Roman Reigns Becomes WWE 'Grand Slam' Champion

Raw Intercontinental Title victory elevates 'Big Dog' to elite level

by Michael Hamflett
Roman Reigns
WWE.com

Roman Reigns has become the latest WWE Superstar to be recognised as a rare 'Grand Slam' winner, following his show-closing Monday Night Raw Intercontinental Championship win.

Defeating fellow 'Grand Slam' man The Miz, Roman's maiden reign with the secondary strap marks his newest taste of WWE gold, following tenures with the United States, WWE World Heavyweight and Tag Team Titles.

Only 17 male superstars in company history have managed the feat labelled by Shawn Michaels ahead of his European Title capture in September 1997. It was modified to include at least one 'top', one secondary and one tag team strap as brands and titles evolved. Charlotte also anointed herself with the award, having been the only female to capture NXT, Divas, Raw and SmackDown gold.

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Roman joins Shield partner Dean Ambrose in achieving the award in 2017, following 'The Lunatic Fringe' snaring doubles gold alongside Seth Rollins at SummerSlam. Though winning a secondary strap to complete the collection may seem backwards in the traditional trajectory of a WWE Superstar, The Miz ironically reached the summit in identical fashion.

'The Big Dog' has reportedly been locked in to face Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 34 since before the 'Beast' even defeated Bill Goldberg for the red brand's strap at this year's 'Show Of Shows'. This unexpected win may steer Roman in a new direction entirely, or alternatively proffer a Champion Vs Champion main event the company haven't attempted at WrestleMania since the historic 1990 Hulk Hogan/Ultimate Warrior epic.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett