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Following his hellacious Last Man Standing Match with Kevin Owens at Royal Rumble 2021, Roman Reigns is entering WrestleMania season as the Universal Champion. He is still the head of the table and is likely to remain as such until The Show of Shows, at the very least.
And with WWE RAW star Edge winning the Men's Royal Rumble Match, we are yet to find out who might challenge for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 37. It has to be a high-profile name since Roman Reigns deserves to main event at least one of the nights after the major roll he has been on.
The Tribal Chief's momentum is sky-high right now, following an epic trilogy of stipulation-based Universal title matches against Owens. There are quite a few Superstars currently on SmackDown who could step up to face Reigns, while a couple of part-timers could be waiting in the wings for WrestleMania.
Here are five possible opponents for Roman Reigns at WWE WrestleMania 37.
#5 Seth Rollins could turn babyface after returning at Royal Rumble and challenge Roman Reigns
This is the least likely option on this list since Seth Rollins returned in the Men's Royal Rumble Match as a heel. However, there is nothing a well-told month-long story can't do. With ten weeks between now and WrestleMania, WWE might transition The Messiah into a babyface.
The reason for this is that he has a lot of history with Roman Reigns. The two were part of The Shield, which has broken up and reunited quite a few times over the years. Rollins could turn into an anti-hero for this program with The Tribal Chief, which would produce a match worthy of headlining WrestleMania.
The two of them can have a fantastic match against each other, as evidenced by their classic at Money in the Bank 2016. But this time, Reigns would be the heel and Rollins would be the babyface. It is a dynamic that hasn't been seen before, which makes it extremely exciting.
Again, based on his Royal Rumble performance, Seth Rollins is still very much a heel at this moment. But on SmackDown, things can change in an instant. He did have a good showing in the match and lasted until the final three. That might be worthy of a challenge to Roman Reigns.
#4 Goldberg could switch brands and face Roman Reigns in a match one year in the making
This is a match that Roman Reigns was set to have at WrestleMania 36 before he pulled out due to a health risk. It could still happen even though Goldberg lost clean to Drew McIntyre at Royal Rumble. But if the past few years have taught us anything, it is to never rule the WCW icon out.
It would be an unpopular choice for Roman Reigns' opponent for sure, as Goldberg does not represent the absolute fullest extent of storytelling that Reigns and Paul Heyman are capable of going to. However, it is Goldberg. And this is WrestleMania. The possibility will always be there.
The company may be tempted to book the WWE Hall of Famer opposite Roman Reigns at WrestleMania because of how much they value him as a major star. Goldberg's match with McIntyre was alright for what it was, but a showdown with The Tribal Chief could be better than that.
He is pretty much a 'lock' for WrestleMania 37, which does lend the possibility of Roman Reigns defending his Universal Championship against him. It would be pretty disappointing, considering how great Reigns' matches have been since his heel turn. A three-minute sprint would not be satisfying for the Universal Champion at WrestleMania.
#3 Brock Lesnar could return on SmackDown and challenge Roman Reigns with Paul Heyman caught in the middle
Paul Heyman's partnership with Roman Reigns has been electric ever since they were paired together, with the special counsel to The Tribal Chief doing a brilliant job at maintaining his stock high. Heyman has a subdued role alongside Reigns when compared to his duties as the advocate for Brock Lesnar.
Since Edge won the Royal Rumble and will likely challenge for the WWE Championship, Brock Lesnar could move over to SmackDown. His reaction to Paul Heyman working with Roman Reigns is very intriguing. The two heavyweights could initially work together, as the modern-day Two-Man Power Trip.
However, when things eventually implode between the two of them, the eventual match between Lesnar and Reigns will be great. The Beast works best when he has a story he can get behind. Heyman's dilemma is a great story he can get behind. This is a possible direction for Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania.
In terms of blockbuster main events, hardly anything can touch this. And if Lesnar and Reigns are at their absolute best, their match could surpass their slugfest at WrestleMania 31. A victory over Brock Lesnar would solidify Roman Reigns as the most dominant WWE star in years, especially if Paul Heyman sticks with him.
#2 John Cena could challenge Roman Reigns to try and win his 17th world title
Another huge part-timer Roman Reigns could face is John Cena. As per reports, The Leader of the Cenation is 'nearly locked' for WrestleMania 37. He is likely to play a substantial part on the card but doesn't seem to fit well with most Superstars on RAW and SmackDown.
One of the few exceptions is Roman Reigns, who would be a great opponent for Cena. The two of them are among the biggest stars in modern WWE history, with the 16-time world champion spending a decade on top. While Reigns faced Cena at No Mercy 2017, a match at WrestleMania 37 would mean much more.
Roman Reigns is now the top heel in WWE and is the one big barrier that John Cena would like to cross. Add in the fact that he is tied with Ric Flair at a record 16 world titles, and we have a very compelling story. Cena can sell this match with a couple of passionate promos, while Reigns can sell it simply with his facial reactions.
It would be the perfect retirement match for John Cena if he plans on permanently stepping away from the ring, with Roman Reigns ending his long and tenured career. The Tribal Chief would obviously overpower the old face of WWE, further establishing him as the top dog in the entire industry.
#1 Daniel Bryan could still find his way to WrestleMania and challenge Roman Reigns
He may have not won the Royal Rumble Match, but Daniel Bryan remains the best choice to challenge Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 37. For starters, the ideal scenario would be for a current full-time SmackDown star to earn the spot opposite The Tribal Chief at WrestleMania.
Bryan is the ultimate babyface in WWE and would be the perfect foil for the evil mafia boss, Roman Reigns. He may have lost a lot of matches in the past couple of months, but a few big promos and in-ring performances could absolutely turn Bryan back into the megastar that he is.
The story between Reigns and Bryan has multiple layers to it, right from the former's WWE debut match until the latter's issues with Jey Uso and Paul Heyman. However, the biggest plot point between the two of them is the entire fiasco in 2015 when the fans vehemently rejected Roman Reigns.
The Universal Champion could blame Daniel Bryan for that and keep on attacking him. The Leader of the Yes Movement is a great underdog and would thrive opposite Reigns and his Samoan family, eventually fighting back from underneath and possibly even taking the Universal Championship.
Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan is the best-case scenario for WrestleMania 37 from a storyline perspective and isn't that the point of wrestling? It's all about the stories. That's what WrestleMania should be all about. The stories.
