Roman Reigns taunts his opponent during an interview in an episode of Monday Night Raw. (Photo : YouTube/WWE)
Many wrestling fans believe that Roman Reigns will come out of the Royal Rumble as the new WWE Universal champion. However, the latest rumors revealed that the WWE could change their mind and have Kevin Owens retain the title.
The storyline between Reigns and Owens started late last year with Chris Jericho and Seth Rollins getting involved. "The Big Dog" was the United States champion heading into the new year and when he lost it to Jericho two weeks ago, fans felt that Reigns will capture the Universal title.
There were also reports of Reigns facing Braun Strowman for the Universal championship at WrestleMania 33. Jericho vs. Owens was also being speculated for the event and the feud does not need the title to work.
However, it seems like the WWE is changing their minds once again. According to Cageside Seats, Reigns might not leave the Royal Rumble as the Universal champion. The report noted that "The Guy" is penciled in to win the title at some point but not on Sunday's pay-per-view.
WWE chairman Vince McMahon has been changing his mind regarding a lot of things recently. The company is also looking for ways to minimize online leaks to give their product more unpredictability. In an interview with IGN to promote a movie, Triple H revealed that this year's Royal Rumble PPV will be very unpredictable.
"This year, it's really tough to call. And I think that's when the Rumble's at its best when you can't really put your finger on what's going to happen. I can see this year going a lot of different ways and I think it's going to go in a way that nobody expects," Triple H said.
The WWE can go a lot of ways at the Royal Rumble regarding Reigns and Owens. The majority of fans still hate Reigns which means the WWE has to be careful in booking him in his third straight WrestleMania main event.
As for Owens, he could always face Jericho at WrestleMania 33 without the title. He can also wait for Finn Balor's return and they face each other for the Universal championship. It would be a good story since Balor never lost the title and they have their history back in NXT.
Nevertheless, the fans are in for a treat at this year's Royal Rumble event. The main matches are very unpredictable and there could be unforgettable moments waiting to happen. Check out the video below to watch a match between Reigns and Jericho in this week's Raw with Owens interfering.
