3 WWE Superstars who lost their momentum after feuding with Roman Reigns
For 1248 days and counting, Roman Reigns has held the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship with an iron fist.
During his historic title reign, The Tribal Chief has taken on some of the company's biggest names, including John Cena, Brock Lesnar, Cody Rhodes, Sami Zayn, Edge, Daniel Bryan, and Seth Rollins. While these stars lost their title match, they emerged as even bigger performers.
However, some stars that have gone toe-to-toe with The Tribal Chief have seen all the momentum they gained before the match completely vanish after losing.
Although some of these stars eventually gained back momentum in the years that followed, we will look at 3 WWE stars who immediately lost their momentum after losing to Roman Reigns for the championship.
#3 - A WWE Hall of Famer vanishes
In early 2022, Roman Reigns was operating in god mode, having already disposed of many top challengers. However, one star he was originally meant to face at WrestleMania in 2020 was Goldberg.
The Hall of Famer returned to the company to challenge for the Universal Championship, a title he once held. The two went head-to-head at the Elimination Chamber Premium Live Event. While this is certainly a match that many fans would like to see on paper, in practice, the contest fell rather flat, with Goldberg not being able to physically pull off all the moves that his fans have become fond of.
During an interview with Chicago Sports Podcast last year, Goldberg stated why the match annoyed him. WWE supposedly said they would give him a retirement match after he lost to Roman:
"I showed up and did what they asked me to do because I didn’t really — it was a different deal. My last match, I had COVID three weeks before I agreed to do that match,” Goldberg explained. “The only reason I agreed to do that match was because they agreed to give me another one."
Given the lackluster match that he and Roman had in 2022, WWE has not had Goldberg back in the ring, with the likelihood of him returning for one last match seeming very unlikely.
#2 - The Demon faces Judgment from Roman Reigns
One star that fans wanted to see return to the top of the card was the Irish star Finn Balor. In late 2021, fans got their wish as he went one-on-one with The Tribal Chief at the Extreme Rules Premium Live Event.
The two stars share a long history, with Finn Balor having defeated Roman Reigns clean in the middle of the ring on RAW in 2016 when he made his main roster debut. Ahead of their match in 2021, fans were extremely excited as the pair would finally get to showcase their chemistry on a much bigger stage.
However, before their match, the company announced that Roman would face Brock Lesnar at Crown Jewel the following month. While they did not specify if the title would be on the line, fans could already see the writing on the wall for Finn in terms of the result.
During an interview with WWE El Brunch, Finn Balor stated that despite convincingly losing to Reigns, he still has unfinished business with the Head of The Table:
"Me and Roman Reigns have a lot of unfinished business. There was a little bit of a ‘questionable finish’ to our last match at Extreme Rules when the top rope mysteriously broke in our championship match, so I feel there’s a rematch due with myself and Roman."
Following this loss, Finn would have a rather lackluster few months, with him being left off the WrestleMania 38 card in 2022. However, he would regain his momentum and career after aligning with The Judgment Day in June of that year.
#1 - The Swiss Cyborg leaves WWE
For many years, one star that fans felt was underutilized by company higher-ups was the Swiss Cyborg, Cesaro (a.k.a Claudi Castagnoli). In early 2021, the veteran was finally given the chance to shine as a singles star after he defeated Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 37.
Following that huge win, the former United States Champion would challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal title at the WrestleMania Backlash Premium Live Event.
Speaking to FOX Sports' Ryan Satin, Cesaro explained what the most disappointing aspect of that match was for him.
"You know what I was disappointed about? I wish it would have been in front of fans," Cesaro explained. "That's, like, the one thing. That match, the buildup, everything, I wish it would have been in front of fans, but it was still awesome."
Following his loss to Roman, Cesaro would go on a rather stagnant run for the next 12 months before ultimately choosing to leave WWE for AEW in 2022.