5 Reasons why Seth Rollins is Roman Reigns' next Universal Title opponent at Royal Rumble

With Brock Lesnar facing Bobby Lashley at Royal Rumble 2022, WWE needed a Universal title opponent for Roman Reigns.

On the January 7 episode of SmackDown, Adam Pearce told Sonya Deville that he had to pick the next challenger of the Universal Champion by the end of the night.

Roman Reigns didn't seem too interested in knowing who he would face at the Royal Rumble unless it was Adam Pearce himself - a slight throwback to last year. However, by the end of SmackDown, once The Usos had put away The New Day for good, Roman Reigns heard a knock on his door, and RAW's Seth Rollins came in.

Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins for the Universal Championship is not yet official, but it is expected to be very soon. Hopefully, we can answer some of those burning questions about the fallout of the segment and why the match is happening in the first place:

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#5. There is literally no other opponent for Roman Reigns

The issue with Roman Reigns' soon-to-be record-breaking Universal title reign is that he has run through so many challengers that there is hardly any left. Since the summer of 2020, he has defeated the likes of Bray Wyatt, Braun Strowman, Jey Uso, Kevin Owens, Daniel Bryan, Edge, Cesaro, Rey Mysterio, John Cena, Finn Balor, Brock Lesnar, and more.

Nobody has been better on the WWE roster than Roman Reigns, but it has come at a cost. The company has to face awkward situations like this where they have to resort to getting a superstar from the opposite brand to challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Title at the Royal Rumble.

It's still a great match to look forward to, and Drew McIntyre was never going to be Reigns' Rumble opponent in the first place. Taking him out of the equation, there aren't many options that WWE is left with.

#4. Seth Rollins didn't get his due title shot against Roman Reigns on SmackDown

We mustn't forget that Seth Rollins never got a Universal title shot against Roman Reigns last year on SmackDown.

Seth Rollins' run on SmackDown didn't last long in the grand scheme of things. While it was just a year-long tenure, it was an impactful one. In the first half of 2021, his primary feuds were one against Cesaro, and the second half was centered on his feud against Edge.

With that said, Rollins eventually got the better of Cesaro and was on his way to earn a Universal title shot. WWE mostly teased a match between the two, but it was held back for various reasons.

For one, the two men were (and still are) heels, and WWE likely wanted to keep them apart until one or the other turns babyface. It isn't in the cards anymore as Seth Rollins is now on RAW occupied by something else entirely.

However, it can be argued that Seth Rollins deserves this title shot because he didn't get his singles match against Big E, and he also didn't get a Universal title shot on SmackDown.

#3. WWE needed a marketable match for Roman Reigns because of Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley

Despite two Royal Rumble matches, even Roman Reigns won't be the most marketable match on the card. Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley is now official for the 2022 Royal Rumble, which many felt should have happened at WrestleMania 38.

Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley is the ultimate dream match, and no matter how big Roman Reigns is, he isn't in a match as big as that one. However, this seems to be WWE's attempt at giving Roman Reigns a highly-marketable match-up for the Royal Rumble.

Despite them facing off on numerous occasions, Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins is a bout that can sell well and is WrestleMania-worthy in its own right. But it's still likely to be overshadowed by the hype of Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley - a probable main event of Royal Rumble.

Even if Seth Rollins didn't beat Roman Reigns all of a sudden, it's a match that can help sell tickets as well.

#2. WWE is trying to build upon a Roman Reigns-Seth Rollins feud for later on

As of this writing, Royal Rumble could be the last time we see Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins come together for a while. We saw them cross paths on numerous instances in 2021, but that usually had Edge hanging over, either involved with Reigns and the Universal title or Rollins in their feud of the year candidate.

When Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns eventually have a proper feud again, one or the other will be a babyface. One could argue that even 2022 is too soon to pull the trigger on Roman Reigns despite the favorable reactions that he is getting.

However, we wouldn't put it past WWE to pull the trigger less than two years into his heel run. Seth Rollins could also realistically turn face, as it has been over two years since he turned heel.

But this is all under two assumptions - one, that Seth Rollins gets drafted back to SmackDown in 2022, and two, one or the other, will turn babyface before that. Either way, there's a big feud waiting to happen without the backdrop of The Shield.

#1. Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins to signal a further change in the brand split approach?

Although we hope this isn't true, two of Roman Reigns' current situations have signaled a change in the brand split approach. For one, Brock Lesnar getting added to the Fatal-Five-Way WWE Title match at Day 1 completely threw a wrench in many WrestleMania plans.

Brock Lesnar was always a free agent, but he was more exclusive to SmackDown recently in the midst of his feud with Roman Reigns. Now that he is the WWE Champion, he seems more interested in going to SmackDown and challenging Reigns over Lashley.

He even challenged Roman Reigns to a title vs. title, champion vs. champion match, and although he didn't mention WrestleMania, Pat McAfee may have done so unintentionally.

With Seth Rollins coming in from RAW to challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal title and Brock Lesnar coming in to confront The Tribal Chief could hint at a change in the brand split.

Whether it means a shake-up or a general relaxation of brand exclusivity, this could be one to trigger the change.