'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The WWE product has improved quite a bit since moving to the ThunderDome. Several Superstars have stepped their game up, but the recent surge in quality is probably down to Roman Reigns. He returned from a short absence, turned heel, and aligned himself with Paul Heyman.
Reigns won the Universal Championship at Payback, a week after making his shocking return at SummerSlam. Things have only gone up from there. He has been sensational as the top dog on SmackDown. His promos, expressions, and movements have been near-perfect so far. The Tribal Chief also looks like a million bucks, ditching his signature vest.
The storyline pitting Reigns against his cousin, Jey Uso, was fantastic and hopefully, WWE can do some similarly enthralling stuff during the rest of his title reign. He should stay as Universal Champion until WrestleMania 37, with the scope for a longer run.
Trending
There are several things WWE could do with Roman Reigns' title run from here, with last Friday's SmackDown possibly providing a clue. Anyway, the future seems promising for the Tribal Chief, who is at the top of his game.
This article will look at the likely direction Roman Reigns could go in for every remaining pay-per-view during his Universal Championship reign.
#8 Roman Reigns def. Randy Orton (WWE Survivor Series 2020)
WWE's next pay-per-view, Survivor Series, will see all of SmackDown's Champions take on their RAW counterparts. Roman Reigns will likely headline the event opposite Randy Orton, provided he remains the WWE Champion at Survivor Series. Whether it is the Viper, Drew McIntyre, or anybody else, Reigns will be the likely victor anyway.
The Tribal Chief would have an interesting war of words with Orton, with the two of them doing some of the best work of their respective careers at the moment. However, heel vs. heel matches are extremely rare in WWE. That is why Orton is under threat of having a short title reign.
Reigns is set to have a long run with the Universal Title, with several opponents waiting in line for an opportunity at him and his title. He likely will not lose at Survivor Series, although it would be an intense contest between the two world champions.
With storytelling returning to the forefront of WWE's biggest angles, Roman Reigns and Randy Orton can certainly be trusted to make this match a huge deal. And if he faces Drew McIntyre instead, it would be a battle between the two biggest stars created in WWE's modern era. It's a win-win situation for the Universal Champion.
#7 Roman Reigns and Jey Uso def. Daniel Bryan and Kevin Owens (Tag Team TLC Match at WWE TLC 2020)
On this past SmackDown, Jey Uso turned heel and aligned with Roman Reigns by viciously attacking Daniel Bryan after their match. This is an interesting development, with the cousins once again on the same page. Bryan would not have taken kindly to that beating, so expect him to retaliate.
With Reigns and Uso strong as a unit, the fiery babyface would enlist some help from another SmackDown Superstar. That man is Kevin Owens, who had offered to become Bryan's tag team partner the previous week. The two could have a brilliant tag team match against the Anoa'i cousins.
TLC is the likely December pay-per-view, so a tag team TLC Match, with or without the title on the line, might be the way to go. In the end, the 'bloodline' would prove too strong for a new team like Bryan and Owens to handle.
#6 Roman Reigns def. Daniel Bryan (WWE Royal Rumble 2021)
Kevin Owens' role in the above-mentioned story would be a supporting one, with Roman Reigns' main feud being against Daniel Bryan. After a brutal tag team match at TLC, the stage would be set for the culmination of the angle that may have begun last Friday. Bryan is the perfect foil for Reigns as a heel.
The two megastars have a history, dating back to 2015 when Roman Reigns was rejected as a babyface because of how popular Daniel Bryan was. The two even had an excellent match at Fastlane that year. With the character evolution of both men, they can tell a much better story now.
There have been several great but predictable, Championship matches at Royal Rumble over the years. But it is fine, considering the Rumble matches are unpredictable enough. Bryan and Reigns should just be concerned about having a phenomenal wrestling match.
#5 Roman Reigns def. Goldberg (WWE Super ShowDown 2021)
This solely depends on whether WWE is able to travel to Saudi Arabia in February of next year. If they can, this is almost guaranteed to be the main event of the show over there. Goldberg won the Universal Championship at last year's Super ShowDown event and was supposed to face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 36.
However, the Big Dog withdrew from the tapings of the 'Show of Shows' out of concern for his health due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A match between the two heavyweights would have been alright, but Reigns' character change would give it much more steam.
Roman Reigns could aggressively dominate Goldberg, who was seen on the ThunderDome screen during the Universal Champion's title defense against Braun Strowman last month. This indicates that the WWE Hall of Famer could have a title shot down the line, with Saudi Arabia being the best place for a match like this.
