Roman Reigns Set For First Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Title Defence

Roman Reigns is finally set to defend his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship on next week's Friday Night SmackDown on FOX.

After not putting said straps on the line since conquering then-WWE Champion Brock Lesnar in the main event of WrestleMania 38 back in April, The Tribal Chief's first-ever challenger to his undisputed title has stepped into the light.

With Sami Zayn going to war with Riddle in the main event of last night's edition of the blue show, The Original Bro would be banned from SmackDown if he lost. However, a victory would earn him a shot at The Head of the Table in a week's time.

Sure enough, Riddle was able to overcome the wannabe Bloodline man in the end, fighting off Reigns' cousins and current reigning Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions The Uso after picking up the all-important win, too.

Said bout comes in the wake of numerous reports suggesting an incoming TV title defence for Reigns, with WWE's top star being pulled from the Money in the Bank Premium Live Event recently. This Riddle/Reigns showdown was originally pitched to go down at the aforementioned July 3 event, but this plan was reportedly altered after the PLE was moved from Allegiant Stadium to the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Riddle's RK-Bro teammate Randy Orton is still expected to take on the champ at SummerSlam on July 31 in Nashville's Nissan Stadium, however, and Drew McIntyre is being lined up for a shot at the straps for September 3's Clash at the Castle PLE in Cardiff.

It's also worth noting that Reigns was originally advertised for last night's blue show before once again being pulled before the episode unfolded.