reigns defeated Triple H to capture his third WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
