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Predicting When Roman Reigns Will Finally Lose WWE Universal Title
August 8, 2021
Roman Reigns may hold the Universal Championship, but no reign lasts forever.
While the storylines and character development surrounding Reigns are the best in WWE, he will eventually need to be dethroned by a triumphant face who can capitalize on all the momentum created by The Head of the Table's run with the title.
Reigns may be the top dog in WWE, but wrestling promoters know the real money comes from having a champion beloved by the fans, which drives up ticket sales, merchandise prices and television ratings.
After holding the belt for more than 340 days and defeating every major challenger put in his path—clean or with a little help from his family—WWE Creative has helped Reigns become the most credible wrestler on the main roster.
With each victory Reigns secures during his title run, he is building up how much fans believe in him as an unstoppable force. The person who stops the universal champion's path of destruction will capture the momentum created by each of Reigns' successful title defenses.
The best possible option for the person to dethrone the champion from both a long- and short-term perspective would be men's Money in the Bank briefcase holder Big E. As one of the most beloved athletes on the main roster, he would be the perfect protagonist to combat Reigns' heel character.
The biggest problem with letting Big E be the man to take down Reigns is that his talents are desperately needed on Raw, which has been atrocious for months. Instead of taking down the Tribal Chief, Mr. Money in the Bank should be the man to take over for Bobby Lashley as the face of the red brand.
While using the victory over Reigns to build the credibility of a younger talent should be a top priority for a company that fails to create new stars time and time again, the story being told has set the stage for Edge to defeat the champion.
Since making his triumphant return from a nine-year forced retirement, Edge has been on a roll with stellar in-ring and promo work, but he has shifted his attention to winning the Universal Championship to crown his comeback.
In each opportunity he's had to take the world title from Reigns, something happened out of his control to rob him of victory. Whether it was the addition of Daniel Bryan to their match at WrestleMania or Rollins' blatant interference at Money in the Bank, Edge is still looking for a clean one-on-one matchup.
The WWE Universe may yearn for a younger star to be in Edge's position, but Vince McMahon and company have shown an unwavering commitment to the Rated-R Superstar for years, and that only intensified once he made his triumphant return.
The eventual singles match between Edge and Reigns for the world title will occur at a massive event like Survivor Series or the Royal Rumble, and the fans in attendance will be head over heels with a massive title change.
Edge beating Reigns would obviously be argued about online, but the outcome would be universally celebrated in the building.
The people who don't like the championship victory for Edge would also likely get what they want, as whoever wins the 2022 men's Royal Rumble will be waiting in the wings to take the title off the Hall of Famer at WrestleMania.
As for Reigns, he should go through a period of reflection and likely decimate his own stable en route to adding a new, more ferocious edge that helps him climb back into the title scene and eventually recapture the Universal Championship.
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