Reports: Roman Reigns' Royal Rumble opponent may not be Adam Pearce; new challenger revealed
WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns is set to defend his title against former NWA World Champion Adam Pearce at the Royal Rumble. According to a recent report, however, the Tribal Chief could put his championship on the line against a different opponent instead.
During Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer revealed that WWE might change Roman Reigns' opponent at the Royal Rumble to Kevin Owens while discussing Adam Pearce's unexpected victory on SmackDown.
Adam Pearce became the No. 1 contender for the title after winning a gauntlet match on the recent episode of SmackDown with help from Jey Uso and Roman Reigns.
Shinsuke Nakamura, Adam Pearce's opponent in the gauntlet, was taken out by the two Superstars. The Big Dog and Jey Uso then proceeded to attack Pearce as well, and they used his lifeless body to cover Nakamura, giving him the win.
According to a report by Dave Meltzer, WWE could change plans for the match by replacing Adam Pearce with Kevin Owens. If they don't, then it means the company doesn't have any ideas at all.
“It’s possible that they’ll change it back to Kevin Owens because it seems like a strange match to make; because if they do that it pretty much tells you that they literally have no ideas at all. I’m not ruling out that they’ll go back to Kevin Owens.”
Roman Reigns' rivalry with Kevin Owens should conclude at the Royal Rumble
Kevin Owens has been involved in a feud with Roman Reigns recently for the Universal Championship, and their rivalry doesn't seem to be over just yet. The Prizefighter took on The Tribal Chief at WWE TLC, but the latter won the bout with assistance from his cousin Jey Uso.
Roman Reigns then put his title on the line against Owens again in a Steel Cage match on SmackDown, but once again, he was victorious after being aided by Jey Uso.
Kevin Owens' rivalry with Reigns has been an interesting affair, and it deserves to be settled in a major PPV such as the Royal Rumble. However, this time WWE could add a stipulation to prevent Jey Uso from interfering in the match.