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2021 was the year of Roman Reigns. After being disliked by fans as a babyface, he finally turned heel in 2020, leading to a historic reign as the most impactful WWE Universal Champion.
WWE did an awesome job at building Roman Reigns' heel character by offering an epic rivalry to kick-off his Universal Title reign. He defeated his own cousin, Jey Uso in the first-ever Hell in a Cell 'I Quit' match, after which he was crowned as the rightful Tribal Chief.
Reigns later began a feud with The Prizefighter Kevin Owens, which ended at WWE Royal Rumble 2021 pay-per-view. The Rated R Superstar Edge won the Royal Rumble match at the same event and eventually challenged Roman Reigns for the title.
Daniel Bryan entered the scene, and the Universal Title match at WrestleMania 37 became a triple threat. The three stole the show in the main event of WrestleMania where Roman Reigns stacked and pinned both of his opponents. This dominating win solidified his image as one of the strongest world champions of all time.
After defeating Daniel Bryan one more time, The Head of the Table engaged in a short-lived feud with Cesaro. Edge came back for revenge and was taken down once more.
Then WWE gave fans the match they wanted the most. The former face of the company, John Cena, returned and issued his challenge for the Universal Title. Roman Reigns was able to defeat the leader of the Cenation at SummerSlam 2021.
SummerSlam 2021 was also the night when the Tribal Chief was confronted by his strongest challenger yet in Brock Lesnar, although it was just a tease by WWE. Reigns was then challenged by Demon Finn Balor, who suffered his first ever loss on the main roster -- while in that persona -- at WWE Extreme Rules 2021.
The Beast Incarnate finally returned and challenged Roman Reigns at WWE Crown Jewel 2021. Unfortunately, he couldn't defeat the Head of the Table this time, thanks to Paul Heyman.
After another short-lived feud with King Xavier Woods, Roman Reigns is set to rekindle his rivalry with Brock Lesnar at WWE Day 1 pay-per-view which will take place on January 1st, 2021.
Roman Reigns has achieved numerous accolades in 2021
The Tribal Chief has made it a habit to break records. He is the only active WWE Superstar who wasn't pinned in 2021. He only suffered one loss at the hands of King Xavier Woods which was due to a disqualification. WWE announced the result as 'no contest' so that the undefeated streak can be maintained.
It is worth mentioning that the Big Dog has defeated multiple legends like John Cena, Brock Lesnar, Edge, and Daniel Bryan all in one year. He became the only wrestler to defeat Finn Balor's Demon persona on the main roster.
He is currently the second longest reigning WWE Universal Champion, only behind Brock Lesnar, and has held the coveted title for 460+ days. He is the leader of The Bloodline, which is undoubtedly one of the most iconic factions of all time.
Hopefully, the title reign will continue until WrestleMania 38 and Roman Reigns will main event the grandest stage of them all, for the sixth time in his career.
What is your favorite moment from Roman Reigns' current reign as the Universal Champion? Let us know in the comments section!
