How many title defenses has Roman Reigns had this year? Ranking the matches

Roman Reigns has been champion since Payback 2020 when he won the Universal Championship. He then defeated Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 38 in 2022 to win the WWE Championship and unify the titles.

In 2023, he defended the titles on four occasions. Since he’s not a fighting champion like Seth Rollins, all of his title defenses came during premium live events. He was presented with a new title belt for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship on the June 2, 2023, of SmackDown.

Here are Roman Reigns’ matches in 2023 (till SummerSlam 2023):

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#4. Roman Reigns vs Kevin Owens

The Tribal Chief took on Kevin Owens at Royal Rumble 2023. At the time, Sami Zayn was part of The Bloodline as their ‘Honorary Uce’. Overall, the match between KO and The Tribal Chief was not as appealing as what followed immediately after.

The match at Royal Rumble 2023 was used to bring about the first betrayal within The Bloodline. After defeating him, Reigns and The Bloodline laid waste to Kevin Owens. Following that, Reigns handed Zayn a steel chair and commanded that he smash Owens with it. However, a conflicted Sami eventually betrayed Roman Reigns, smashing the The Tribal Chief on the back with the chair.

This marked the beginning of The Bloodline's implosion. The match itself was good enough to keep fans entertained, but WWE focused more on the segment that followed.

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#3. Roman Reigns vs Sami Zayn

After Sami Zayn’s betrayal at Royal Rumble, he faced The Tribal Chief at Elimination Chamber 2023. The chances of Zayn dethroning Reigns were bleak, but fans hoped the improbable would happen as Zayn had been seen as the next big WWE Superstar.

However, like Roman's match against Kevin Owens, WWE used this one too to bring Owens and Sami Zayn together as a tag team. Once Reigns defeated Zayn, KO returned to WWE. This acted as a segue to put the tag team together.

Once they came together as a tag team, the duo defeated The Usos at WrestleMania 39 Night 1. The loss of gold led to a confrontation between The Tribal Chief and The Usos.

During the match, fans brought the roof down rooting for Zayn. Despite the Canadian putting on a great show, Reigns walked away with the victory.

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#2. Roman Reigns vs Cody Rhodes

When The American Nightmare took on The Tribal Chief at WrestleMania 39 Night 2, fans believed Reigns would be dethroned. Cody Rhodes’ return to WWE needed to be marked with a magnificent victory and what better way to do that than by taking down the tyrant heel who has been dominating the promotion for years?

The American Nightmare put up a valiant fight, but it just wasn't enough. He gave it his all but Roman Reigns managed to secure the victory. Towards the end, it seemed Rhodes had won but interference from Solo Sikoa and Paul Heyman led to his losing and not finishing his story.

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#1. Roman Reigns vs Jey Uso

Main Event Jey Uso betraying Roman Reigns to avenge Jimmy Uso was the biggest moment for the WWE Universe. It was truly breathtaking to witness Jey in all his superkicking glory.

The WWE Universe was convinced that the former Right Hand Man would dethrone The Tribal Chief at SummerSlam 2023. Every splash, punch, and spear sent a chill down the collective spine of the audience, and every second of the match became a crucial one.

Jey Uso more than proved himself a superstar during the match, showing why he is the one who could carry the Samoan legacy forward.

In the closing moments of the bout, Jey Uso almost pinned The Tribal Chief. However, he was pulled out of the ring, shockingly, by his twin Jimmy Uso. The Undisputed WWE Universal Champion capitalized on the opportunity to pin Jey for the victory.