Ranking Roman Reigns' Best Defenses as WWE Universal Champion

While holding a title for over a year in WWE is more common now than ever before, Roman Reigns' run as universal champion is in a league of its own.

Since regaining the gold in August 2020, The Tribal Chief has embarked on an all-time title reign currently sitting at over 520 days, the longest of any kind on the main roster in nearly 50 years.

Although there appears to be no end in sight to his historic run, he'll have two major obstacles to overcome in the coming months: Goldberg at Elimination Chamber followed by Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 38.

It's virtually guaranteed he'll reign supreme over the veteran in Saudi Arabia on February 19, although the chances of him leaving The Show of Shows still champ are slim given the story being told between him and The Beast Incarnate.

Then again, Reigns has emerged victorious against all odds in the past, even when facing elite competition. He's battled—and beaten—a great deal of high-profile opponents from Raw and SmackDown as well as future legends and current Hall of Famers.

Of his nearly two-dozen defenses in the last year and a half, these eight are the best of the bunch, ranked for their in-ring action, storytelling and memorability.

8. John Cena (SummerSlam 2021)

Following his bizarre Firefly Fun House match with Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 36, John Cena took an extended absence from WWE to focus on other projects and continue making a name for himself in Hollywood.

It was always a matter of when and not if he'd return, but of course, it would have to be the right time, person and place. Luckily, WWE ticked all three boxes when he was brought back at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view in July to confront Reigns.

That raucous reaction immediately set the stage for what would be one of WWE's biggest blockbuster bouts in years.

The two men had faced off only once before, at No Mercy 2017 in a match won by Reigns. However, this was a much different Tribal Chief, not to mention Cena was no longer nearly as active in the ring as he was years earlier.

That explained why the match was slower paced early on, but Cena still gave it an excellent effort and had the crowd hanging on every near-fall in that final stretch. He was desperate to win what would have been his record-setting 17th world title, but even after three Attitude Adjustments, he couldn't get the job done.

This was a statement win for Reigns and the perfect use of Cena in one of his few appearances on pay-per-view in recent years.

7. Kevin Owens (TLC 2020)

Even before Kevin Owens stepped up to challenge Reigns for the Universal Championship at the tail end of 2020, the two were no strangers to each other.

They previously feuded over the same title on Raw in late 2016, but Reigns was never able to walk away with the gold at the time.

Fast-forward four years and the roles were reversed with a babyface Owens chasing a heel Reigns for the Universal Championship. KO vowing to fight forever while The Tribal Chief did everything imaginable to ensure victory made for an excellent dynamic.

Their first of three battles for the belt during this period was the strongest. Truthfully, there was no reason for it to be a tables, ladders and chairs match outside of it being the annual TLC pay-per-view, but they utilized the stipulation to the fullest and had an awesome outing.

Owens put Reigns through an unbelievable amount of punishment and came close to capturing the title on more than one occasion. He  likely would have won had it not been for the interference from Jey Uso, who helped his cousin put KO in a guillotine choke and send him spiraling off the top of a ladder.

The only thing missing was a hot crowd rallying behind Owens. Unfortunately, this occurred right in the middle the ThunderDome era, so they had to make due with what they had but did so brilliantly.

6. Cesaro (WrestleMania Backlash 2021)

The thought of Cesaro challenging for a top title in the main event of a WWE PPV would have been unfathomable five years ago, but to the company's credit, he was built up exceptionally well as a main event-level threat in the first few months of 2021.

His rise to Universal Championship contention included two straight wins over Seth Rollins, one of which was at WrestleMania 37. He had never been hotter as a singles star prior to that point and had a date with destiny in the main event of WrestleMania Backlash by challenging Reigns for the Universal Championship.

While there was less uncertainty surrounding the outcome than there was with others on this list, it didn't take away from the stellar in-ring action whatsoever. These two had proved in the past that they work wonderfully together, and this encounter was no exception.

Cesaro pulled out everything in his arsenal in an attempt to put Reigns away, ultimately to no avail. That said, The Tribal Chief had to dig down deep to beat The Swiss Superman, which made for a masterpiece of a matchup.

Similar to Reigns vs. Owens at TLC 2020, this would have benefited more from there being an actual crowd in attendance as opposed to the piped-in crowd noise in the ThunderDome. Nonetheless, they put on an absolute clinic, and it was satisfying to see Cesaro spotlighted in such a prominent position for a change.

5. Edge (Money in the Bank 2021)

Edge winning his second men's Royal Rumble match in January 2021 earned him an opportunity at a world title of his choosing in the main event of WrestleMania 37, but it was never a guarantee that it would be a one-on-one contest.

It was at Elimination Chamber where The Rated-R Superstar chose to contend for Reigns' Universal Championship on The Grandest Stage of Them All. However, just weeks prior to the marquee PPV, Daniel Bryan was added to make it a Triple Threat, which culminated in both men being pinned simultaneously.

Edge was finally granted a singles match for the title upon his return last summer, and with Money in the Bank being WWE's first PPV back on the road in front of fans, there was an electric atmosphere in Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas on the night.

