Every Roman Reigns WWE Universal Title Defence Ranked In Order Of Greatness
Where did Roman Reigns & Cody Rhodes' WrestleMania 40 epic rank in The Tribal Chief's iconic reign?
When Roman Reigns defeated Braun Strowman and The Fiend at Payback 2020 to become Universal Champion for the second time, it was deemed impossible that he could go on to hold a title that had previously carried something of a curse for just short of 1000 days.
Everything about the modern era worked against it.
Semi-regular title changes are simply just the way things are done now, not counting Brock Lesnar. Especially considering how much The ThunderDome needed big moments and a return to live crowds the following year needed dramatic shortcuts. Weekly television dilutes everything - even good stuff - but right as 'The Tribal Chief' gimmick looked doomed, a unique wrinkle came along and forever changed "Bloodline" into shorthand for elite-tier WWE storytelling. Title matches in opponent-based locations have seen the company seemingly enter cul-de-sacs only to emerge with even bigger matches on the other side.
Ultimately, it's been so good that the company have mined just about all of it for narrative purposes in the last few months, but on the precipice of a brave new era, here's a short look at a long and amazing story.
(The list below discounts house show title defences against Sami Zayn, AJ Styles, Drew McIntyre and Seth Rollins, though they themselves have a developed certain allure due to the prestige around the reign itself. Prestige that, for a short while, looked like it might be in a bit of danger...)
32. Vs Sami Zayn (WWE SmackDown, December 3rd 2021)
Not a match but an angle, this 15-second demolition of an already-beaten down Sami Zayn was designed to add heat to a different title defence, and one that never actually happened.
Citing various conspiracies against him, Zayn wormed his way into the Universal Championship picture despite Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns' Day 1 Premium Live Event headliner filling the frame. Resentful of anybody other than him dethroning 'The Tribal Chief', Lesnar decimated Zayn before the bell. It took The Usos standing Zayn up in the corner to get him ready to take his medicine, and that he did.
A spear and guillotine choke was all it took for a match that would take on greater significance one year later.