Roman Reigns is arguably the most dominant champion that WWE Universe has seen in the modern era From headlining WrestleMania more than any WWE Superstar in history to having one of the most legendary title runs in the history of WWE which lasted for an impressive 1316 days, The Tribal Chief has taken the business to unprecedented heights.
The Head of the Table’s historic title reign concluded in Philadelphia in the main event of WrestleMania 40 when Cody Rhodes dethroned Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Championship in an instant classic. But there were other names as well that would have fit the role to take the title off Roman Reigns.
Let us take a look at 4 names who could have also ended the historic 1,316-day title reign of one of the greatest WWE superstars of all time, Roman Reigns:
1. Jey Uso was an ideal candidate to dethrone Roman Reigns
Jey Uso has become one of the most popular WWE superstars of this generation. The WWE Universe never fails to groove alongside Jey on his theme song with YEET movements. Moreover, if there was one WWE Superstar who benefitted most from the Bloodline Saga other than Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes, it has to be the leader of the YEET movement, Jey Uso who to his credit has established a strong connection with the fans.
Furthermore, Jey Uso played a key role in the main event of WrestleMania 40 when he assisted Cody Rhodes in defeating Roman Reigns to win the Undisputed WWE Title. Interestingly, Jey was also Roman’s first challenger when The Tribal Chief won the title back in 2020 upon his return. However, at SummerSlam 2023, a much more established and popular Jey Uso faced Roman Reigns for the championship and many fans and critics expected him to dethrone The Head of the Table since he was one of those believable superstars who could have beaten Roman Reigns for the title clean.
2. The Rock would have established himself as “The Head of the Table”
The Rock returned to WWE television programming at the start of 2024 and made his intentions clear upon his return to Friday Night SmackDown that he was ready to compete in the most awaited dream showdown against his iconic cousin, Roman Reigns for his Undisputed WWE championship in the main event of WrestleMania 40.
According to multiple reports, The Rock was actually penciled in to beat The Tribal Chief for the Undisputed WWE Title and the following night would have seen him give the title back to Reigns. However, plans obviously changed following a fan backlash on the decision of The Final Boss facing The Tribal Chief instead of The American Nightmare Cody Rhodes. But The Rock defeating Roman Reigns for the title would also have been a believable route if WWE had decided to go that way.
3. The Best in the World to dethrone Roman Reigns
The Best in the World, CM Punk shocked the entire world when he finally made his long-awaited return to the wrestling juggernaut, WWE in a shocking turn of events after almost a decade at the WWE Premium Live Event, Survivor Series last November.
The moment CM Punk returned to WWE, fans started speculating on the potential dream matches for him, one being between him and The Head of the Table, Roman Reigns. Furthermore, many believed it would be CM Punk who would take the World title from Reigns which was fueled even further when CM Punk name-dropped Reigns and referred to himself instead as the original Paul Heyman guy. Nonetheless, a star of the caliber of CM Punk would have been an excellent choice to dethrone Roman Reigns if it had not been Cody Rhodes.
4. Seth Rollins was the ideal candidate to outsmart Roman Reigns on every occasion
Seth “Freakin” Rollins is one of the most established and talented WWE superstars of all time. The first-ever WWE World Heavyweight Champion who recently fulfilled his lifelong dream of headlining WrestleMania, had a strong chance of dethroning Roman Reigns at WWE Royal Rumble 2022 if it wasn’t for Reigns’ using a steel chair and getting himself disqualified to escape with his title.
Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins have a lot of history together ever since the duo debuted together as part of The Shield and then Rollins turned betraying his stablemates, starting a historic rivalry between the two flagship WWE superstars. Moreover, The Visionary played an instrumental part in The Tribal Chief losing his coveted title to Cody Rhodes. With Rollins outsmarting Reigns on every major occasion, Seth Rollins was always a very solid option to defeat Roman Reigns and end his remarkable title reign.
Who do you think would have suited the most out of these 4 superstars to beat Roman Reigns for his title? Share your thoughts in the comments.
