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Roman Reigns will face arguably the trickiest task of his 1230 plus-day reign as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion at Royal Rumble 2024. The Tribal Chief has survived Beasts, Bros and GOATs over his iconic run with the title, but he is yet to face the peril of a Fatal 4-Way Match. Any pinning combination between the other three men could see him dethroned with barely a say in the outcome.
Should The Head of the Table survive Randy Orton, LA Knight, and AJ Styles, he looks set for a rollercoaster ride to WrestleMania 40. As Cody Rhodes and The Rock potentially eye him, Reigns will have his work cut out in Philadelphia. With two really strong potential opponents, how will the Undisputed Champion's road to The Showcase of The Immortals unfold?
Here are four ways WWE could book Roman Reigns' road to WrestleMania 40:
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#4 WWE legend Bully Ray's idea for Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, and The Rock at WrestleMania 40
Ever since The Rock teased going after Roman Reigns on WWE RAW: Day 1, fans have been going wild with speculation. Will The Great One win the Royal Rumble and postpone the conclusion of Cody Rhodes' story to SummerSlam or WrestleMania 41? Will he face Reigns in front of 70,000 fans in Perth? Will both men get a piece of The Tribal Chief on each night of the 40th Show of Shows?
Among those chiming in with creative pitches was WWE legend Bully Ray, fka Bubba Ray Dudley. The Hall of Famer suggested that The Brahma Bull face The Head of the Table at Elimination Chamber, win the Undisputed Title, then face Reigns and The American Nightmare in a Triple Threat at 'Mania, where the latter would pin him for the championship.
This pitch has divided fans because, while it denies Rhodes the opportunity to end the iconic championship run, it does give him the honor of pinning and possibly retiring The Rock at The Show of Shows. Plus, Imagine the promos!
#3 The Rock challenges Roman Reigns to a one-on-one Career vs Title match at WWE WrestleMania 40
Consider this: According to The Rock himself, plans were in place for him to face Roman Reigns at WWE WrestleMania 39 before the match was scrapped. According to multiple rumors, there has been considerable talk of Reigns holding on to the Undisputed Universal Championship until late 2024 and surpassing Hulk Hogan's mark of 1474 days as champion.
What if WWE does Rock vs. Reigns at WrestleMania XL and reserves the Cody Rhodes match for the 41st edition? A section of internet fans have run out of patience with The Tribal Chief's reign, but he still draws hundreds of thousands of viewers. It's hard to rule out the company using this year's Show of Shows to retire The Great One and circling back to The American Nightmare a year later.
#2 Roman Reigns faces The Rock at WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 and Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40, or vice-versa
WWE is in a bit of a dilemma regarding Roman Reigns' WrestleMania 40 opponent. On the one hand, there's Cody Rhodes, a man who, in many fans' eyes, should have dethroned Reigns at WrestleMania 39. A man who, in more fans' eyes, will miss a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create the next great babyface megastar if he doesn't finish the story in Philadelphia.
On the other hand, there's one of the world's biggest movie stars, The Rock, whose busy Hollywood schedule means that he must be used to the maximum when the window opens. A man who, at almost 52, probably has only The Tribal Chief feud left in him before he hangs up the open-calf boots for good.
Both the coronation of the "Next John Cena" and the retirement of The Great One are WrestleMania-scale events. Not to mention, the former would also involve ending the longest world title reign in 40 years. The question of which once-in-a-generation event to put on The Showcase of The Immortals and which one to book on a traditional "B" PLE divides fans down the middle, and probably keeps Triple H up at night.
We wouldn't want to be in The Game's shoes for this one!
#1 Cody Rhodes dethrones Roman Reigns at WWE WrestleMania 40, setting up a Tribal War thereafter
Picture this scenario: The Rock confronts Roman Reigns on the Road to WrestleMania 40. Roman Reigns uses The Bloodline to unleash a vicious attack on The Brahma Bull, putting him out of commission. Cody Rhodes enters the picture, aiming to end The Tribal Chief's tyranny once and for all at The Show of Shows, and with Jey Uso's help, puts Solo Sikoa on the shelf.
Jey and Jimmy Uso branch off into a brother vs. brother feud for the ages at The Showcase of The Immortals. As Rhodes battles Reigns, Solo returns to help his chief, but is nullified by the similarly returning Great One. The American Nightmare finishes his story, and The Head of the Table pivots into a feud with The People's Champion for family supremacy at SummerSlam 2024 or 'Mania 41.
We know a year-long intermittent feud between The Rock and a younger megastar is possible, because it has been done before. We have also seen WrestleMania-worthy SummerSlam feuds like Cena vs. Reigns and Rock vs. Brock, so this is not so far-fetched. Will WWE go this route?
