5 directions WWE could take with Roman Reigns after WrestleMania

What
What's next for The Big Dog?

Well, I don't think anyone expected this. Last night, Roman Reigns once again main-evented WrestleMania and, although he kicked out of six F5s, the former WWE Champion was left a bloody mess by the Beast Incarnate who retained his Universal Championship.

A lot of people thought the seemingly imminent end of Brock Lesnar's contract and just the build of the story meant Roman Reigns winning the title to close out WrestleMania as champion yet again was the safest bet of the night - but WWE swerved us all.

So, what's next for Roman Reigns?

I look at five options for The Big Dog going forward.


#5 A humble promo sees Reigns take a backseat

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Reigns will most likely speak on Raw tonight

Roman Reigns' promo after WrestleMania last year was probably one of the most memorable segments of the last year. After his victory over Undertaker, Reigns was booed out of the building before finally getting a chance to speak, saying only "This is my yard now."

I think for short-term, we see a very different Roman Reigns tonight. The Grand Slam Champion has never been known to be humble on the microphone, but given how WrestleMania ended last night, I think we'll see a very different Roman if he appears on Raw.

So, expect a Reigns promo saying he's been humbled and, in a John Cena-esque way, saying he has to re-evaluate and take some time away.

Maybe not from WWE, or maybe just a week or two - but I think Roman Reigns may disappear from the main event segment and WWE may try to build on some new-found sympathy gained from last night's bloodshed.

#4 One more match with Brock Lesnar

Could
Could we see one more match?

Now, I think this is pretty unlikely for a few reasons - but I'd be doing this rivalry a disservice by not mentioning the possibility of a rematch.

After the state Brock Lesnar left Roman Reigns in, there's bound to be some bad blood there - no pun intended - but I think WWE will move on quickly from this tonight.

The big question is, does Brock Lesnar stay in WWE or does he vacate the Championship?

Now, I think we see Brock Lesnar face Bobby Lashley at SummerSlam, but that somehow feels disjointed. The story built that, after Rollins cashed in three years ago and being the only two men to beat the Undertaker at Mania, that Roman Reigns would be the first man to pin Brock Lesnar since November 2016.

While Goldberg got the better of Brock Lesnar more times than not, Lesnar was the man to essentially retire the Hall of Famer. WWE could go down the same road with Reigns beating Brock one time, but the final time - although that is pretty unlikely.

#3 Seth Rollins - friend or foe?

After
Could we see more of this epic rivalry?

Now, The Shield reunion didn't exactly go as planned, that's no secret.

With Dean Ambrose still sidelined, allegedly for a few more months, it doesn't seem like we'll see the trio back together any time soon. The thing about these guys, though, is they're magnets.

We barely go six months without seeing a rivalry or a tag team involving two of the three Hounds of Justice. With Seth Rollins becoming Intercontinental Champion last night, and the final Shield member to claim the title of Grand Slam Champion, could we see Reigns and Rollins go toe to toe again, or join forces?

Well, the former is probably the more likely, with Roman Reigns also being a former Intercontinental Champion and, in all honesty, it being the only male singles title to appear on the show every week.

With Seth Rollins looking scheduled to go head to head with Finn Balor on the upcoming Live events, though, it looks like he may be preoccupied, but you never know.

#2 A move to SmackDown Live to face AJ Styles

Could w
Could we see Reigns switch brands?

Well, this would well and truly shake things up. While it looks like the story isn't over with Nakamura and Styles, after last night's match seemed to underwhelm most of the WWE Universe, maybe some time apart may be what's needed.

With Reigns losing to Lesnar, and Nakamura losing to Styles - both men could essentially switch brands to face each other's foes. Styles vs Reigns is always a classic, and Nakamura vs Lesnar is another dream match.

The latter seems less likely now with both men essentially working as heels and, even with the grey area, Reigns is a face.

But a move to the blue brand could be just what the doctor ordered for Reigns. He'd easily slot in as one of the top guys on a show that doesn't have a great deal of people with the same star power that looks likely to challenge for the WWE Championship.

#1 A rivalry with a returning Samoa Joe

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These two definitely have unfinished business

I had a theory last night that, when we cut back to Reigns walking back up the ramp, he'd face the crowd only for Joe to come out and lock in the Coquina Clutch - laying out his longstanding rival.

These two have had one of the best on and off rivalries of the past year and always get really physical in the ring. With Joe's return imminent and the pair looking set to face off on live events, this one looks likely.

In fact, while it's a long shot, if Brock Lesnar were to relinquish the Universal Championship -these guys could both stake a claim to it, having run Lesnar close over the past year.

Will we see Joe on Raw? Confronting a downtrodden Reigns could set up another intense showdown between the pair.

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