Top Roman Reigns News & Rumors: Royal Rumble opponent revealed, Major plan changed, top name to put him over before leaving? – 23rd December 2021

Welcome to another edition of the top Roman Reigns News & Rumors, where we bring the latest and most important information about Roman Reigns to you. The Tribal Chief continues to be the primary focus of WWE, and his reign as the Universal Champion continues to be dominant as ever.

Last week on SmackDown, Roman Reigns ended his association with Paul Heyman when he fired the veteran and then gave him a superman punch. Heyman's former client Brock Lesnar made his way to the ring and decimated Reigns and The Usos. Will Lesnar do the same during his match against Roman at Day 1? Read on to find out.

Apart from that, we'll talk about other interesting topics and stories related to The Big Dog. So without further ado, let's dive in and take a look at the news and rumors.

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#5. Roman Reigns to face Drew McIntyre at WWE Royal Rumble?

Drew McIntyre and Roman Reigns have had a storied past in WWE. The two men have clashed twice before in a big match setting, and McIntyre has come up short both times. WrestlingNews.co stated that WWE could be building The Scottish Warrior up for another clash with Roman Reigns. This time at Royal Rumble:

"It looks like McIntyre vs. Reigns is the next big match. Since Reigns vs. Lesnar is scheduled to happen again at WrestleMania, that would indicate that McIntyre vs. Reigns is probably happening at Royal Rumble and could also mean that Reigns will retain at WWE Day 1."

Rumors have suggested that Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns will go one-on-one again at WrestleMania. This could mean that even if McIntyre gets his shot at the Universal title at Royal Rumble, he will not come out victorious.

#4. Major plan involving Roman Reigns got changed

Fightful Select noted that WWE's original plan for Roman Reigns' last SmackDown was for him to open the show. The plan was changed and his promo was moved to the main event instead:

"Originally, Roman Reigns was set to open Smackdown on December 17 with an in-ring promo, which was moved to the main event spot. Usos vs. New Day was slated internally to main event, and was adjusted.''

It would seem that WWE made the right call as Reigns turning on Heyman wouldn't have had the same impact in the opening segment. On top of that, the visuals of The Beast Incarnate leaving Roman Reigns laying at the end of the show added to the drama of the ongoing feud.

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#3. R-Truth showers praise on Roman Reigns

Former 24/7 Champion R-Truth spoke to Corey Graves on After the Bell about Roman Reigns. The veteran said he's a big fan of Reigns and feels that The Big Dog has matured a lot as a superstar over the years:

"I don’t even think [Roman Reigns has] reached the pinnacle of his career and he’s as hot as a six-shooter right now, he’s hotter than a firecracker, he’s hotter than hot sauce. He’s matured so much."

Truth added that he has seen the Universal Champion succeed on so many levels. He believes that Roman has the 'It factor' which has helped him become a big star.

#2. WWE legend DDP on Goldberg facing Roman Reigns in the future

WWE Hall of Famer DDP spoke about Roman Reigns and Goldberg on SportsKeeda's The Bro Show. He talked about Goldberg and what the former WCW Champion should do if he plans on leaving anytime soon.

DDP said because The Tribal Chief and Goldberg have never faced each other, the former WCW Champion should put Roman over before he leaves the company:

"To me, if he hasn't worked with Roman, he gotta put Roman over on the way out. Plenty of people put Bill over, and he's still, like, to be going at 50-years-old, he got a hell of an impact in the game, man."

Roman Reigns and Goldberg were set to clash at WrestleMania 36, but the match couldn't happen as Reigns pulled out due to the COVID scare.

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#1. Jim Cornette praises Roman Reigns' angle on last SmackDown

Wrestling veteran Jim Cornette had nothing but praise for the angle involving Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, and Paul Heyman last week on SmackDown. Cornette was impressed by the way the segment went about and said that Reigns' speech to Heyman before punching him was good storytelling:

"Then he slides in and Reigns takes the chair to him, but he said f**k it, just stands up under him and gives him an F5. Boom, and then another. Then there's Paul, laying there like yesterday's wash and Brock Lestner's fired up in the ring. That was a f****ng angle. I mean, that's wrestling."

The former NWA announcer was content with Brock Lesnar's decimation of The Usos and Roman Reigns.