Reigns will turn back all challengers throughout 2017, using a mixture of heel tactics and pure skill to turn back challenges from Dean Ambrose, Money in the Bank winner Sami Zayn, and more, even retaining in a SummerSlam rematch with Brock Lesnar. Heading into 2018, Reigns will have established himself as the most dominant champion since Lesnar... and maybe even longer. Fans will continue to hate him, but it will only make him a stronger heel. Once again - and for the final time in his career - John Cena will win the Royal Rumble (setting a record as the first man to do it four times). Cena, then almost 41, will be portrayed as the old gunslinger out for one last battle with the cocky newcomer. Reigns will scoff at Cena, remembering that he already beat him at WrestleMania XXXIII, but Cena will stay serious, eventually getting under Reigns's skin. By WrestleMania XXXIV, it will be clear that this is a very important match. Reigns will overwhelm Cena in the early goings, but the challenger will weather the storm and fight back. Reigns will resort to chicanery, but in the end, Cena will force him to submit to the STF, winning a record-tying 16th world championship and ending Reigns's reign of terror.
Scott Fried is a Slammy Award-winning* writer living and working in New York City. He has been following/writing about professional wrestling for many years and is a graduate of Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/scottfried.
*Best Crowd of the Year, 2013
