WWE Rumor Review: Previous plan for Roman Reigns-Seth Rollins, nixed idea for Becky Lynch's return, Vince McMahon impressed by surprising name

#1 WWE's plans for Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins in the fall of 2021

WWE placed Seth Rollins on the periphery of the Universal Title picture throughout 2021, with him constantly angling for a match against Roman Reigns. Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that the two former Shield brothers could have faced off after SummerSlam.

Rollins and Reigns both had high-profile matches at the August event, against Edge and John Cena respectively. While The Tribal Chief won his match, The Drip God did not.

His feud with The Rated-R Superstar continued, while Brock Lesnar and Finn Balor kept the Universal Champion occupied during the fall. Those two factors squashed any chance of Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins happening in 2021. the latter ended up moving to RAW in October.

Reigns and Rollins find themselves against each other in 2022. However, this was a last-minute move due to Brock Lesnar winning the WWE Championship at Day 1 and Drew McIntyre being out injured.

Roman Reigns will defend the Universal Championship against Seth Rollins at the Royal Rumble, but it won't be as was reported back in June. Special circumstances have forced the company's hand in this case.