5 Likely opponents for WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns after the 2021 Royal Rumble 

By Riju Dasgupta
Modified Feb 04, 2021 07:42 GMT
Rey Mysterio and Roman Reigns engage in a mighty clash
Rey Mysterio and Roman Reigns engage in a mighty clash

Roman Reigns, with a little bit of help from his counsel Paul Heyman, managed to defeat Kevin Owens in a Last Man Standing match at the Royal Rumble.

If he thinks that he's out of the woods, having put the threat of Kevin Owens at bay, Roman Reigns is very much mistaken.

The WWE SmackDown brand is teeming with talent, and one has to assume that every male Superstar that has signed up with the brand has done so with the intention of becoming the next Universal Champion. Throw in two other names, and to say that Roman Reigns has a target on his back would be an understatement.

Here are the five likeliest challengers for the WWE Universal Champion, the 'Tribal Chief', the 'Head of the Table', Roman Reigns.

#5 Edge is coming for WWE SmackDown, and he may definitely choose Roman Reigns as his WrestleMania 37 opponent

Let's look at the facts here. Edge showed up on RAW, he showed up on NXT as well, and he is slated to show up on SmackDown. The winner of the 2021 Royal Rumble may not have made up his mind about who he wants to face, but it could certainly be Roman Reigns. This is certainly the direction that fans expect WWE to go down, for Reigns to get the rub from an established megastar.

Plus, it's a spear vs. spear match, which is something that the company wanted to do with Goldberg and Reigns anyway.

The only reason why it's so low on the list is that it's a WrestleMania worthy match, and it may be kept for such a stage. So Edge may not necessarily be Reigns' immediate, upcoming opponent for the prized WWE Universal Championship.

#4 Christian could challenge Roman Reigns too, now that we know the Royal Rumble wasn't his only WWE appearance

Roman Reigns vs. Christian is not a match anyone imagined they'd see in the year 2021, but these are strange times, and stranger things have happened. This is a match that can certainly be on the cards before Edge mixes it up with Reigns at WrestleMania.

Or maybe Christian goes after Roman Reigns, whereas Edge chooses to mix it up with someone like Drew McIntyre. We know that Christian can certainly be involved in such a role because of a recent rumor.

The report that has been linked here states that we haven't seen the last of 'Captain Charisma' in the ring and that he will be a part of the roster on a part-time basis going forward. It will not make sense to have him stagnate in the middle of the card at all.

For him to put over Roman Reigns may be the same kind of validation that Goldberg conferred upon young Drew McIntyre.

#3 Shinsuke Nakamura has a bone to pick with Roman Reigns after everything that went down between the two

Roman Reigns and Shinsuke Nakamura have a readymade storyline and honestly, the two of them could tear it up. In fact, if the booking allows for it, Reigns could engage in competitive matches with Nakamura, elevating 'The Artist' to a level that he could never reach during his WWE tenure.

Roman Reigns was the reason why Shinsuke Nakamura, who had an iron-man performance during the gauntlet match on a recent episode of WWE SmackDown, did not get a title shot. Now, Nakamura and Reigns could certainly let the feud play out and maybe have it stretch all the way until WrestleMania.

Fans have been yearning for Nakamura to not just break out of the shackles that have bound him to the mid-card, but honestly, to slug it out with someone who's at the level of Roman Reigns. They may hope for a victory at some point down the line, but whether WWE allows it still remains to be seen.

#2 Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns have been kept apart from each other until now for good reason

Roman Reigns may be the most despised heel not only in WWE but possibly in all of pro wrestling at the moment. At the same time, Daniel Bryan may be the most 'over' babyface in the world today, or at least the 'worked' crowd noises in the ThunderDome certainly seem to point towards this. A showdown between these forces of nature seems likely and imminent as WrestleMania approaches.

There's been the tease of a full-blown feud between Daniel Bryan and Jey Uso, which has never materialized, and with Uso's injury, it may be a while until this comes to pass.

But it must be noted that there are several rumors that have surfaced that indicate that there will be a feud between Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan, sooner rather than later. It must be noted that the manner in which these two men have been kept apart from one another until now pretty much suggests that they're due for a confrontation.

#1 Rey Mysterio may have one last run left in him and it may involve a Roman Reigns feud and a Universal Championship program

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Roman Reigns vs. Rey Mysterio is just a feud that makes sense if you consider the size difference between both men and how good the quality of matches between both performers will be. Check out Seth Rollins breaking character in an SK Wrestling exclusive, speaking about how much he admires Rey Mysterio as a colleague.

Sure, it may not be a WrestleMania worthy match yet, but to be fair, if WWE needs a feud to kill time until then, Rey Mysterio vs. Roman Reigns is the way to go. Even if Mysterio comes up short, it will still be a step up from everything he's doing right now.

In fact, it does seem like Rey Mysterio has done nothing of significance since his feud with Seth Rollins.

Roman Reigns working with someone and effectively even bullying so much smaller will help him garner even more heel heat than he currently has.

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