Roman Reigns is closing in on 800 days as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion and will be appearing on tonight’s SmackDown ahead of Crown Jewel.
Roman’s next opponent is Logan Paul at the Premium Live Event on November 5th. Logan enters the match as a heavy underdog with just two matches in his WWE career. While anything is possible, it seems likely that The Tribal Chief’s incredible run as champion will continue following the PLE.
Here are a few of the best matches from Roman’s historic title reign:
Daniel Bryan & Edge – WWE WrestleMania 2021 (Triple Threat)
Edge had won the Royal Rumble in 2021 and was in line for a match against Roman Reigns at the biggest show of the year. Daniel Bryan kept insisting that he get another title shot and WWE official Adam Pearce added him to the match, which resulted in Edge turning heel.
The match was the main event of Night 2 of WrestleMania 37 and it delivered. Roman Reigns entered a match against two of the best of all time as champion and was the only one left standing at the end. Roman stacked Edge and Bryan on top of each other to win in impressive fashion.
Daniel Bryan – WWE SmackDown (4/30/21)
Daniel Bryan’s last match in WWE was in the ThunderDome against Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship. Bryan had already fallen short a few times but got one last shot at the title on April 30, 2021.
The stipulation was that Bryan would have to leave SmackDown forever if he lost the match. Roman won the match without any outside interference by making Daniel pass out via the Guillotine Choke. It was a great sendoff for Daniel Bryan before he went to AEW and another feather in the cap of The Tribal Chief.
Cesaro – WrestleMania Backlash 2021
Cesaro’s time in WWE was frustrating for a lot of fans. It felt like the company would start to get behind him and then pull back. He was paired with Paul Heyman for a moment and then the plan was abandoned without explanation.
The Swiss Superman earned a title match against The Head of the Table at WrestleMania Backlash 2021. Even though WWE may not have gotten the best out of Cesaro, the promotion did a terrific job of building him up to be presented as a viable threat to The Tribal Chief.
Cesaro gave Roman everything he could handle but in the end, it was not enough. The 41-year-old now wrestles as Claudio Castagnoli in All Elite Wrestling.
Seth Rollins – WWE Royal Rumble 2022
The former Shield members met face-to-face with the title on the line at the Royal Rumble PLE in January this year. Reigns had never defeated Rollins at a Premium Live Event before and The Visionary pointed that out leading into the match.
Seth and Roman beat the hell out of each other in this match and there wasn’t a dull moment. The weakest part of the bout was the finish. Roman applied the Guillotine choke but didn’t let go after Seth reached the ropes and was disqualified.
Time will tell if WWE revisits this rivalry while Roman is still the champion. Seth is now focused on holding the United States Championship for as long as he can on WWE RAW.
Kevin Owens – WWE TLC 2020
Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens battled at Royal Rumble 2021 in an entertaining match. There was a handcuff spot that was botched and messed up the flow of the match.
The Head of the Table and KO also clashed at TLC 2020 during the ThunderDome Era. Owens put Reigns through an incredible about of punishment in the TLC match but could not keep him down.
Jey Uso interfered toward the end of the match to help his cousin retain the title. Kevin has recently hinted at revisiting the rivalry by claiming Roman “owes him one” and mocking Sami Zayn’s involvement in The Bloodline as the Honorary Uce.
Brock Lesnar – SummerSlam 2022
The vibe heading into this match wasn’t very positive for a lot of wrestling fans. Roman Reigns versus Brock Lesnar certainly is a main event level match, it just had been done so many times before.
However, Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns provided us with an awesome Last Man Standing match at this year’s SummerSlam in Nashville. The Beast driving to the ring on a tractor and lifting Reigns up in it is a moment most WWE fans will never forget.
Jey Uso – WWE Hell in a Cell 2020
The Bloodline may be the most dominant faction in WWE now, but things weren’t always that way. Roman Reigns and Jey Uso had an all-time great rivalry during the ThunderDome era. It was Reigns first feud as Universal Champion and remains his best in my opinion.
Jey Uso showed that he was much more than just a role player, or a tag teammate. He is excellent at his craft and was perfect in this storyline. It was the family connection that made the story so interesting and the WWE Universe slowly watched Roman morph into a heel.
Reigns and Jey met at Clash of Champions 2020 and had a great match. They put on a classic the following month at the Hell in a Cell PLE. The two battled in an I Quit Hell in a Cell match, with Jey having to acknowledge Roman as The Tribal Chief if he lost.
The finish to the match was brilliantly done and displayed just how evil Roman had become. Jimmy Uso entered the cell and Reigns got him in the Guillotine choke. Roman refused to let go until Jey uttered the words “I quit” to end the match. While Jey may currently have some minor issues with Honorary Uce Sami Zayn, the root of all his troubles is The Head of the Table.
What are your favorite matches of Roman Reigns’ title run so far? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
