The thing is unlike in other places ace is not a lineal chain as it in other places if it were like this maybe the fans would have been ok with roman. Sometimes the new ace does fail I use Nakamura as the example when he was the super rookie, Then the bookers Changed the focus, Tanahashi Beat Muto to become the ace, Okada beat Tanahashi Roman beat Cena, who did Cena beat not the previous ace.