5 WWE Superstars who could hold the WWE Championship longer than Roman Reigns
During the October 22, 2018 episode of WWE RAW, Roman Reigns was forced to vacate his Universal Title as he announced that his issues with leukemia had resurfaced. However, Roman was not going to let the disease defeat him. He returned to the company in early 2019 and has since gone on to completely dominate the entire industry.
The main event of the 2020 Payback event featured then-Universal Champion The Fiend, defending his title against Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman in a triple threat, no-holds-barred match. In the end, Roman came out on top and has been the Undisputed Universal Champion ever since.
Since winning the Universal Title, Roman Reigns has taken on all challengers and handled them all accordingly. Now with nearly 1200 days under his belt, and The Bloodline all but done for, the creative team might be looking for a new face of the company. But, who could fill The Tribal Chief's massive shoes? Here's our list of 5 WWE Superstars who could hold the championship longer than Roman Reigns.
#5 - WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth 'Freakin' Rollins
Seth Rollins made a name for himself during his early days with Ring of Honor, when he was known as "Tyler Black." He signed with WWE in 2010 and his career would explode at the 2012 Survivor Series event when The SHIELD surfaced and began their reign of terror.
Since beginning his singles career, Seth Rollins has remained one of the top superstars on the main roster. Seth is currently the reigning World Heavyweight Champion and as we head into Survivor Series, he is set to be one of the combatants for the upcoming War Games match.
Seth is more than capable of dethroning Roman Reigns and could be the one who holds the title longer than The Tribal Chief. Rollins has a deep history of being a champion. He is a 2 time Universal Champion, 2 time WWE Champion, and was also the inaugural NXT Champion.
#4 - WWE United States Champion Logan Paul
When Logan Paul first signed with the company, many fans took it as a joke. Very few truly thought he would take the opportunity seriously, but The Maverick has proved the fan base wrong. Logan has not only taken his new career seriously, but he has risen to the top and is already a champion.
At the recent Crown Jewel event, Logan Paul defeated Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio in an instant classic match, and he became the new United States Champion. Logan is seemingly serious about being a WWE Superstar and his in-ring work has testified to that sentiment. While he may not be challenging for the Undisputed Universal Championship anytime soon, he will likely get his turn soon enough, and if he continues on this same path, he could eventually be nearly unbeatable.
#3 - Longest reigning WWE Intercontinental Champion Gunther
In early 2019, WWE landed one of the hottest names in independent wrestling when it was announced that "Walter" had signed with the company. Walter made his official debut at NXT Takeover: Blackpool. He was originally planned to be on the NXT UK roster, which he was, for the short time that the promotion existed. He would become the longest-reigning NXT UK Champion, holding the title for nearly 900 days.
Since joining the main roster and changing his name to Gunther, he has become the longest-reigning WWE Intercontinental Champion in history. Gunther has proved that he is not only a championship-caliber superstar, but also shown that he is a fighting champion, with absolutely no fear. Once Gunther gets his hands on the Universal Championship, he will likely do exactly as he has done with the Intercontinental Championship...dominate.
#2 - 2023 Royal Rumble Winner Cody Rhodes
When AEW held its first press conference in January 2019, it was announced that Cody Rhodes would be one of the original executives for the upstart company. Cody served as one of the Executive Vice Presidents, as well as being an in-ring performer. Cody was one of the reasons for AEW's meteoric rise and on the surface, it appeared that The American Nightmare had found his forever home.
Despite the massive success that AEW had achieved, Cody would leave the company in late 2022, citing personal issues as his reason for leaving. Cody returned to WWE as the surprise opponent to face Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 38.
Since returning, Rhodes has made it clear that he is back to "finish the story." The only way Cody can finish his story is by capturing the Undisputed Universal Championship. Whether it be through Roman Reigns or someone else, Cody is destined to capture the most prestigious title in the company. Once he does become the new champion, fans should expect a lengthy title reign.
#1 - 5-time WWE Champion CM Punk
When CM Punk made his AEW debut at Rampage: The First Dance, his fellow Chicagoans in attendance erupted in a pop that could be heard in St. Louis. At last, CM Punk was back in wrestling and all eyes were on AEW. CM Punk was expected to be the one who put the company over the top as the premier wrestling promotion in the world. Unfortunately, things didn't quite work out the way The Second City Saint nor the promotion had envisioned.
At AEW All In in London, there was an incident just before the show involving CM Punk and Jack Perry. This altercation would prove to be the final straw for Punk, as Tony Khan later announced that AEW had parted ways with the star. Almost immediately following the news, rumors began to circulate regarding CM Punk's imminent return to WWE.
While there has been no confirmation regarding Punk's return, there are still many who believe he is bound to return soon. During his time with the company, CM Punk would become a Triple Crown Champion, which included 5 reigns as WWE Champion. Punk has always been in some sort of title picture.
If he does return, he would likely be inserted into title contention, and if that happens, we should expect Punk to be a long-term champion.