What's Next for Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns After WWE Universal Match Loss?

Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns each had a good chance of becoming the new WWE universal champion. Rollins arguably had a better chance, of course, mostly because he was Triple H's chosen one, and because Reigns has already been down this road a few times before.

But neither man got the nod, because Triple H gave the assist to Kevin Owens. So what's left for the two former Shield teammates?

To say that this scenario was unpredictable would be a massive understatement. Rollins has always been in The Game's pocket, so when he suddenly appeared at ringside, everyone likely assumed he was there to help.

Taking out Reigns was a given; Triple H can always have heat with Reigns no matter what else is going on.

But to take Rollins down was completely unexpected, and now fans are left with KO as the new champ. Owens' upside is tremendous, as he can work and talk.

He's an old-school kind of talent, and he's very entertaining as well. When he's on TV, it's very obvious he's doing everything he can to not only get over, but to make the crowd happy too.

But once the shock value of his title win wears off, fans will undoubtedly begin speculating as to what will happen with Rollins and Reigns. What will WWE do now?

Seth Rollins

The most obvious course of action here is to turn Rollins babyface.

There really seems to be no other direction for WWE to take, especially considering the fact that fans love him. He is arguably the most popular heel on the roster, and everything he does tends to get a positive reaction.

He's even gone past the point of fans loving to hate him; he's basically a babyface pretending to be a heel right now.

Fans want him to turn, and he would probably be given a character change long before Owens will. So if WWE truly wants to capitalize on this situation and create a new red-hot feud, then Rollins and Owens are surely ready to go here.

But Rollins needs to turn first.

Fans exploded when Triple H turned on him, but if Rollins went after him and Owens, everything would change for him. With Finn Balor on the shelf and John Cena now exclusive to SmackDown Live, Rollins could become the top babyface on Monday Night Raw.

He and Owens could have a major feud, thus adding value to the Universal Championship. The title itself has little value right now, but that will change as this new feud begins. 

Rollins and Owens would tear the house down every time they're in the ring, and fans would love every second of it. Add to that the fact that Rollins and Reigns would be allies once again, and suddenly everything takes on a new perspective.

A possible Shield reunion with Dean Ambrose at some point in the near future could become a very real possibility.

However, to keep Rollins in the same place would be doing him a disservice.

Rollins is a great heel, and no one can play the arrogant antagonist like he can. But not allowing him to grow and explore his potential as a face is the wrong move. His next feud would not be as big, and his next goal would not be as important.

It would be the top or bust for Rollins.

Rollins is a top guy but has perhaps not yet seen his best run. A face turn against Triple H and Kevin Owens for the company's second-most important championship could be it.

Roman Reigns

The most obvious course of action will lead to revolt among many WWE fans.

That's because the second option to booking Rollins vs. Owens is Reigns vs. Owens. The problem with that, of course, is that fans likely want nothing do with it, because the endgame is giving Reigns the Universal Championship. 

Fans have been here before.

Reigns' rise has been well-chronicled, and the WWE faithful have witnessed it all unfold over the past two years. He has been given every opportunity to get over; guys have done the honors for him, and he's been promoted as the new top star while others waited their turn.

It didn't work then, and it would not work now. But just because Reigns shouldn't go after Owens does not mean he shouldn't go after Triple H.

The Game's vicious attack on Reigns deserves an answer, and there's no way the latter will not want revenge against him. Reigns has always been portrayed as a tough guy who never backs down, so that will surely be the case now.

He would definitely want to play The Game one more time.

credit: wwe.com

But that presents yet another problem, because if he does pursue Triple H, he will not get over. The whole point to Reigns' WWE career has been to get him over with fans. Booking him against one of the most popular legends of all time is not the way to do it.

It did not work at WrestleMania 32, and it will not work now.

Another route for Reigns could possibly be a feud with Big Cass, who was one of the men vying for the Universal Championship but was eliminated during the match. Maybe the time is right to advance Big Cass up the ladder, and a feud with Reigns could do exactly that.

But would this really work?

The main problem here is Reigns. Despite who WWE decides to put in his path, he just cannot get over for any substantial amount of time. He's tried, the company has tried and fans have tried to accept it all. But short of turning him heel, which there is no sign of happening, his direction is impossible at best.

WWE will continue to feature him as a babyface worthy of praise and support, but no one will buy it. There's just been no effort to do anything differently with him.

Of the two men, Rollins is the one who can do the most with this new angle. If WWE books this the right way, he will reach new heights in the company.

Reigns however, will just be there, as always.

Tom Clark can regularly be found on Bleacher Report. His podcast, Tom Clark's Main Event, is available on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Android, Windows Phone and online here