Royal Rumble 2021: 5 reasons why Adam Pearce is challenging Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship

#4 A legitimate Adam Pearce in-ring return

Is it for real?

Adam Pearce could be making a legitimate in-ring return, even if it's just for one night. Looking at Paul Heyman's interaction with Adam Pearce, he was right. People don't know about the WWE Official and his decorated in-ring career.

A five-time NWA World Champion, he wrestled in various promotions and had a good presence in the independent scene. The latest episode of SmackDown was technically Adam Pearce's in-ring return after six years, and this could be his first legitimate match since his retirement.

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#3 Saving the wrestlers for the Royal Rumble

Shinsuke Nakamura and Rey Mysterio

It's a bit odd that a non-wrestler is going to challenge for the Universal Championship. While Adam Pearce can likely get the job done (by putting Roman Reigns over), WWE may have wanted to save the in-ring talent for the Royal Rumble.

When looking at the Gauntlet Match competitors, only Rey Mysterio, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Daniel Bryan seemed to be legitimate runners to challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal title. Adam Pearce is a weird but sensible fit into that.