If the WWE are going to persist with their plan of pushing Roman Reigns as being the face of the company (which it looks like they are very much committed to), they need to keep his title reign interesting and fresh.
Sadly, this is one area which they have gotten horribly wrong. Reigns has spent much of his time feuding with either Brock Lesnar or Braun Strowman, and is now set to defend his Universal Championship against both men in a Triple Threat match at WWE Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia.
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While this match does have the potential to be a thrilling encounter, the WWE Universe would benefit a lot from seeing Reigns facing someone other than Strowman or Lesnar each time. The WWE have an immensely gifted and talented roster which is currently not being used to its full potential, and there are plenty other superstars who could serve as a fine rival for Roman Reigns.
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While it is highly unlikely that Strowman will ever be out of the title picture for very long, a fresh angle to Reigns' title run is seriously required. As a result of this, the WWE need to spend some time giving thought as to who Reigns should be feuding with after WWE Crown Jewel, whether it is for the title or not.
This article will take a look at five talented WWE superstars who are nearing the end of their careers and who should feud with Reigns at least once before they retire. These WWE Superstars could also bring out the best in Reigns and challenge him to take his game to the next level - something which every face of the company needs to do.
#1 Jeff Hardy
With Matt Hardy already seemingly having called time on his career, one has to wonder as to how much longer his brother Jeff Hardy will keep going for. Jeff has been involved in a brutal feud with Randy Orton over the past few months and has shown no signs of slowing down in any way at all.
Reigns has encountered many different Superstars but none quite like Jeff Hardy. The charismatic enigma that is Jeff Hardy is something which Reigns would have to really think about his approach to, much as Triple H had to during their feud.
It was during his feud with Triple H that Jeff Hardy showed the entire wrestling industry that he is indeed main event material and that he does belong in the main event scene. Very few fans in the WWE can deny that a feud between Jeff Hardy and Roman Reigns would be one of the most interesting and exciting feuds which we have seen on the WWE in recent times.
The two superstars are currently on different brands, but this is something which a brand switch can easily fix.
#2 Bobby Roode
The WWE are far from capitalising on Bobby Roode. His move to Raw hinted that they had big plans for him and maybe even intended for him to become a part of the main scene, but it seems as if though they have forgotten all about him.
Roode is an amazing talent and the WWE needs to focus more on building him up again. He has lost much of the momentum which he had when he made his main roster debut on SmackDown Live and will need a bit of a push before he can get into a meaningful feud with Reigns.
Nonetheless, a feud with Reigns would make for exciting viewing, especially considering the fact that Roode has yet to feature in the Universal Championship scene. His confidence and wrestling style would be something which Reigns has not come across much of lately, having been feuding with arrogant powerhouses for much of the year.
#3 Finn Balor
Finn Balor put on a great match with Roman Reigns a few weeks ago on Monday Night Raw after Reigns beat Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship at SummerSlam. At that point, it seemed that Balor was poised for a push but plans for that seem to have fallen away.
The unique thing about Balor at the moment is that one never knows what to expect with him. He could use his Demon King persona at any moment and this is something which Roman Reigns has not encountered before. Yes, Reigns has faced The Undertaker and won, but this was an Undertaker who has been far from his best and well out of his prime. The same cannot be said for Balor.
Reigns might be physically superior to Balor but the latter's style and agility would prove a lot for Reigns to handle and is something which he would need to adjust to. There is also the demon persona which Reigns has not faced and this is something which would make for a thrilling feud.
#4 Randy Orton
Whether you love him or hate him, there is no denying that Randy Orton is one of the greatest superstars in the WWE. He may not feature in the min event scene anymore and seems to have found a home on SmackDown Live instead of Monday Night Raw, but this takes nothing away from the reputation and appeal which the man has.
Reigns has not faced anyone like Orton in his entire career and it would be very interesting to see exactly how he would respond to an opponent such as Orton. Orton does not just bring brutal physicality to a feud - he brings a very strong ( and somewhat twisted) mental game as well.
This is an area which we have not seen reigns thrive in and his feud with Bray Wyatt didn't do much to position Reigns as someone who could play mind games with his opponent and win. It would be interesting to see how he would cope with this in a feud against Orton.
#5 AJ Styles
There is no denying that AJ Styles is indeed phenomenal, and that is exactly what a feud between him and Reigns would be. Styles is another superstar who doesn't have many years left in his wrestling career and a feud with Reigns would be a great addition to what has been a wonderful career for him so far.
Styles' feud with Samoa Joe brought out a side to him which we haven't quite seen before, and the same might happen if he were to feud with Reigns. We have already seen Styles feud with the likes of John Cena and there was even talk about Shawn Michaels coming out of retirement to have a match with Styles at one point. A feud with Reigns therefore seems overdue.
The two superstars are currently on different brands and are the respective champions of their brands, which would add even more to the allure of a feud between the two. A brand switch would not even be necessary. With Survivor Series on its way, this provides the WWE with the perfect opportunity to get these two superstars to clash.
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