5 WWE Superstars Roman Reigns must beat to draw more heat

After what seemed like an eternity, WWE finally did the unthinkable and turned Roman Reigns heel upon his return at SummerSlam 2020. Roman Reigns has been a part of the main roster for around 8 years at this point, and has spent the majority of his time as a babyface.

It got to a point where fans were tired of WWE trying to shove Reigns down their throat. But everything changed when The Big Dog destroyed Braun Strowman and The Fiend at The Biggest Party of the Summer.

Roman Reigns is now the Universal Champion on SmackDown, and is currently all set to take on Jey Uso at Clash of Champions. He is bound to target a string of babyfaces in the near future, to establish himself as the most dominant heel in all of WWE. Let's take a look at 5 WWE Superstars Roman Reigns needs to beat, to garner as much heat as possible.

#5 The Fiend vs Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns attacked The Fiend during the final moments of SummerSlam 2020. Mere days later, Roman joined hands with Paul Heyman and went on to meet The Fiend and Braun Strowman at WWE Payback. In the end, Reigns hit The Fiend with a classic heel move: the low blow. He then proceeded to hit a thunderous Spear on Strowman, and pinned him to win the Universal title.

It was clear as day that WWE went with this finish to protect The Fiend. Somewhere down the line though, The Fiend needs to get pinned by Roman Reigns. The Fiend has always wowed the WWE Universe, most notably during his feud with Seth Rollins.

The fans were frustrated when Goldberg pinned The Fiend in early 2020, and Reigns putting him down could possibly garner him some much-needed heat as well.

The Fiend could even the score later on, but Roman Reigns defeating him in dominant fashion is bound to help The Big Dog's standing as a ruthless villain.

#4 Matt Riddle vs Roman Reigns

The King of Bros made his way to WWE SmackDown a while ago, and is currently doing well for himself on the blue brand. Matt Riddle recently feuded with King Corbin, and defeated him at WWE Payback. It has been reported that Vince McMahon is high on Riddle, and could become a big name on the WWE roster in the near future. What better way for him to make an impact than having him feud with Roman Reigns?

Roman Reigns is currently a vicious heel, while Riddle is universally loved. There are a ton of possibilities WWE can explore with a heel Reigns, and a feud with Riddle is one of those. Let Riddle and Reigns have a rivalry, which will culminate in a match at a major pay-per-view.

The story that can be played out here is that Riddle gives the performance of a lifetime, thus giving us one of the best matches of the year, but still falls short in the end and Roman Reigns defeats him using nefarious means, like a true heel. It helps protect Riddle, as he has just delivered a great match and lost due to Reigns using an outside object. On the other hand, it gives another reason for the fans to hate Reigns.

#3 Big E vs Roman Reigns

It is quite clear that a singles push is in store for Big E in the near future. Kofi Kingston, a former WWE Champion, recently gave his blessing to his New Day stablemate. Big E delivered an incredible promo on Talking Smack, while debating with The Miz. A logical step towards turning Big E into a major singles star is to have him feud with Roman Reigns sometime in the future.

Roman Reigns needs a major babyface to work with, and Big E is currently garnering tons of fan support. When Big E returns from his storyline injury, a feud with Roman Reigns would make sense.

Big E doesn't need to win the Universal title right away, and definitely doesn't need to win a feud against Reigns. We have seen how effective a slow-burn was for Kofi Kingston, and it made his 'Mania moment all the more special. Let Big E struggle for a long time, and have him in a series of matches with Reigns, and The New Day star winning one of them.

That would be enough to cement the thought in the minds of fans that Big E is capable of hanging with the very best. That way, Roman Reigns beats a beloved babyface on multiple occasions, and puts him over with that one rare loss as well.

#2 Jeff Hardy vs Roman Reigns

When one talks about the biggest babyfaces to ever grace a WWE ring, Jeff Hardy's name is bound to be somewhere at the top. The Charismatic Enigma has mostly portrayed the character of a babyface in WWE, and has done an absolutely great job of it. Jeff Hardy is a natural babyface and is still over with the fans. Why not let him have a short-lived feud with Roman Reigns?

Hardy held the top prize, back in the day, and another short run in the main event scene would be loved by fans. He is at a point in his career where all he needs to do is help young guns get over. Hardy could be an excellent choice to have a short feud with Roman Reigns, and put him over big time.

The Big Dog could come out of the feud with some genuine heel heat, as Jeff Hardy is still liked by the fans. A win over someone of the stature of Hardy will only help Roman Reigns establish himself further as a villain.

#1 Otis vs Roman Reigns

Otis has been one of the biggest success stories in WWE in recent memory. There was a time not long ago when he was a lower-card act as a part of Heavy Machinery. It all changed when WWE gave us a romantic angle starring Otis and Mandy Rose. Fast forward a few months, and Otis is one of the most popular Superstars in WWE at the moment. Imagine the kind of heat Roman Reigns will generate, if he puts Otis down in the middle of the ring.

Otis recently made it clear that he will go for the Universal title. When it happens, there's absolutely no need for Otis to beat Roman Reigns, and it's something that's far-fetched as well. What would be better is for Roman Reigns to beat Otis after the latter gives everything he has towards winning the title.

Otis will come out of the match more over than ever, while fans will hate Reigns like they've never hated him before. The WWE Universe's love towards Otis could be utilized well by the company in this potential matchup.