Before WWE officials can book Roman Reigns to become the WWE Universal Champion at the WWE Royal Rumble, they need to be sure of what his plans are for Wrestlemania 33 . As of this writing, they’re not. It’s been reported that WWE officials are planning a “big surprise” for Roman Reigns heading into the grandest stage of them all, but it won’t be winning the WWE Universal title. Most people are already expecting that.
On paper, Kevin Owens loses the WWE Universal Championship to Reigns and then enters into a feud with Chris Jericho. Roman Reigns’ opponent for Wrestlemania 33 would most likely be the winner of the Royal Rumble match, but that could be a handful of names. There is a legitimate chance for Finn Balor, Goldberg, The Undertaker , Brock Lesnar, Seth Rollins, or another to win and face Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania 33.
Meanwhile, Reigns just became the first babyface in WWE history to win PWI’s “Most Hated Wrestler of the Year” Award. The WWE Universe continues to be strongly opposed to Roman Reigns as “The Guy” of WWE programming. With other options like Finn Balor, Seth Rollins, and others able to take that role without the same resistance from the WWE Universe, Vince McMahon is said to be getting desperate to get Reigns over.
According to a new report , WWE officials are heavily debating the best option for Roman Reigns’ match at Wrestlemania 33. Apparently, Vince McMahon wants Reigns in the WWE Universal Championship match, which means there is a great chance that Roman will defeat Kevin Owens at the WWE Royal Rumble PPV.
Vince feels that Braun Strowman may be the best opponent for Reigns at Wrestlemania . He believes Roman defeating Strowman on the grandest stage of them all will make him look great as WWE’s top babyface and give him a new rapport with the WWE Universe. More recently, Vince McMahon is getting cold feet about pushing Strowman into such a big match this quickly, especially since he’s being set up to put over Reigns.
Reigns vs. Strowman may not be happening anymore, which has made Vince McMahon second guess many other matches for Roman in Orlando. First, it was Reigns vs. Strowman. Then, it was the rematch between Reigns and Brock Lesnar. For a brief time, WWE officials were considering a Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns in a Triple Threat match. Now, it looks like Vince is locking in on Reigns vs. The Undertaker.
It’s being said Vince McMahon’s top priority heading into Wrestlemania 33 is to get Roman Reigns over as WWE’s top babyface. The reason Vince wants Reigns vs. Undertaker on the grandest stage of them all is to raise Roman’s stock significantly in a match with The Deadman. It’s plausible that WWE officials may want Roman Reigns to go over Undertaker at Wrestlemania , which may be a problem with the WWE Universe.
Ultimately, WWE officials will be pulling out all the stops to ensure that once Wrestlemania 33 is over, the WWE Universe has softened to Reigns. Vince McMahon is viewing this year’s Wrestlemania as Roman’s last chance to get over with the fans. If the WWE Universe turns on him again like they did at Wrestlemania 32 , WWE officials may push Reigns down the ladder and give someone else a chance to be “The Guy in WWE.”
Vince McMahon and WWE officials need to be sure about their plans for Roman Reigns vs. The Undertaker because if Reigns defeats Owens to become the WWE Universal Champion at the WWE Royal Rumble, then they’re going to have to revamp their plans on “The Road to Wrestlemania” if someone changes their mind, which could get much more complicated depending on who wins the ‘Royal Rumble’ match next Sunday.
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