There aren’t many sure things in pro wrestling, but here’s one of them: Roman Reigns won’t be Undisputed WWE Universal Champion forever.
It definitely feels like he might at times, which is a testament to the way WWE has booked Reigns during his current run at the top of the company. He feels unbeatable, not only due to his own in-ring dominance, but because he has the Bloodline backing him. Even in the rare moments Reigns looks vulnerable, his family closes ranks behind him and ensures he stays winning.
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A number of outlets reported that when Vince McMahon was still in charge of WWE, he didn’t have an endgame for Reign’s reign planned out. But things may have changed now that Paul “Triple H” Levesque heads up the company’s creative team, meaning there could be some clarity about when Reigns will finally lose his iron grip on Raw and SmackDown — and more importantly, who will pry it open.
While they stopped short of suggesting WWE knows where and when Reigns may finally be defeated, WrestleVotes recently told GiveMeSport that Levesque and crew have “an idea of who is going to beat Roman,” mentioning Cody Rhodes, The Rock and Bray Wyatt as possibilities.
They have an idea of who is going to beat Roman. I don’t know specifically if it’s Cody. I don’t know if it’s The Rock. I don’t know if it’s Bray. But I think there’s a handful of guys that they would say ‘alright, this makes sense for future.’ But I don’t think it’s happening anytime soon, to be honest with you.
All three of those names have merit. Rhodes was riding a tremendous wave of popularity following his return to WWE earlier this year, and was immediately positioned as wanting to chase the world championship his father never won before getting injured. He’s expected back in early 2023, and would be a prime candidate for a Royal Rumble-to-WrestleMania run like a number of stars have made in the past.
The Rock has been widely rumored to be facing Reigns at WrestleMania 39 almost the minute WrestleMania 38 ended. While there’s been no explicit movement toward making that official, there have been enough hints that it could take place to keep fans’ hopes alive. The issue there would be that if The Rock isn’t sticking around afterward, it wouldn’t make much sense for him to beat Reigns for his titles.
Finally, Wyatt has seemingly lost none of his mystique during his time away from WWE, and is said to be listed internally as the top babyface on the SmackDown roster. There have been reports that the company doesn’t want to rush to a Wyatt vs. Reigns feud, but perhaps WrestleMania is still far enough away to set one up properly.
It could also be someone else entirely, but being the wrestler to defeat Reigns will be a huge deal, one that only gets bigger as each passing week goes by with the Tribal Chief still sitting atop the business. It’s not an exaggeration to say this could be the most important creative decision WWE makes over the next year … unless it chooses to let Reigns continue on.
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