It already has kicked in. I think it's the other way around, and that WWE make it a self-fulfilling prophecy when they don't need to.
I got no problem with Reigns being pushed, he's got a great look, plenty of potential, he ought to be a big deal. But there's a way they push certain people, that nearly immediately becomes obnoxious and ends up turning you off them instead. They did it with Sheamus, Lashley, they've done it for 9 years with Cena, and other favourites they've had over the years.
Ambrose is getting pushed, he has an angle, promo time, long matches, and he's getting over as a result. Reigns is starting to feel like they're grabbing him and stuffing him down your throat screaming "LIKE HIM! LIKE HIM NOW DAMMIT!". He appears constantly every night to be invincible and have other faces tell you how great he is, commentary won't stop (like that Main Event where the main event was "Roman doing a promo" and the commentary told you this literally every minute or two all night. He's over, of course, but it's all so overwhelming immediately that it's going to have negative side effects inevitably.
I understand they want him to be viewed as a big deal, pretty quick, but it all seems to be laying the groundwork for a lot of the audience getting tired of him before he even gets to the top face position. These kinds of superpushes always get a part of the audience to support him, as quite frankly they just go with what WWE says most of the time, but do your really want another top face half the crowd doesn't like? It doesn't help that he's still green and getting the biggest push in the company, just with the hope that he might be good enough by the time he's the top guy.
He would do better in the long run with a less in-your-face push that takes it slower, he's only like 28, there shouldn't be any rush for this. Once you have the audience demanding he be pushed instead of demanding they like him, he'll be set.
