Roman Reigns pulls off major swerve by accepting former Universal Champion's challenge

On this week's SmackDown, WWE and Roman Reigns decided to pull off a major swerve. The Tribal Chief decided to accept Finn Balor's challenge for the Universal Title after rejecting John Cena's SummerSlam proposal.

Roman Reigns vs. John Cena, for the longest time that was the match the WWE Universe thought they were getting at the Biggest Party Of The Summer.

The company had been building up to this marquee bout for quite a while and the fans thought it was bound to happen, especially after Cena made his return at Money in the Bank.

In addition to this, The Cenation Leader called out Roman Reigns on tonight's episode of SmackDown in the opening segment. He demanded that the Tribal Chief come out and accept his challenge.

However, in true Head of the Table fashion, Roman chose to answer the challenge by closing out the show and he threw an absolute curveball at the WWE Universe.

Roman Reigns' response to John Cena's challenge was a definitive "NO!". Instead, it looks like WWE and Roman Reigns are far more interested in the challenge issued by former Universal Champion, Finn Balor. The Prince turned up in the closing moments of the show and challenged Roman. After some discussion with Heyman, The Tribal Chief accepted Balor's challenge.

👀👀👀👀👀"Challenge ACCEPTED." #SmackDown @WWERomanReigns @FinnBalor @HeymanHustle pic.twitter.com/f00tAsloCz

— WWE (@WWE) July 24, 2021

No one saw this coming, especially with all the rumors about a potential John Cena vs. Roman Reigns match that were flying around. Nevertheless, it was a pleasant surprise and fans would love to see Balor vs. Reigns for the Universal Title.

Roman Reigns' plans for SummerSlam are not yet confirmed

Roman Reigns may have accepted Finn Balor's challenge for the WWE Universal Championship, but nothing has been made official just yet. WWE is yet to confirm anything and no news has surfaced regarding when and where this championship match will happen.

As such, WWE's plans for the Tribal Chief at SummerSlam are still up in the air. This makes the next couple of weeks all the more interesting for Roman Reigns.

Reigns may have rejected John Cena's SummerSlam challenge, but the Biggest Party of the Summer is still weeks away. So anything can happen and Reigns' aversion to facing John Cena could change.

"We're NOT gonna see you in the main event of #SummerSlam... Because my answer to your challenge is NO." 😮#SmackDown @WWERomanReigns @JohnCena @HeymanHustle pic.twitter.com/0vfBkMaIgR

— WWE (@WWE) July 24, 2021

It is safe to say that all eyes will be on SmackDown following this week's episode. The WWE Universe will be wondering just who Roman Reigns will be facing at SummerSlam.

Who do you think will be the perfect SummerSlam opponent for the Universal Champion? John Cena or Finn Balor? Let us know in the comments section below.