5 reasons why Roman Reigns must lose the Universal Championship at the Royal Rumble

Roman Reigns has been WWE Universal Champion for over 500 days. He is the longest reigning champion in the modern era, shattering Brock Lesnar's previous record, which stood at 503 days.

Reigns' current reign, where he started with his long-clamoured-for heel turn and surprisingly aligned with Paul Heyman, has been well-received. He went on to have amazing feuds with legends, main-eventers and mid-carders, barely putting a foot wrong.

Now, the list of potential challengers for the Tribal Chief is running thin. Even thinner is the list of challengers who can take the title off Reigns in a believable way.

His opponent at the Royal Rumble, former Shield stablemate Seth "Freaking" Rollins, fits that bill better than most. The upcoming Premium Live Event is the best time for the title to change hands.

Here are five reasons why Roman Reigns should lose the Universal Championship at the 2022 Royal Rumble.

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#5: Seth Rollins has the most history with Roman Reigns

The Head of the Table and his Royal Rumble opponent made their main roster debut at Survivor Series 2012 as part of The Shield along with Jon Moxley (FKA Dean Ambrose). They took out Ryback, which helped CM Punk pin John Cena win the triple threat match and retain his WWE Championship.

The trio proceeded to run roughshod over the roster, destroying the likes of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson , Daniel Bryan, and the Brothers of Destruction. They enjoyed a strong run on the roster before Rollins turned on his stablemates and joined The Authority.

Reigns and Rollins have since clashed multiple times and even briefly re-formed the Shield in October 2017. But they've not met in the ring since taking on their respective "Drip God" and "Tribal Chief" personas.

There is no love lost between the duo, and much like the latest iteration of Brock Lesnar, the current version of Rollins is a fresh and credible choice to take the title off Reigns.

#4: Roman Reigns has no new talent left to face on Smackdown

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1483818812105498629

Roman Reigns has put his title on the line against SmackDown Superstars like Jey Uso, Cesaro, Sami Zayn, Rey Mysterio, and Finn Balor.

Barring Drew McIntyre, who is out for months with a neck injury, there are few exciting feuds left for Reigns. Nothing underlines this more than the fact that his challenger at the Royal Rumble Premium Live Event is a RAW Superstar.

Now feels like the right time to take the title off Reigns, because he has nothing left to achieve with it. Potential dream feuds such as a family rivalry with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson or a spearfest against Goldberg don't need a title to sell tickets.

A Universal title change at the Royal Rumble Premium Live Event will hit refresh on Reigns' character and open many new possibilities for the title itself with Rollins joining the blue brand.

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#3. Roman Reigns has a hotter storyline with Brock Lesnar

The Tribal Chief may have more history with Seth Rollins, but his best rivalries are always against Brock Lesnar. Reigns was supposed to face Brock Lesnar at the Day 1 Premium Live Event before testing positive for COVID-19.

Lesnar went on to win the WWE Championship before rehiring Paul Heyman as his advocate, and confronting the Tribal Chief on Smackdown.

There are still a lot of stories left between Lesnar, Heyman, and Reigns. Losing the Universal Title will free up the self-proclaimed Needle Mover. He could then switch to RAW, handle that unfinished business, and open up a new field of opponents for him to face afterwards.

#2. Roman Reigns needs to lose to Seth Rollins to re-establish him as a threat

Yes, Roman Reigns needs to lose to Seth Rollins.

One of the biggest problems WWE is facing at the moment is the fact that no full-time superstar feels credible enough to beat Reigns. The closest superstar, other than Bobby Lashley, is none other than Seth "Freaking" Rollins.

Rollins is a four-time world champion who, though he hasn't held either title in over two years, would instantly re-establish himself as the top heel in the company by beating Reigns.

This will help refresh Reigns' gimmick and snatch it from under a cloud of staleness and predictability. The last thing WWE needs is another phase of polarizing crowd reactions for the Big Dog.

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#1. Roman Reigns needs to turn face

For 500+ days, the Tribal Chief smashed, stacked, snuck away from, and survived opponents in true heel fashion. Every time he entered an arena, he received a chorus of boos.

However, the heel run has begun to feel repetitive, and the WWE Universe is waiting for him to turn face so they can cheer him. Going by his recent face-like defense of Paul Heyman from Brock Lesnar and good-guy tendencies at house shows, it's just a matter of time before he switches back to the good side.

Losing the Universal Title to a heel like Seth Rollins and confronting a heel like Brock Lesnar could be the trigger for a much-needed face turn, possibly at WrestleMania 38.

This would allow him to become the beloved babyface Vince McMahon always dreamed he could be.