2-time Universal Champion to make big WWE return as a babyface, Dutch Mantell says

A former WWE Universal Champion could undergo significant character change upon his return!

Wrestling veteran Dutch Mantell recently predicted that 2-time Universal Champion Roman Reigns will return to WWE as a babyface.

The Tribal Chief's historic reign of 1,316 days finally ended at the hands of Cody Rhodes on Night Two of WrestleMania XL. Prior to his title loss, The Head of the Table made it clear that he would leave the company if he didn't walk out of The Showcase of The Immortals as the reigning champion.

Both The Rock and Roman Reigns went on indefinite hiatus after WrestleMania XL. Amid their absence, Solo Sikoa betrayed Jimmy Uso and kicked him out of The Bloodline.

The Enforcer replaced Jimmy Uso with a debuting Tama Tonga. Sikoa is seemingly no longer taking direct orders from Reigns, which has fans wondering who's the brainchild of the new Bloodline.

Speaking on the Story Time podcast, Dutch Mantell asserted that Roman Reigns could return to WWE as a babyface for the first time in nearly four years:

"So now if he's [Roman Reigns] not in charge of The Bloodline, I mean, that's self-explanatory. When he comes back, should be a big deal. Oh, he will be a babyface, but you got to watch out and actually, I think if they make anybody babyface first, I guess it should be Roman," Mantell said. (7:04 - 7:39)

Is Roman Reigns vs. The Rock inevitable for WWE WrestleMania next year?

Roman Reigns and The Rock were originally set to face each other at The Show of Shows this year. But the company decided to push back the buzzworthy program for the sake of Cody Rhodes and his story.

The Brahma Bull recently took to his Instagram handle to post a crop-out picture of himself with The Wiseman, leaving The Tribal Chief out of the equation.

The cryptic post has fans wondering whether Dwayne Johnson is teasing turning on Roman Reigns in the future.

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According to recent reports, The Rock is expected to wrestle at least one more match later this year. The People's Champ put The American Nightmare on notice on RAW after WrestleMania 40. Could the two men feud over the Undisputed WWE Championship? Only time will tell.

If you use quotes from this article, please give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling and credit the Story Time with Dutch Mantell podcast.

Edited by Harish Raj S