Potential reason why massive SmackDown star might replace Cody Rhodes as Roman Reigns' planned opponent at WrestleMania 40 (Spoilers included)

Roman Reigns returned to SmackDown last week after a lengthy hiatus. As a result of his return, we saw a confrontation between him and Randy Orton. The Viper had been taken out by The Bloodline and sidelined for 18 months. Orton made it clear on SmackDown that he is gunning for Reigns' WWE Universal Championship.

However, two more names, AJ Styles and LA Knight, want a shot at The Tribal Chief at the Royal Rumble. As per spoilers from the pre-taped episode of the blue brand for next week, a match will be announced between Orton, Knight and Styles to determine the number one contender for Roman Reigns at Royal Rumble.

Fans believe that Royal Rumble will be a pitstop for Roman Reigns as he will face Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40. There are rumors that The American Nightmare will finally win the big one at WrestleMania. And there will be a major backlash if Rhodes loses yet again, like he did this year at WrestleMania 39.

However, Roman Reigns is just 275 days short of breaking WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan's record – which stands at 1474 days – as the World Champion. For this to happen, he would have to win at WrestleMania 40, and it would be better if he faced someone other than Cody Rhodes. Randy Orton would be the perfect option as he has a storied history with Reigns and is a major name capable of main-eventing WrestleMania.

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Should Roman Reigns surpass Hulk Hogan's record?

The Tribal Chief has held the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship for more than three years. This is the longest reign in modern WWE. Only three men have longer reigns than him in history. They are Bruno Sammartino, Bob Backlund, and Hulk Hogan. While Sammartino's record of 2803 days looks almost impossible to attain, Reigns can displace Hulk Hogan by retaining his title for 275 more days.

Cody Rhodes has been riding high on momentum and another loss at the hands of The Tribal Chief could severely hamper his positioning as the top babyface on RAW.

It would be wise to have Reigns face either AJ Styles or LA Knight at Royal Rumble, and then face Randy Orton in an epic clash at WrestleMania where he could retain his championship, inching forward towards Hogan's record.