I would be okay with either of those outcomes.

It amuses me that Vince, a notorious hater of smoking, now has a voice like a 3 pack a day smoker.

OH FUCK

Look we didn't get Roman beating both those clowns but the reveal made it 100% obvious he IS winning (which is good)

PWI reporting going forward Roman will be pushed as the top heel on SD with Fiend as top babyface.

 

6 minutes ago, Strummer said:

PWI reporting going forward Roman will be pushed as the top heel on SD with Fiend as top babyface.

 

.....and somewhere a monkey's paw curls a finger.

 

Babyface Fiend? How the hell can that even be possible?

Also lol at AJ crying to be sent to Smackdown because Heyman was somehow to blame for his friends getting released only to have him show up there too,

Going by the Tetsuya Naito precedent, this will lead to Roman being the top babyface in the company in 2025.

Can't see Wyatt pulling a Psycho Clown here, no. In fact I don't think he's even been a good face.

1 hour ago, sek69 said:

.....and somewhere a monkey's paw curls a finger.

 

Babyface Fiend? How the hell can that even be possible?

To be fair, no one really expected Kane to be a babyface until they turned him. Don't know how that'll go with Bray/The Fiend but I'm curious to see how they'll try to do that.

So many wanted Roman to 'turn' for years. We'll get a tweener Roman with him being able to cut more off-the-cuff promos. And now those same folks will cheer him like a conquering hero. Gotta love it.

Bray can't be a face. Dude's a literal murder clown who abused Alexa Bliss in an effort to manipulate Braun. Even now, she's all kinds of messed up from dealing with him. Though the point about Kane is well-taken.

Kane was portrayed as an abuse victim who was being used by Paul Bearer, and then they did the deal where X-Pac was befriending him and helping him find his "human" side. 

Bray/Fiend is the abuser in this scenario, and there's really no way to babyface that without being all kinds of problematic (not that WWE cares about that). 

With Roman turning that leaves only one main event male babyface left in the roster, right? Drew?

while I mean I guess if you think Fiend can get there. And I guess Big E as well?

Maybe Lee is going to be a main event face, too. Big E seems like a lock for higher flights next year - maybe as early as late 2020 - and who knows if they have plans for Riddle or DB...

Kevin Nash turning out to be the best Kliq member was not something I had ever expected

You don't make a career out of bilking carny wrestling promoters out of millions without having your head on straight.

Him and Pamela Anderson are indeed very cool.

5 hours ago, Strummer said:

With Roman turning that leaves only one main event male babyface left in the roster, right? Drew?

while I mean I guess if you think Fiend can get there. And I guess Big E as well?

Maybe they'll have The Fiend/Bray being more of a tweener than a babyface. And besides, with the Draft coming up, some big names will change brands and even things out.

5 hours ago, KawadaSmile said:

Maybe Lee is going to be a main event face, too. Big E seems like a lock for higher flights next year - maybe as early as late 2020 - and who knows if they have plans for Riddle or DB...

Big E said this two weeks ago and the circumstances since have matched. He wrestles Sheamus at Payback - a strong setup opponent: 

 

"Firm plan" in WWE in 2020. 

Until Vince decides he's not worth it anymore. Like, after 3 weeks.

We're years past the point of giving the E the benefit of the doubt, but even a broken clock is right twice a day.  I could easily see a pure heel Roman Reigns getting over as a babyface.  Or whatever those roles are in the Thunderdome.  But Roman will commit himself to the role and if early indications are accurate he'll shine not having to play corporate babyface madlibs with his promos.  Color me firmly, cautiously optimistic even if not for the reasons Vince necessarily intends.  The possibility of a strongly build Roman/Big E feud for the belt is also enticing.

I am OK with WWE trying out Roman Reigns as a heel but fuck me... it really seems like WWE has a habit, especially lately, of taking can't-miss babyfaces & making them heel just because they can. They did it with Bayley. They did it with Dakota Kai. They did it with Johnny Gargano & Candice LeRae.

Some of them, maybe even surprisingly (especially in Bayley's case) have done really well as heel. I think more though it's just WWE doesn't know how to do babyfaces anymore. Unless they have a one-man, never-lose army, like they booked Hulk Hogan in the 80's, they don't know what else to do.

So, in that regard, OF COURSE The Fiend is going to be a babyface. 

It feels like in WWE if you want someone to get cheered, you make them heel & if you want them to get booed, you make them face. Fucking Bizarro World. They were even trying to turn Becky Lynch heel! They turned Daniel Bryan heel & slapped him in The Wyatt Family. They're just clueless. Current WWE would fuck up Ricky Steamboat & Ricky Morton.

I think they did a nice job with Kofi, at least in terms of his promos. He wasn't an ultra powerful, Hogan-like face, but his drive and motivation was there and the story was really good!

Sadly, his last match for WWE Title was really short, but there were good things for him. 

 

Despite everything, New Day is a strongly booked babyface team. They strong-armed that act until it worked, after all.

Bayley was damaged goods as a babyface on the main show. Trying her as a heel was the only way to go at that point. Similar with Dakota Kai, whatever they tried to do with her and Baszler when Kai came in ensured that she was done as a face at that point. With Kai it was booking, but Bayley when she was moved to the main roster, was pretty bad herself. I guess she had problems making the step from carefully laid out matches that she practiced in the PC to, well, improvise (or "work"). She got there eventually though, obviously. This might be another indictment for the PC, thinking about it.

Bayley & Sasha would absolutely make my WOTY list at this point.  Top 3?  Top 5?  I don't know, but they've managed to deliver solid to very good matches and terrific TV through some of the weakest months in company and wrestling history, all while building what should be an epic blowup and feud.