After Roman Reigns, what's next for the Universal Championship?

It wasn't the plan for Roman Reigns to give up his title. Where does WWE go from here?
It wasn't the plan for Roman Reigns to give up his title. Where does WWE go from here?

Much to the shock of WWE fans everywhere, Roman Reigns relinquished his Universal Championship on Monday Night Raw on October 22, revealing that he was battling leukemia and needed to step away from the ring.

Reigns wasn’t just any champion, but Vince McMahon’s hand-selected face of the company. While this wasn’t his first world title reign, the general understanding was that this was intended to be his first long-term one as he likely as not carried the Universal title all the way from SummerSlam into his fifth consecutive WrestleMania main event.

So where does WWE go from here? Is there a new face of the company to be anointed? Or will WWE bide its time, waiting for Reigns to potentially return? This article looks at five reasonable scenarios for how WWE might choose to carry forward with its top title in the days, weeks, and months ahead.


#5 Braun Strowman gets these hands on the title

Braun Strowman is positioned to step up into the top face role on Raw.
Braun Strowman is positioned to step up into the top face role on Raw.

Braun Strowman was a favourite to win a world title in the next year anyway we cut it. He was arguably second only to Roman Reigns in WWE building a top star for his generation. The guy has been protected, well built, and established as someone the overwhelming majority of full time talents can’t handle in the ring.

Most fans agree that Roman Reigns was probably going to retain his Universal Championship in his Crown Jewel Triple Threat Match with Strowman and Brock Lesnar. With Reigns out, it seems entirely reasonable WWE could accelerate its timeline and get Strowman his first world title at the next men’s PPV, rather than waiting an indeterminate period.

For his size, aura, and history in WWE thus far, Strowman would make as much sense as anyone as a choice to work as the face of Raw for the foreseeable future.

#4 The Lunatic Fringe reigns

Dean Ambrose has been set up as WWE's most buzz-worthy star.
Dean Ambrose has been set up as WWE's most buzz-worthy star.

While Roman Reigns vacating the Universal Championship dominated wrestling news coming out of Raw, the second biggest story was Dean Ambrose at last making his long rumored and teased heel turn when he nailed Seth Rollins with Dirty Deeds.

Ambrose is already a former WWE Champion, and with the buzz coming out of this turn—and of all nights, on the same one when Reigns announced he was walking away—he has all the potential in the world to emerge as WWE’s hottest act.

Add on that he’s a work horse who is capable in the ring, and finally returning to the heel role that he has arguably been best suited to all along. We could very well have a recipe for Ambrose to not only hold the title on an interim basis while WWE gets its ducks in a row, but rather for the long haul.

#3 The Suplex City Era continues

For the lowest impact on the history books, WWE might reset with Brock Lesnar as Universal Champion.
For the lowest impact on the history books, WWE might reset with Brock Lesnar as Universal Champion.

Brock Lesnar wasn’t necessarily a popular Universal Champion, for just how part-time he became in his latest world title reign, and for how repetitive and largely uninspired most of the matches of that year plus reign were.

Just the same, he remains the most credible athlete on the WWE roster for his MMA and amateur credentials, not to mention his size, look, strength, and freaky athleticism.

WWE seemed content to move on from Lesnar in the champion role, and SummerSlam real did carry with it the feel of a passing of the torch to Reigns as the next long-term champ.

With Reigns out of the mix, though, and WWE potentially reticent to hotshot someone new into the top spot, it’s entirely feasible that Lesnar could get the ball to run with again, starting at Crown Jewel and perhaps extending as far as WrestleMania 35.

#2 WWE breaks the glass on John Cena

John Cena may be the safest choice availabe to WWE.
John Cena may be the safest choice
availabe
to WWE.

John Cena had, in many ways, passed the torch to Roman Reigns as the new face of WWE. Reigns got to beat Brock Lesnar one on one for the Universal Championship, and its Reigns who worked four straight WrestleMania main events and was presumably on his way to a record fifth appearance in that slot before stepping away from the ring.

However, Cena remains the more recognizable figure to non- and casual fans—essentially the Hulk Hogan of his generation when it comes to his name and face being synonymous with the WWE brand.

Cena has stepped away from WWE in favor of his film career in the last couple of years. One of his greatest claims to greatness in WWE rested, however, in how loyal he was to the company, always willing to do whatever was asked of him.

If WWE doesn’t want to crown a brand new champion, it could break the glass in case of emergency and enter Cena back into the mix.

#1 Finn Balor gets to finish what he started

Putting the title on Finn Balor may not be as radical of a choice as it seems.
Putting the title on Finn Balor may not be as radical of a choice as it seems.

In the summer of 2016, Finn Balor got the push of a lifetime in moving up from an NXT to immediately win a tournament for the new Universal Championship, including huge wins over Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins along the way. Unfortunately, he suffered a shoulder injury in his title-winning match and had to vacate the strap just one night after capturing it.

Balor has mostly worked the mid-card since coming back, though WWE did make a nod to his championship history in a match against Reigns the night after SummerSlam this past year.

Balor’s upset win over Bobby Lashley this past Monday, not long after Reigns announced he was giving up the title, could conceivably signal that WWE is pressing the reset button on the title altogether, going back to its original plan for a champion to let The Demon King finish what he started.

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