4 times Roman Reigns nearly lost the Undisputed WWE Universal title during his record reign
Roman Reigns has been the Universal Champion for over three years. He's been the Undisputed WWE Universal titleholder for a year and a half.
Reigns hasn't defended the title regularly, but when he has, it's been a big deal. Every defense is shrouded in the mystery of whether this opponent is the star to finally defeat The Tribal Chief.
As Undisputed Champion, Roman Reigns has defended the title eight times. Some defenses had a higher possibility for a title change to end his historic run.
The following four instances were the closest Reigns has come to losing the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.
(Note: His match with Seth Rollins at the 2022 Royal Rumble would have counted, but it was before Reigns was the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion).
#4. SummerSlam 2022 - Last Man Standing Match with Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns seemed destined to fight forever. Throughout their extended feud, they faced off at WrestleMania and SummerSlam numerous times.
The last time they did could have been when The Beast ended Reigns' run as Undisputed Champion. He lost a unification match at WrestleMania to The Tribal Chief, so it would have made sense for Reigns to repay the favor at SummerSlam.
It was not to be, however, as The Usos and Austin Theory interfered at various points to thwart Lesnar. Since it was a Last Man Standing fight, Reigns dumped all of the available furniture on top of The Beast to remain champion.
#3. Roman Reigns dashes Drew McIntyre's hopes at Clash at the Castle
WWE really pulled out all of the stops to make fans think that McIntyre would finally end Roman's reign of terror. He had a fantastic video package that recounted his history in WWE.
The card was in Wales, and McIntyre's old theme, "Broken Dreams," was used in promotional footage. While taking place in Wales was iconic on its own, Clash at the Castle was also significant for another reason.
In the closing moments of the match, it appeared The Scottish Warrior would topple Roman Reigns. Solo Sikoa then made his main roster debut to help Reigns keep the title. It wouldn't be the last time a member of The Bloodline interfered to protect The Head of the Table.
#2. The Bloodline battles in Tribal Combat at SummerSlam 2023
Like Kevin Owens, Jey Uso has had a few opportunities to take a title from Roman Reigns. The latest was in "Tribal Combat" at this year's SummerSlam.
The match was essentially billed as a no-disqualification bout where no one could interfere until a decision was reached. In reality, Jimmy Uso, Paul Heyman, and Solo Sikoa all tried to keep Jey from defeating his tyrannical cousin.
Jey had Reigns down for the count after a huge splash off the top. Jimmy, however, returned in a hoodie to pull Jey off of Reigns before delivering a Superkick. Reigns slipped by to win thanks to outside help from his allies.
#1. The Bloodline vs. Royal Family at WrestleMania 39
Of all of Roman Reigns' title defenses, his match with Cody Rhodes seemed like the perfect time for a title switch.
Rhodes was riding a wave of momentum, including winning the 2023 Royal Rumble. Winning the match guarantees the victor a title shot at The Show of Shows, but it does not guarantee a win at the event.
While many were hoping for the long title reign to finally end, it did not happen. As with many of his defenses, someone interfered to help Reigns win. This time, it was Sikoa attacking Cody when the referee was distracted. It's thought that he'll get another shot at WrestleMania 40 in Philadephia.