5 WWE and AEW Superstars who want to face Roman Reigns

Several WWE and AEW Superstars have expressed their desire to go head-to-head with WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns.

The Tribal Chief has held the gold since August 2020. Over the past year, Reigns has defended his title against some of the greatest WWE Superstars of all time, including Daniel Bryan, Edge, and John Cena.

In the past few years, some WWE and AEW stars have spoken about the possibility of squaring off against Roman Reigns.

Reigns will remain a dream opponent for the AEW stars as they compete on different promotions. Nonetheless, a few WWE Superstars might fulfill their wish of facing the Universal Champion following the WWE Draft.

Here are five WWE and AEW Superstars who want to face Roman Reigns.

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#5. WWE United States Champion Damian Priest vs. Roman Reigns

WWE United States Champion Damian Priest is one of the fastest rising stars on Monday Night RAW. He debuted on the Red Brand last February. Six months later, he defeated Sheamus at SummerSlam to capture the United States Title.

In a recent interview with the After The Bell podcast, Priest named a few WWE Superstars he would like to challenge in the future. Roman Reigns was one of the names on his list.

"I want to work with everyone, because everyone who works here deserves and is doing a great job. For me selfishly I think of top names of the brand, I dream of challenging Bobby Lashley, Drew McIntyre, Finn Balor but above all Roman Reigns, Edge and Randy Orton. But I must not forget, I have my friends Keith Lee and Matt Riddle and I would like to challenge them too, both in the single and in the Tag category," Priest said.

Damian Priest and Roman Reigns have never squared off one-on-one. However, they were once opponents in the 5-on-5-on-5 Men's Triple Threat Elimination match at Survivor Series 2019.

Priest recently defeated Jeff Hardy in a United States Championship match on Monday Night RAW. Reigns also defended his Universal Title against Finn Balor at Extreme Rules last month.

#4. AEW World Champion Kenny Omega vs. Roman Reigns

Kenny Omega is currently the top guy in AEW and wants to go head-to-head with his WWE counterpart, Roman Reigns.

Omega revealed in an interview with Tokyo Sports that he would like to get a shot at The Tribal Chief:

"We already have a lot of people coming in, so we don't have a problem with opponents. I don't have a specific opponent in mind, but if I had to say, Roman Reigns (WWE Universal Champion) would be a good opportunity for me to prove what a real champion is like," Omega said.

Omega and Reigns have never shared the ring. The Tribal Chief has been with WWE since kicking off his pro wrestling career nearly 11 years ago. Omega, however, has competed in several different promotions over the years before joining AEW in 2019.

The 38-year-old captured the AEW World Title in December 2020 and has been holding it ever since. He recently defended his Championship against Christian Cage at AEW All Out.

#3. WWE Superstar Drew McIntyre vs. Roman Reigns

Drew McIntyre is another WWE Superstar who wants to square off against Roman Reigns.

Speaking to Kayla Braxton on Talking Smack, The Scottish Warrior revealed what it would mean for him to capture the Universal Championship.

"It would mean a lot to me. You know it's interesting, Roman and I have quite the history since I've returned to WWE and perhaps the roles are a little bit reversed. I've been watching what Roman's been doing over this past year and I might not like how he does things a lot of the time but he is operating at a different level. He always talks about these levels, and right now he is at the absolute top," McIntyre said.

Reigns and McIntyre have been on different brands for the past two years. Thus, The Scottish Warrior did not have the opportunity to challenge The Tribal Chief for his title. Nonetheless, the 2021 WWE Draft recently moved McIntyre to SmackDown while keeping Reigns on the Blue Brand. The two wrestlers, who have faced each other several times before, can now clash again.

However, The Tribal Chief first needs to retain his title when he goes one-on-one against Brock Lesnar at Crown Jewel. At the same pay-per-view, The Scottish Warrior will have his last chance to regain the WWE Championship when he faces Big E.

#2. AEW star CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns

Before joining AEW, CM Punk seemed open to the idea of squaring off against Universal Champion Roman Reigns. A year ago, The Best in the World held a Q&A session on Twitter, where a fan asked him if he would want to face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 37. The 42-year-old did not turn down the idea of competing against Reigns.

A few months later, the AEW star showered The Tribal Chief with praise. He made it clear that he sees Reigns as the best guy in WWE today.

"What can you say bad about what Roman Reigns is doing right now? He’s far and away the best guy they have. When you talk about storylines, in-ring work and all that stuff, right now he’s the total package. For the first time in his career, and I’m not being mean to Roman Reigns, I just feel like he’s finally where they pushed him to be, it just took a minute," Punk said.

Discussing the possibility of facing CM Punk, Reigns claimed he would destroy the AEW star if they ever squared off inside the ring.

"I wouldn’t say no. But I mean, on a personal level, it doesn’t do anything for me. That’s not going to elevate me at all. He’s older now. I haven’t really seen a full match. I’ve seen a clip or two. And to me, a step or two has been lost. Then also he got his whooped in the UFC. I don’t think anybody really believes someone 200 pounds soaking wet with no explosive bone in their body could ever really do anything to me (...) So, I mean, when it comes down to it, I’ll throw him and pretty much the rest of that roster out the club no problem," Roman Reigns said.

Punk and Reigns faced each other several times in tag team matches between 2013 and 2014. However, they went head-to-head once in January 2014 on Monday Night RAW. Reigns walked out of that match as the winner.

CM Punk is currently on a four-match winning streak in AEW. His latest victory came against Matt Sydal on Rampage.

#1. WWE Superstar Jeff Hardy vs. Roman Reigns

Like Drew McIntyre, Jeff Hardy is after Roman Reigns' WWE Universal Championship. The 44-year-old has also revealed that facing Reigns is a dream match for him.

"It's just so powerful man. Every time I watch SmackDown, I love The Usos and the whole Head of the Table thing. The Tribal Chief is so strong you know. That’s definitely a dream match – the dream match I have for my career. I’ve never been in the ring head-to-head with Roman Reigns. So that’s on my bucket list for sure and it can be a very beautiful encounter," Hardy said.

Hardy has also disclosed his desire to win the Universal Championship for the first time in his career before he retires. The former WWE Champion dubbed winning the title his number one goal.

"My number one goal is definitely to be the Universal Champion one time before my career is over. I don’t know how much longer I have and I’m very much living like day to day here now. So I just want to entertain people. It’s exciting to be back in front of the live audiences," Hardy explained.

Jeff Hardy now has the opportunity to fulfill his wish of facing Reigns for the Universal Title. As a result of the 2021 WWE Draft, the 44-year-old moved from Monday Night RAW to SmackDown. Being on the same brand as The Tribal Chief, Hardy can now challenge Reigns for his title.

Hardy is currently on a four-match losing streak. He recently lost to Austin Theory on Monday Night RAW.