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It felt as though reigning and defending Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, Roman Reigns, was quickly running out of challenges, especially after over 600 days of dominating over WWE Smackdown. Since WrestleMania 38, with the Universal and WWE Titles being unified, Reigns’ list of possible opponents has expanded to the Monday Night Raw roster, offering up several potential challengers for his historic and record-breaking time as champion to continue. SummerSlam is the next big four PPV in WWE’s calendar, and a match between Roman Reigns and Randy Orton should be on the books as the summer months approach, with it making a lot of logical sense.
Roman Reigns’ Title Reign Has Featured Some Huge Challengers
Since his return at SummerSlam 2020, Reigns has seen undoubtedly the best portion of his career thus far. With a heel turn and aligning with The Usos and Paul Heyman, Reigns’ presentation and the overall package has been perfect. He quickly picked up the Universal Championship and has spent the better part of two years with the gold around his waist, whilst also recently picking up the WWE Championship in yet another WrestleMania main event, to make himself one of the most dominant champions of all time.
In that time, Reigns has conquered some of the biggest names that WWE has to offer. Brilliant wrestlers such as Cesaro, Finn Balor, Kevin Owens, Daniel Bryan, and Seth Rollins have fallen by the wayside, and legends of the business such as Edge, Rey Mysterio, John Cena, Goldberg, and Brock Lesnar are among the names that Reigns has defeated during this incredible reign. When looking at the list of individuals, it is no wonder that fans are contemplating whether Reigns has many viable challengers left, especially when it comes to big enough names for the major shows such as SummerSlam. However, Randy Orton could be the answer to that question.
Randy Orton Has The Name Value To Face Roman Reigns At A Major Show
Over the last year, Randy Orton has had a great time in the RK-Bro team alongside Riddle, with it being clear that he is enjoying his work right now. Week after week, he is getting the loudest reactions from the audience, with his name value alone bringing him unyielding popularity over the course of his career. It has been often said that Orton is best when he is a heel, but the last year as a babyface has brought out a fun, wholesome, and charismatic side to him, that hadn’t been seen during his previous stints as a babyface.
When it comes to WWE currently, he feels like one of the top babyfaces on the roster. There is also no denying that he is a certified legend of the wrestling industry, with 2022 marking the 20th year of his WWE career – which is a nearly unmatched feat for a full-time name who has taken very little time off. He has a fruitful list of accomplishments, and if he were to stand up to face Roman Reigns, it would feel like a major match. Orton is one of the biggest stars of the last two decades, and he is someone who Reigns has yet to face during this reign, so having Orton take the spot at SummerSlam is the correct move, as it would give Reigns yet another high-profile challenger.
Randy Orton Vs Roman Reigns Will Have A Big Fight Feel
When looking at the current landscape of WWE, Reigns and The Usos are at blows with RK-Bro and Drew McIntyre, and this could easily set up the next few months of Reigns’ championship run. A match with Riddle could be a possibility, which could lead to a match with Orton at SummerSlam. If Reigns were to cause damage to his tag team partner, then the stakes would be raised much more, with a personal issue being added to the match. WWE also has a UK-based PPV set for September and holding off on the inevitable clash between Drew McIntyre and Roman Reigns for that show would be the smart move.
Reigns’ title matches always have a big fight feel, and it could mesh well with Orton’s methodical and smooth ring work, so the pair could create a good story with perfect execution. With Orton being Orton, there will exist a small hope that he could win the match from fans, although this should definitely be a victory for Reigns when all is said and done. There aren’t many big names left for Reigns to tick off, and Orton is one of the few legends remaining on the roster. Last year’s SummerSlam saw Reigns defeat John Cena and WrestleMania had him defeat Brock Lesnar, so beating yet another name from that star-studded class of OVW, once more in the main event of a big four WWE PPV, will further add to Reigns’ greatness.