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While Roman Reigns vs. Cesaro is expected to be made official soon, there's a small stop on the way. This Friday, Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan will have a pay-per-view level match-up in the main event of SmackDown.
This isn't any ordinary match. The stipulation, as per Roman Reigns, is that the Universal Championship will be on the line, but if Daniel Bryan loses, he has to leave SmackDown for good.
The timing of it all is interesting, especially given Daniel Bryan's recent statements about how he felt disconnected while main eventing WrestleMania. Bryan has been open about the fact that he wants to transition to part-time status and also that his WWE contract is set to expire soon.
With all these factors in mind, the writing on the wall seems quite obvious. But given WWE's ultimate objective of building up to a Cesaro vs. Roman Reigns feud, there are a few ways to reach that goal.
Here are some possible finishes to Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan on SmackDown:
#5. The usual finish that helps Roman Reigns retain the Universal Championship
In the last six months, Roman Reigns' biggest insurance policy has been Jey Uso. Despite defeating the likes of The Undertaker, Triple H, John Cena, and several other big names clean, Uso has helped Reigns win in the latter's heel run.
It makes sense for Reigns to use his backup, and that's the reason (in storyline) why he remains the Universal Champion. Even in the main event of WrestleMania 37, Jey Uso had a huge role to play despite getting taken out early.
During the upcoming edition of SmackDown, Uso helping Roman Reigns defeat Daniel Bryan would be an obvious finish, and thus, a mistake. But given how things have played out with Reigns in recent months, it's still the most likely finish that can occur.
#4. Daniel Bryan pulls off the upset on Roman Reigns, thanks to Cesaro?
On WWE SmackDown, Daniel Bryan has been pushing for Cesaro to get a title shot against Roman Reigns. This isn't too different from real life, where Bryan's losses to Cesaro earlier this year reflect his faith in Cesaro.
While this is admittedly the most unlikely scenario, what if Daniel Bryan pulled off a shocker against Roman Reigns, thanks to Cesaro? Cesaro's presence in the match could lead to this big twist, especially if Jey Uso gets involved.
With that said, the likelihood of Roman Reigns' long title reign ending on SmackDown seems slim.
#3. Roman Reigns defeats Daniel Bryan clean
This finish would be a bit of a surprise but also a good way to move the Roman Reigns saga forward. Roman Reigns may use Jey Uso's help to win in big matches, but that doesn't mean he can't beat Daniel Bryan clean.
If anything, Reigns beating Bryan clean would be the best finish possible, especially if the objective is to write Daniel Bryan off WWE television.
#2. Cesaro accidentally costs Daniel Bryan the match
It's hard not to see Cesaro getting involved in the match between Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan. Since he's directly involved in the storyline, he could be at ringside.
While this may not be the best approach to setting up Cesaro as a babyface challenger, a messy finish that indirectly results in Cesaro costing Bryan and helping Reigns win the match would be an interesting way to build a future rivalry.
There are ways to go about it without making Cesaro look bad. Having no physical audience present in the arena might help in this case.
#1. Roman Reigns destroys Daniel Bryan and writes him off WWE television
The finish to WrestleMania 37 was an incredibly dominant moment for Roman Reigns. The Tribal Chief made sure that Edge and Daniel Bryan were pulverized by steel chairs before he proceeded to pin both men.
This sequence of events wrote Edge off WWE SmackDown for a while. Given Daniel Bryan's contract status, it looks like he will be written off television as well.
The reality is that the upcoming episode of SmackDown could feature Bryan's final match as a full-time WWE superstar. Roman Reigns might brutalize him during and after the match to get as much heat as possible.
As a result, Cesaro should be the heroic babyface challenger who will step up to The Tribal Chief in the near future.
