What’s the story?
According to a report from WrestleZone, Bray Wyatt’s recent high-profile wins over Seth Rollins was to establish Wyatt as the top heel to challenge eventual Universal Champion Roman Reigns.
While the initial plans were to have Reigns not regain the title until next WrestleMania, WWE officials are reportedly ready to put RAW’s top belt on someone who appears on television more regularly than current champion Brock Lesnar.
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Reigns and Wyatt have been rivals off and on for much of their main-roster careers. They first duelled as part of The Shield and Wyatt Family and then launched a singles feud after Wyatt cost Reigns the Money in the Bank briefcase in 2015.
That feud included a memorable Hell in a Cell match at the pay-per-view of the same name in October of that year and led to the introduction of Braun Strowman.
The two former WWE Champions have shown signs of re-kindling their animosity since Wyatt came to RAW in the Superstar Shakeup.
The heart of the matter
With Reigns seemingly headed for a Fatal Four-way match against Lesnar, Samoa Joe and Strowman at SummerSlam, it would stand to reason that he has a decent shot at winning the red belt there.
In addition to reports of that planned match, Monday’s episode of RAW concluded with a brawl between Reigns, Samoa Joe and Strowman that turned a No. 1 contender’s match into a ‘no decision’. That would seem to point clearly to the four-man match being in the works.
If that does happen with Reigns coming out as the victor, Wyatt’s wins over Rollins at Great Balls of Fire and the next night on RAW would serve as an excellent springboard to a title feud with Reigns.
Rollins, meanwhile, is popular and talented enough to easily recover from a minor setback, and he seems headed for a feud with the Miztourage, with former Shield member Dean Ambrose, by his side.
What’s next?
The Fatal four-way still needs to be officially announced for SummerSlam, but that could come as soon as next week’s episode of RAW. From there, it will be a matter of seeing the direction Roman Reigns is taken leading up to the match.
As for Wyatt, he would seemingly need to defeat Finn Balor to stay in line for a title shot against Reigns.
Author’s take
The unfortunate part about this story is that it would mean Reigns is going to remain a face for the time being. He is seemingly more comfortable as a heel and has looked to be leaning more that way after a brutal ambulance attack on Strowman at Great Balls of Fire.
That said, it’s hard not to be excited about the potential of a championship feud between Wyatt and Reigns, who have the potential to create this generation’s marquee feud. Their work together in the past has been excellent, and adding the flagship show’s top championship can only help them go to the next level.