Despite nearing 50, the WWE Hall of Famer has shown time and time again that he's still capable of greatness in the ring. Reigns being remarkable in his role also made this match magical, with the crowd coming alive any time Edge fought valiantly from underneath.

Just when it looked like The Rated-R Superstar was closing in on the championship, Seth Rollins made his presence felt and cost him the win to set up their SummerSlam clash.

An eventual rematch between Edge and Reigns would certainly be welcomed.

4. Jey Uso (Hell in a Cell 2020)

Reigns' first feud as universal champion being with Jey Uso was met with criticism from some fans, and understandably so.

Although it had been well-documented for years that they were blood relatives, the audience had been conditioned not to look at Uso as anything other than a tag team player.

However, it was that family connection that made this story so compelling. Reigns didn't become a full-fledged heel overnight; rather, it was a gradual turn, and his hesitance to give his cousin a beating was what caused him to fall more and more into madness.

Their Clash of Champions main event in September 2020 was well-received by fans and praised for its emphasis on storytelling. They took it to the next level at Hell in a Cell the following month and raised the stakes with it being an "I Quit" Hell in a Cell and Uso being forced to "fall in line" with Reigns if he lost.

Fans had no reason to believe Uso would realistically take the title from The Tribal Chief, but it hardly mattered. He came across as a total star in all of his matches with Reigns and went down swinging in every encounter.

Jimmy Uso coming to his brother's aid at the end of this match only for Jey to "quit" to stop Reigns from further choking him out in the guillotine was brilliant. It laid the groundwork for The Bloodline that we see every week on WWE TV today.

3. Seth Rollins (Royal Rumble 2022)

The story going into the 2022 Royal Rumble wrote itself: Reigns had never before beaten Seth Rollins on pay-per-view. He was the one rival he couldn't conquer—and still can't.

The two have history dating back nearly a decade to their roots in The Shield. Rollins boasted about being the one who separated the group in the buildup to the PPV, and him entering to the walkout song of the beloved stable was a fantastic touch.

The only thing working against the contest was the bizarre heel-vs.-heel dynamic, though the crowd had no problem rallying behind Rollins from the get-go and effectively making him the babyface by default. Once that bell rang, their chemistry shined through as always and there was never a dull moment.

This was Reigns' most recent title defense, and the reason it ranks so high is that there was reason to think his historic reign could end at the hands of the man who knows him better than any of his other opponents. It was established Rollins had his number and that factored into everything they did throughout this bout.

The Tribal Chief winning clean would have been a fine finish, but WWE oddly had him get disqualified instead by refusing to relinquish the guillotine choke after the referee's five-count. Hopefully that means we haven't seen the end of this feud because it deserves a proper conclusion.

2. Daniel Bryan (SmackDown, April 30, 2021)

When Reigns regained the Universal Championship in 2020 and subsequently turned heel, the idea of him rekindling his rivalry with Daniel Bryan was a must.

They first feuded in the aftermath of Reigns' polarizing Royal Rumble win in 2015 when fans clamored for Bryan to headline WrestleMania again instead. The then-Big Dog felt the backlash of the company's shortsighted decision and became the biggest bad guy in WWE without ever actually turning.

Six years later, he was a certified heel and doing the best work of his career as universal champion. Meanwhile, Bryan was beloved as ever, and despite already failing to capture the championship on three different occasions, he was awarded one last shot in the main event of SmackDown on April 30, 2021.

The caveat, however, was that Bryan would be banished from the blue brand if he lost. Reigns needed to prove once and for all that he was the superior Superstar by beating his rival on his own without any outside interference, and he did just that.

For a match without a formal crowd in attendance, this was an outstanding affair. It was unknown to fans at the time that Bryan's contract with the company was about to expire, so that added to the uncertainty surrounding the outcome as well.

Bryan's valiant efforts were ultimately thwarted by The Tribal Chief, who made him pass out in his now-signature chokehold. It was a spectacular swan song for Bryan that gave Reigns another indelible career accomplishment.

1. Edge and Daniel Bryan (WrestleMania 37: Night 2)

Reigns' individual matches with Edge and Bryan at Money in the Bank and on SmackDown, respectively, were works of art, but neither quite reached the levels of their tremendous Triple Threat match on Night 2 of WrestleMania 37.

Edge vs. Reigns was shaping up to be an awesome attraction coming out of The Rated-R Superstar's win in the men's Rumble match, but Bryan's involvement strengthened the story that much more.

Both Bryan and Edge had legitimate claims to contend for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania, and neither was expected to be in that spot again three years earlier when they were still in the midst of injury-enforced retirements.

Combine that with how dominant Reigns had been as universal champion up to that point, and it had all the makings of a 'Mania classic. WWE being able to get back in front of a live crowd for the weekend was the secret ingredient needed.

The best part about the bout was that it was genuinely unpredictable who would win. Edge or Bryan ending the night as the new universal champion would have been perfectly acceptable conclusions, but WWE going the extra mile by booking Reigns to win in such decisive fashion was refreshing.

WrestleMania has hosted countless Triple Threats over the years, but you'd be hard pressed to say many were better than this. The suspense, thrilling action, crowd engagement and sheer drama all contributed to this being Reigns' greatest title defense to date.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.