Roman Reigns’ run at the top of the WWE with the unified title belts has drawn mixed reactions from the crowd. And, while The Tribal Chief has made it work, it’s actually not something that the WWE was planning to do.
According to Fightful Select, Reigns’ COVID-19 diagnosis and subsequent removal from the inaugural “Day 1” PPV event in January 2022 throw a monkey wrench into the WWE’s original plans. As a result of a couple of last-minute adjustments, The Beast Incarnate won the WWE Championship over Big E, Bobby Lashley, Kevin Owens, and Seth “Freakin” Rollins in a fatal five-way match.
This particular event later led to a whirlwind chain of events that peaked with the Champion vs. Champion highlight match on Day 2 of WrestleMania 38, giving The Head of the Table ownership of both the WWE Championship and the WWE Universal Championship.
But, that’s not all! The same source claimed that the WWE originally planned to split the titles with Drew McIntyre and Seth Rollins facing off for the WWE Championship, presumably on Day 1 of WrestleMania 39. Meanwhile, Reigns’ opponent was an unnamed Superstar, which would line up with the earlier rumors of him facing off against either The Rock or “Stone Cold” Steve Austin on Day 2 of WrestleMania 39.
Finally, there’s apparently a good reason why the King of the Ring tournament isn’t happening this year. The WWE pushed it back to May and turned it into the Night of Champions to make room for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship belt.
The sequence of events that led to what happened on “Day 1” continues to affect the WWE to this day. Case in point, Big E’s star status hasn’t recovered since. Also, all signs point to the WWE giving Reigns a chance to roll with the unified title belt for the foreseeable future.
You can’t help but wonder how things might have been different had Vince McMahon’s resignation happened earlier and Triple H was already the one making the shots by then.
So, what’s next for the newly introduced WWE World Heavyweight Championship? Will it clear up the title situation for the RAW and SmackDown brands, making each week more thrilling? Keep your eyes peeled, folks, because the next 12 months of the WWE are promising to be a heck of a ride.
