Before Roman Reigns grabbed the biggest win at the Royal Rumble this year, earning himself a title shot at WrestleMania 42, the original plan had a different name entirely: Bron Breakker. WWE seriously considered giving Breakker the biggest victory of his career in that 30-man showdown, a move that would’ve completely changed the landscape of the company. It’s wild to think how close we were to a different timeline, especially after everything that’s happened since.
The Plans That Never Happened for Breakker
The new season of WWE Unreal just dropped and spilled all the tea about this monumental decision. Triple H himself revealed that Breakker was absolutely discussed as the Rumble winner before he ultimately decided against it. The fear? Pure fan backlash. Can you believe it? The big boss was worried about whether fans would accept such a massive push for the young superstar. He asked, “Can he actually do it? Can he mentally handle it? Will fans accept it?” Triple H even talked in the writers’ room about fans feeling like they were getting Breakker “shoved down your throat.” The initial blueprint for Breakker was a rollercoaster: lose to CM Punk on January 5th on Raw, then win the Rumble, and finally, beat Punk for the championship at WrestleMania in a rematch. Talk about a come-up!
Rollins’ Injury and The Reigns Shift
But here’s where things really took a turn. Seth Rollins’ shoulder injury back in October messed with a lot of the WrestleMania plans, leaving his status for the big event completely up in the air. That’s when Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes suddenly became the top two picks for the Rumble win. Reigns ended up taking it, of course, going on to defeat Punk for the championship at WrestleMania. The whole reason for not going with Breakker seems to circle back to the infamous 2015 Rumble, when Reigns was booed out of the building in Philadelphia so badly that fans even turned on The Rock when he made a surprise appearance. That was all because Daniel Bryan was eliminated early after returning from a neck injury. This time around, there wasn’t a Bryan-type figure to draw the crowd’s ire away from Breakker, even if he’s supposed to be a heel anyway. It’s a tough spot, man. Fans have been critical for a while about the same faces staying on top, with little effort to build new talent in the men’s division.
Where Does Bron Breakker Go From Here?
So, what actually happened to Breakker in the Rumble? He entered at No. 2, lasted a whopping 10 seconds, and got eliminated by Oba Femi. Rough. He did appear at WrestleMania, but didn’t even work a match because of a hernia he suffered in February that kept him off TV for two months. Honestly, with that injury, it might have worked out that he didn’t win the Rumble, because they would’ve had to change plans *again*. The real downside, though? Breakker is now positioned as the least important member in the latest iteration of The Vision, stuck behind Austin Theory and Maxxine Dupri. You gotta wonder if avoiding the “shoving him down your throat” perception has just sidelined a potential top star. It’s a real shame, and you have to wonder what’s next for him on the road ahead.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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