According to Dave Meltzer of the F4WOnline.com , by way of WrestlingNew.co , Roman Reigns will reportedly defend his WWE Universal Championship against Daniel Bryan at the next Royal Rumble pay-per-view. The event is scheduled to take place in January.
The report highlighted that there have been discussions about the match potentially taking place at next month’s TLC pay-per-view. However, officials are supposedly leaning toward a later date. Royal Rumble is one of the promotion’s biggest shows of the year, and a showdown of this magnitude will be a major draw.
As the WrestlingNews.co article pointed out, Bryan also teased the match during an appearance on the latest episode of Talking Smack . He wasn’t happy with the way in which he beat Jey Uso — who is Reigns’ cousin and ally on Friday Night SmackDown — and his words suggested that the rivalry is a long way from over.
Bryan also mentioned Reigns’ manager to further establish this notion. All the signs are pointing toward a title bout between the pair.
“What I once thought might be a Paul [Heyman] issue might be somebody else entirely. But that’s not what I’m here to talk about. Last night on SmackDown , I beat Jey Uso with a small package.”
Bryan has been feuding with Reigns’ cousin in recent weeks. The former Tag Team Champion attacked Bryan at Reigns’ behest, causing him to be stretchered out of the arena.
Bryan and Uso are expected to have another collision at TLC . The former superstar will presumably pick up the victory and earn a shot at Reigns’ title as a result.
A match between the pair also seems likely considering that Bryan is the perfect challenger for Reigns. The Universal Champion recently turned heel and he needs respectable babyfaces to go up against. Bryan is one of the most popular superstars on the roster, as well as an established main event player.
As The Inquisitr previously documented, Reigns is also reportedly scheduled to feud with Kevin Owens in the near future. Plans for the storyline have been in the works since before Survivor Series , though it remains to be seen if Reigns will collide with the former Universal Champion before he crosses paths with Bryan.
The Inquisitr report also noted that Reigns could be getting a strong push in the lead up to next year’s WrestleMania . There is a desire for him to face Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson at the show. Both performers have also expressed an interest in making the fight a reality.