Roman Reigns has surpassed the 1,000-day mark as Undisputed WWE Universal champion, and it's fair to say the wrestling community at large acknowledges him. There's also an acknowledgment that all good things must come to an end, though, and with the Usos on their way out of the Bloodline, it would seem the crown is slipping. It feels like the WWE is setting up Reigns to drop the strap now that he's losing his biggest lifelines. It certainly seems like it could happen, though I'm inclined to think Reigns will emerge from it stronger than ever.
It definitely feels like the WWE is setting up Cody Rhodes to re-challenge Roman Reigns at WrestleMania to finally "finish the story" and beat Reigns when he couldn't beat him last year. I'd love for that reality, but honestly, I'm beginning to think the WWE is doing something entirely different. I think that while Reigns will eventually lose the Bloodline, he's going to remain the champ beyond WrestleMania 40 and beyond. Here's my thinking and why we could see Reigns as champ at several upcoming WWE events in the future.
Recent Viewership Numbers Support People Are Invested In Roman Reigns Title Run
Roman Reigns' 1000th day as champion celebration of SmackDown Live was the highest-viewed episode of the series for 2023, with 2.563 million viewers tuning in (via Wrestlenomics). That was 18.8% bump in viewership from the previous week and the highest viewed SmackDown since John Cena returned in late 2022 for a tag match against, you guessed it, Roman Reigns.
Here's who we think is most likely to dethrone the champion.
There was a long period of time in the WWE in which the wrestling world was sick and tired of Vince McMahon and the top brass' efforts to make Roman Reigns the face of everything. It's safe to say, however, that the fans have been on board with Reigns for quite a while, and while it may feel like he's in the twilight of his reign, he may just be at the high-noon point.
And while I don't see Roman Reigns losing his title until WrestleMania 40 at the earliest, there's always that small part of me that remains skeptical. It wasn't all that long ago that the world was stunned to see The Undertaker lose his WrestleMania streak to the likes of Brock Lesnar.
Roman Reigns Is On The Road To Overtaking Hulk Hogan's Consecutive Days As Champ
Now that Roman Reigns has cleared the 1,000-day mark, he's now the closest any wrestler has ever been in decades to toppling Hulk Hogan's 1,474 days as champion. It took over three years as a champion for Reigns to get close to this, but he's still quite a ways away. In fact, Reigns would have to retain his status as champion through WrestleMania 40 to stand a chance at surpassing Hogan.
WrestleMania 40 is a milestone event, and while watching Cody Rhodes "finish the story" is something I think many people hope happens, I can certainly see WWE highlighting the event with legacy. At WrestleMania 50, would people remember Rhodes toppling and ending Reigns' streak, or the fact that one of the most dominant champions of this era retained and was only weeks away from becoming the third longest-reigning wrestling champion of all time?
Let's be honest and acknowledge (as it were) that Hulk Hogan has a complicated legacy that, at one point, had him fired from WWE. Roman Reigns, on the other hand, has remained relatively controversy-free throughout his career, and you won't find many, if any, negative stories about him from those in the industry. He's going to be the face representing WWE long into the future, even when his time in the ring is over. It makes sense that WWE would love to have him be that guy and maybe let guys like Hogan officially fade from on-air programming.
Losing The Bloodline Sets Up Roman For A Redemption Run
Roman Reigns has overcome some pretty challenging competitors in his title defenses, but it's fair to say that he's had the blessing of the Bloodline faction in his corner through most of his 2022 title defense. Solo Sikoa, The Usos, and even Sami Zayn at one point, have all helped Reigns retain his title when it seemed like he could drop the strap to a challenger. There's a lot of guys capable of beating Reigns for his championship, but defeating him and the Bloodline was just too much.
Removing the Usos from the equation is going to drastically increase Roman Reigns vulnerability. Even with Solo Sikoa, he's not going to have the backup he once had. Reigns is going to have to get back to being a dominant champion the earnest way, and given the run he's on, perhaps it's better things eventually swing that way.
Roman Reigns is the longest-reigning champion of the modern era of WWE, and while his heel run has been nothing short of phenomenal, it should end with him as a babyface. After all, it kind of taints the accomplishment somewhat if Reigns continues to be a champion that is carried through the next year by the interference of others. He has been booked as a dominant champ before, and I think he warrants one final run as that guy before finally dropping the strap.