WWE should focus on the current SmackDown roster, with lots of talented stars looking to step up and challenge Reigns for the Universal Title. The Goldberg match might have a story, but it shouldn't happen at one of WWE's regular pay-per-views, especially WrestleMania.
#4 Roman Reigns def. The Rock (WWE WrestleMania 37)
Like the previous entry, this match depends on various factors surrounding it. Firstly, The Rock needs to get clearance from his insurers. Also, there is no point in having Roman Reigns vs. The Rock if there isn't a proper crowd present. That being said, this is the perfect story-based main event for WrestleMania 37.
Reigns has been called the Tribal Chief and the "head of the table" of the Anoa'i family, which might irk his cousin. They might not be directly related like Reigns and The Usos, but there is a story to tell between the Big Dog and The Rock. It is one of the last true dream matches WWE is yet to book.
The two have interacted a couple of times on WWE TV, particularly when The Great One raised Reigns' hand at the 2015 Royal Rumble, only to get booed out of the building. This would surely be brought up if they were to feud. The verbal battles between The Rock, Roman Reigns, and Paul Heyman would make SmackDown even more of a must-see program than it already is.
Hopefully, this match is allowed to happen because it is the perfect culmination of the Tribal Chief storyline. It would end with Roman Reigns having his hand raised. But if The Rock does not wrestle at WrestleMania, the next best option would be to see Reigns lose the Universal Championship to a current Superstar. More on that in a bit.
#3 Roman Reigns def. Rey Mysterio (WWE Money in the Bank 2021)
If Roman Reigns faces The Rock at WrestleMania 37, his Universal Championship reign will likely continue into the summer months because there is no way he is losing to his part-timer cousin. WWE would need to line up a couple of challengers for him to face before ultimately losing the belt.
One of them would be Rey Mysterio, who is among the top babyfaces on SmackDown. There is no telling when his storyline with Seth Rollins and Murphy will end, so, to be safe, he would come into the world title picture after WrestleMania.
Mysterio is a timeless performer and would give Reigns another excellent title defense. He and Dominik could even move to the tag team division to face The Usos after this match.
#2 Roman Reigns def. Kevin Owens (WWE Backlash and Extreme Rules 2021)
Having been mentioned earlier, Kevin Owens should have a full-blown Universal Championship program against Roman Reigns. He has barely scratched the surface as a babyface, a role he can do so much more in. KO would have initially supported Daniel Bryan in his Universal Title chase, but he is also a compelling contender to Roman Reigns' crown.
The two of them have incredible chemistry, as proven by their feud four years ago. Reigns and Owens can have multiple pay-per-view title matches, culminating in a brutal Extreme Rules Match at the namesake pay-per-view, not too dissimilar to their No DQ brawl at Royal Rumble 2017.
After another successful program alongside a top babyface on SmackDown, Roman Reigns would finally meet his match. Somebody who his cousins know very well.
#1 Big E def. Roman Reigns (WWE SummerSlam 2021)
If The Rock doesn't wrestle at WrestleMania, this would be the ideal main event for next year's 'Show of Shows'. But in the best-case scenario, Roman Reigns gets another few months as the Universal Champion, after defeating his cousin, before Big E takes the title from him. Wherever it happens, this should be the endgame for Reigns' time with the title.
There are several top babyfaces on SmackDown, but Big E has been threatening to break out for a while. Now, without his New Day brothers by his side, the former NXT Champion could finally shatter the glass ceiling. He has everything required to become a main-eventer - charisma, promo skills, in-ring ability, and an incredible look.
It will be surprising if Big E isn't the one to dethrone Roman Reigns, as he is being set up to do just that. He has a history with The Usos, dating back to their legendary tag team feud in 2017. And if Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods magically get drafted back to SmackDown, we could get some breathtaking 6-man tag team action.
SummerSlam would be the best place, aside from 'Mania, for Reigns to drop the Universal Title. It is where he returned with a new attitude, shocking the world. One year after that monumental moment, he could make magic again. This time, the Tribal Chief would be on the receiving end.
There is so much potential for in-ring brilliance and supreme storytelling with Roman Reigns as the Universal Champion, as so many opponents could be elevated by simply being paired with the Tribal Chief. Hopefully, WWE does his character further justice and books some of these matches during Roman's reign.
An unexpected name just challenged Randy Orton RIGHT HERE.
