Former WWE Champion to replace LA Knight as Roman Reigns' opponent at Royal Rumble and face him after 10 years? Exploring the possibility
Roman Reigns has had a spectacular run as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. During his run, he has defeated multiple challengers like Cody Rhodes, Sami Zayn, and Drew McIntyre. However, he hasn't faced The Viper Randy Orton since he became Universal Champion three years ago.
Randy Orton returned to WWE at Survivor Series PLE after being on the shelf due to a back injury since May 2022. In the storyline, The Bloodline viciously attacked Orton and his partner Matt Riddle. While Riddle faced Reigns in order to avenge his friend, he was not successful and is now released from the company as well. Now that Orton has returned, he will be going after The Bloodline himself.
The Viper made it clear on RAW that he hadn't forgotten what The Bloodline did to him and that he would target every member of the faction other than Jey Uso. It has been reported that Roman Reigns' next match will take place at the Royal Rumble.
Orton can feud with Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa till the time Reigns returns and then face him at the Rumble instead of LA Knight, who was perceived to be Reigns' opponent at Royal Rumble after failing to beat The Tribal Chief at Crown Jewel. Orton and Reigns' last one-on-one match took place at SummerSlam 2014.
LA Knight is no longer considered as Roman Reigns' next opponent
Because of the ongoing storyline between Knight and The Bloodline, numerous fans have anticipated a showdown with Roman Reigns at the Royal Rumble. However, a recent update from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter contradicts these speculations.
"We were told that as of this time Reigns vs. Knight is not the title match at Rumble. That is Reigns’ next match. There are those who feel it should be Knight in that spot but we were told Levesque has another plan right now."
Reigns would need a fresh opponent for the Royal Rumble since Knight is seemingly out of the title picture. The Viper would be the perfect choice as a win over the 14-time World Champion would further solidify The Tribal Chief as the top name in WWE today.