Roman Reigns was always staying on SmackDown

When it came time for the Draft this year, WWE was always going to need to start it on Friday Night SmackDown. That way, the blue brand got the first pick, which they needed because there was no chance Universal Champion Roman Reigns was being moved.

Or at least that’s what he told Bleacher Report:

“I don’t think it was a hope; it was more of a demand,” he said about staying on SmackDown in the draft. “What we’re doing and the character falls very closely to real life with us and what we do, and I don’t think Fox would have had it any other way. They’ve invested a lot of money, and they want the very best representing their network, and who better to do it for WWE than me? Because I’m in the thick of it, because I’ve put in all this work on the blue side for SmackDown, it would have felt really weird to just be uprooted and try to transition it to Raw. And this is coming from a Raw guy.”

Part of that is Reigns talking like Reigns talks, but he does seem uniquely tied to the blue brand. For the past year or so, he’s been at the top of the card with a compelling story taking on any and all challengers. Come to think of it, I have a hard time imagining what SmackDown would look like without him.

I suppose that speaks to exactly what he’s talking about here. It would have felt weird.

It’s a good thing we won’t have to worry about it and he’s free to continue being the “Head of the Table” on Friday nights.