"Vince's boy" - WWE Universe react to newly emerged incredible stat of 9-time champion

The praise directed at WWE CCO Triple H for the quality of programming since he took over is unanimous, but even The King of Kings is well aware of who is the bread and butter of the Stamford-based global promotion.

Perhaps this may be why he and the creative team hesitate to pull the trigger on another top star. With that being said, Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns has made it to the fifth year, continuing his reign that began all the way back in August 2020.

While the list of WWE Superstars who have fallen prey to The Tribal Chief's lengthy title reign is very long, there are still more major players who could bring something fresh to the table. This includes stars such as Gunther, CM Punk, and The Rock.

Here are some fan reactions to the title reign reaching its fifth year:

The Rock showed up at RAW: Day 1 and confronted former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal. While The Great One's segment with Mahal was paint-by-numbers, the last line he delivered - teasing a future showdown with The Head of the Table - may have sparked interest even among the casual and lapsed fans.

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When Bully Ray recounted Vince McMahon's vision of Roman Reigns as WWE's poster boy

The World Heavyweight Championship and Intercontinental Championship on RAW are held by Seth Rollins and Gunther, respectively. Both stars have ongoing lengthy title reigns.

At Night of Champions 2023, Seth Rollins became the inaugural World Heavyweight Champion. Despite this being the only world title match booked for the show, Reigns closed out the Saudi event in tag team action.

This reminded Bully Ray of what Vince McMahon told him back in 2016. The veteran was, at the time, signed to WWE, working alongside D-Von Dudley. Meanwhile, Reigns was one of the most despised babyfaces ever despite being positioned as the top guy even then. On an edition of Busted Open Radio, Ray recalled:

"Why Roman? Because Roman is the guy," Bully Ray explained. "Mark [Henry], remember where Vince's office was back in Boston? [...] That's the office that I stood in, when Vince McMahon in 2016 looked me in the eyes and said, 'Bubba, Roman is the guy who is putting food on our table for the next ten years.' That was the moment in time that I knew. This is the guy."

On account of this realization, Ray did everything he could to put him over:

"So, me and D-Von went out there that night, and we did everything we possibly could to make it work. It's not about me and D-Von, it's about Roman. Roman over a thousand days. He sits atop the royalty within WWE," Bully Ray said.

While Reigns has largely been off television for the latter half of 2023, it looks like his Road to WrestleMania 40 will be very eventful.