WWE Royal Rumble 2021: Ranking the build-up to every match

#3 Royal Rumble build-up: WWE Universal Championship match, Roman Reigns (c) vs Kevin Owens

Roman Reigns has been a dominant star of SmackDown since his WWE return at SummerSlam, and shortly after his comeback, he won the WWE Universal Championship.

Fans have been captivated by the heel turn of Roman Reigns, and his Tribal Chief storyline. The first Superstar that fell victim to Reigns' newfound villainy was his cousin Jey Uso, who challenged the champion, and after losing the star was forced to fall in line.

Fellow WWE SmackDown Superstar Kevin Owens rose to challenge the actions of Reigns around the time of Survivor Series, and the star has had an ongoing rivalry with the Tribal Chief ever since. The pair have fought over the championship at TLC, where Reigns managed to retain.

Initially, the WWE Universal Championship match announced for the Royal Rumble was Roman Reigns versus current WWE official Adam Pearce, which left some fans confused, and some suspicious of a twist in the tale. The latter were correct, as Pearce replaced himself in the match with Kevin Owens.

The rivalry between Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns has been a great one, with many layers to the story, and it will be interesting to see how it will come to a close during their Last Man Standing match at the Royal Rumble.