Most Likely Options to Beat Roman Reigns and Win His WWE Universal Title

Since winning the WWE Universal Championship in August 2020, Roman Reigns has been the most dominant Superstar on the main roster and has been booked strongly for 18 months.

The Tribal Chief will have to drop his title to another performer at some point, but WWE Creative must ensure the moment is not wasted. When Reigns loses his belt, the wrestling world should be buzzing.

Here are the Superstars who could beat Reigns and reign over SmackDown as the new universal champion.

               

Goldberg

At the Elimination Chamber event in Saudi Arabia, former WCW champion Goldberg should end Reigns' triumphant run as universal champion.

Not only would the title change stun much of the WWE Universe, which believes the Tribal Chief will carry the belt into WrestleMania, but it would also provide a marquee moment that creates mainstream buzz for the sport at the most important time.

Goldberg is a bona fide star who can help bring back the casual wrestling fans who tune out for weeks at a time. With Reigns dropping the championship to the 55-year-old, WWE Creative could still book Brock Lesnar vs. Reigns and have Goldberg in another title match, wherein he could put over a younger star.

Lesnar could easily win the WWE Championship at Elimination Chamber, thus giving Reigns the chance to win another world title at WrestleMania. On the other hand, Goldberg could wrestle against a star like Big E and put him over to create a monumental moment.

                  

Brock Lesnar

Reigns already has a date set for WrestleMania 38, and it could be 2022 men's Royal Rumble winner Brock Lesnar who defeats the Tribal Chief. The feud between the pair has lasted years, and The Beast could be ready to win again.

Vince McMahon and Co. love what Brock Lesnar brings to the table from an in-ring, storyline and mainstream notoriety perspective. While the younger star should usually go over in these matchups, Lesnar ending Reigns' long Universal Championship reign would be a welcome change.

Reigns has carried the championship for more than 530 days. For many wrestling fans, it's time for a change despite the solid booking of the Superstar throughout. In an age of instant gratification, the WWE Universe wants a new champion on SmackDown.

The hope is that if Lesnar wins at WrestleMania and successfully defends the belt in a rematch, he would go on to lose the championship and put over a younger star at SummerSlam like Drew McIntyre. If not Brock, maybe Reigns puts McIntyre over.

                

Drew McIntyre

The man who should have won the Royal Rumble and earned the right to dethrone the Tribal Chief on the biggest stage of them all is Drew McIntyre.

The Scottish star has been cast aside by WWE Creative once again despite being one of the Superstars who helped carry the company through the Performance Center-based shows during the initial wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

Instead of being rewarded with a worthy coronation at WrestleMania 38—not one relegated to a building with no fans—McIntyre has been stuck in a meaningless feud with Baron Corbin and Madcap Moss.

If Reigns walks out of April's pay-per-view as the champion, the next marquee spot for a possible loss would be SummerSlam. If McMahon and the rest of WWE Creative have a conscience, they will right their wrong and let McIntyre dethrone the Tribal Chief at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.

                      

Bray Wyatt

One of the wildest possibilities would be to have Bray Wyatt and his Fiend character return to WWE programming and decimate Reigns, thus regaining his position at the top of the card and cementing him as WWE's future.

Releasing Wyatt was one of the biggest mistakes the company has ever made, so asking him to return and putting him in a marquee spot would help make up for the blunder.

Ending Reigns' run as champion would make him an instant face and beloved by the fans again.

The Tribal Chief and The Fiend looked poised to feud at several points, but the storyline never came to fruition. With WrestleMania needing a major shot in the arm, Wyatt's return would create a buzz among hardcore and casual fans alike.

           

For more wrestling talk, listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot topics or catch the latest episode in the player above (some language NSFW).