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I think the average fan really liked Roman in the 14 Rumble, but likely thought it was a year too early for him to headline Mania.
WWE could have done more to make it clear Bryan wasnt going to be part of the Rumble. But even as it happened, it played into the overall story of "the fans changing the plans" and creating the ultimate underdog story for Bryan at Mania. At the end of the day, Mania 30 played out perfectly, with the storybook ending.
The problem in 2015 was really Bryan's health. If he was 100% I'm quite certain he would have been a major part of the Mania storylines. But there were question marks. WWE had already wasted the back half of 2013 and the first half of 2014 on making Bryan the biggest star in the company. To waste another Mania season on a guy who wasn't durable enough to actually carry the ball would have been irresponsible. So they tried to make Reigns and Rollins the new stars. Problem was they did it in front of a heavily smark crowd, who had been trained to think if they scream loud enough, Bryan will be given the spot. But this time, they weren't going with that angle, so it made it look like everyone hated Reigns. I think to this day is the only reason people hate on Reigns, because he's not Daniel Bryan.
The reality is its not WWE or Reigns' fault that Bryan's body wasn't able to handle being WWE Heavyweight Champion. It's also not WWEs fault that this year a huge portion of the top end of their roster is either hurt or unable to compete. The fact that they can squeeze any main event with the intrigue of HHH v Reigns is amazing.
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