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Roman Reigns' Hell in a Cell match against Rey Mysterio was preponed to SmackDown two days earlier. While it was a bit surprising, WWE went with Bianca Belair vs Bayley as the Hell in a Cell match from SmackDown for the pay-per-view this Sunday.
Roman Reigns defeated Rey Mysterio as we all expected him to. WWE made no effort in concealing Rey Mysterio's chances in the match and he ended up submitting to a standing guillotine.
Roman Reigns' arsenal and title defenses might be growing in number, but for Rey Mysterio, his Universal title pursuits are likely done for now.
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With Roman Reigns set to move on from Rey Mysterio, here are five possible opponents for The Tribal Chief after SmackDown:
#5. Dominik Mysterio: A surprising opponent for Roman Reigns?
Many would argue that Dominik Mysterio is far from ready to face Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship at the tender age of 24. There are only a few names in WWE history that have been in world title contention at that age, and Brock Lesnar and Randy Orton are two such names.
It's a fair argument to make since Dominik Mysterio is only about to complete one full year as an in-ring competitor in WWE. The entire feud with Rey Mysterio began because Roman Reigns decided to assault Dominik Mysterio on SmackDown.
Dominik Mysterio is one half of the SmackDown Tag Team Champions, and his only association with Roman Reigns so far has been this recent rivalry. Given how Rey Mysterio was defeated inside Hell in a Cell, it makes sense for WWE to book a title match between the two.
It would be a surprising match with the potential for an enjoyable storyline. Dominik would naturally be the underdog, while Roman Reigns hands him a title shot with full confidence that he will run through the 24-year-old.
Obviously, Dominik Mysterio would have no chance of winning against Roman Reigns. But if he puts in a good effort, his stock will only rise. It would be a good filler match for Roman Reigns until his next pay-per-view opponent at Money in the Bank 2021.
#4. Cesaro - Roman Reigns' original Hell in a Cell opponent?
Cesaro seemed to be Roman Reigns' original Hell in a Cell opponent. He was the first man to challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship after Hell in a Cell. He headlined WrestleMania Backlash and fell short to The Tribal Chief in a good world title bout that had no interference or added drama.
Soon after, Cesaro once again threw a challenge to Roman Reigns for the Universal title match at Hell in a Cell, only to get attacked by Seth Rollins in the process.
This set up his rematch against Seth Rollins at Hell in a Cell, where the feud is most likely set to conclude. Their rivalry has gone on for four months now and Hell in a Cell is the perfect place to end it.
Realistically, Cesaro looks like the best choice to face Roman Reigns at Money in the Bank 2021. He certainly won't win the title, but an improved match against Roman Reigns can keep Cesaro's momentum intact even in defeat.
#3. Shinsuke Nakamura - Never got a title shot from Roman Reigns
Shinsuke Nakamura was supposed to be Roman Reigns' original opponent at Royal Rumble 2021. It seems ages ago, but Nakamura had his best WWE main roster performance earlier this year and won a gauntlet match clean to earn a Universal Title shot at WrestleMania 37.
Somehow, Roman Reigns manipulated his way into registering authority figure Adam Pearce as a wrestler and injected him into the gauntlet match after Nakamura had already won.
Reigns ensured Nakamura was completely thrashed and threw Adam Pearce's body over him. This made the authority figure the Royal Rumble opponent of Roman Reigns, but that soon changed to Kevin Owens.
This was an injustice to Shinsuke Nakamura, who deserved to be in a World title feud. Instead, WWE chose to recycle Kevin Owens as Roman Reigns' opponent. At the time, it was rumored that Cesaro would have gotten the spot that Nakamura was in, but contract negotiations with WWE prevented them from taking the risk.
With Shinsuke Nakamura now done with Baron Corbin, he could be a challenger to Roman Reigns and the Universal Championship.
#2. Big E - An early challenge at Roman Reigns
Big E seems more like a future challenger for Roman Reigns than a current one. And that's certainly true since he isn't technically ready for that spot yet. As of now, Big E seems to be in limbo on SmackDown. He's being forced to tread the line between getting regular TV time and doing nothing worthwhile.
After he got pinned in the Intercontinental title Fatal-4-Way match, Big E has been involved with Kevin Owens against Apollo Crews, Sami Zayn, and on the latest episode, Commander Azeez.
Even then, Big E doesn't seem to be in the Intercontinental Championship contention. He could step up and win a #1 contenders match on SmackDown, earning him the right to face Roman Reigns. But the match should be more of a "reality check" for Big E in storyline, in the sense that he needs to lose to get ahead.
The loss to Roman Reigns could play a big role in fuelling the rise of his character. Big E is expected to receive a huge push in the coming year and there's little doubt that he will cross paths with Roman Reigns someday.
If he faces Roman Reigns now, he needs to lose to progress.
#1. Jimmy Uso - An inevitable opponent for Roman Reigns?
WWE is taking an interesting approach with Roman Reigns and Jimmy Uso. When the latter returned, he didn't fall right into line as Roman Reigns expected him to do. If anything, Jimmy Uso was rebelling, determined not to follow in his brother Jey Uso's footsteps.
But on the latest episode of SmackDown, Jimmy Uso seemed to cool down. He told Roman Reigns that while he doesn't agree with everything he says or does, they're still family.
Reigns even refused help from Jimmy Uso and got the job done against Rey Mysterio by himself. After the match, Jimmy Uso came out to congratulate Roman Reigns and raised his hand in what seemed to be a moment of unity.
Yet, there was a moment before he raised Roman Reigns' hand where he was right behind him - possibly foreshadowing him as an opponent. While WWE tried to make it seem like their relationship cooled down, it could be a way to throw fans off before things reach a boiling point.
Ex WWE writer blasts Liv Morgan HERE
