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Roman Reigns defeated LA Knight at Crown Jewel on November 4 to retain his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. The Tribal Chief needed The Bloodline's assistance to win the match, prompting speculation that Knight could receive another title opportunity at the 2024 Royal Rumble.
Unfortunately for fans of The Megastar, it looks as though a rematch between the Crown Jewel opponents might not take place after all. In the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H has another Royal Rumble bout in mind for Reigns:
"We were told that as of this time Reigns vs. Knight is not the title match at Rumble. That is Reigns' next match. There are those who feel it should be Knight in that spot but we were told Levesque [Paul Levesque, Triple H's real name] has another plan right now."
With that in mind, let's look at five possible opponents for Reigns at the Royal Rumble on January 27, 2024. Cody Rhodes and The Rock are excluded because they seem destined to cross paths with the Bloodline leader at future WrestleManias, not the Royal Rumble.
#5. Roman Reigns vs. Solo Sikoa
Starting with the least likely of the five: Solo Sikoa. The Bloodline's enforcer recorded a statement-making win over John Cena at Crown Jewel, proving why so many regard him as a future world champion and main-event star.
Reigns vs. Sikoa is certain to take place one day. The latter has even teased that he wants to become The Tribal Chief of The Bloodline, replacing Reigns as the family's leader.
The problem here is timing. Every aspect of Reigns' three-year title reign has been carefully planned, with feuds taking months, and sometimes even years, to play out. Sikoa has enough reasons to turn against his cousin right now, but this inevitable storyline twist seems likely to come at a later date.
#4. Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk
If CM Punk returns, there's no bigger match for The Best in the World than an Undisputed WWE Universal Championship shot against Roman Reigns.
It is no secret that The Tribal Chief is not a fan of Punk in real life. In 2022, the former Shield member said on the Load Management podcast that he legitimately dislikes The Straight Edge Superstar. He also claimed that other wrestlers share his opinion.
To make this potential feud even more interesting, Reigns' special counsel Paul Heyman was instrumental in Punk receiving his big break in WWE in 2006. Heyman also represented the former WWE star on-screen in 2012 and 2013.
#3. Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens
While Reigns' world title run has mostly been received well, the predictable outcomes of his matches are sometimes criticized by fans. The overwhelmingly popular LA Knight, for example, did not seem a realistic contender to dethrone The Tribal Chief at Crown Jewel. The same could arguably be said for Jey Uso at SummerSlam.
Kevin Owens already competed in Royal Rumble title matches against Reigns in 2021 and 2023, losing both times. Despite those defeats, fans might buy into the story of KO finally winning the big one if he receives one more title shot.
It's also worth remembering that the former Universal Champion recently moved from RAW to SmackDown, the same brand as Reigns.
#2. Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton
Since dethroning The Fiend at Payback 2020, Reigns has defended his title against almost every major star on the roster. The one main exception is Randy Orton, the man who is set to return to in-ring action for the first time in 18 months at Survivor Series: WarGames.
From a storyline perspective, it makes perfect sense for Orton to face Reigns. The Viper feuded with The Bloodline before suffering a career-threatening back injury in May 2022. Had he not been sidelined, the 14-time world champion would almost certainly have gone on to challenge Reigns at some stage last year.
This potential match depends on Survivor Series: WarGames. Orton could kick-start a high-profile rivalry with several people at the event, from Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso to every member of The Judgment Day. If his storyline direction is unclear after the show, don't rule out a switch to SmackDown and a rivalry with Reigns.
#1. Roman Reigns vs. AJ Styles
As soon as this latest Royal Rumble report emerged, fans took to social media to predict AJ Styles as Reigns' next title challenger.
The Phenomenal One suffered a storyline injury at the hands of Solo Sikoa in September. Shortly thereafter, LA Knight replaced him as John Cena's tag team partner against Jimmy Uso and Sikoa at Fastlane.
When Styles returns, he is bound to continue his rivalry with The Bloodline. The question is whether the feud will lead to a premium live event singles match against Sikoa or Reigns, or possibly even both.
Who do you think Roman Reigns should face at the 2024 Royal Rumble? Let us know in the comments section below.
