Roman Reigns has yet to be pinned since WWE‘s TLC show in 2019, but that could change as The Bloodline enters the War Games match at Survivor Series. In what will almost certainly be the main event of the premium live event, Reigns’ faction is set to take on a team of the Brawling Brutes, Kevin Owens and Drew McIntyre. That’s five men who all have a bone to pick with the Head of the Table, who’s been more or less untouchable for almost three years now. So much so that Austin Theory cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase on Seth Rollins instead of taking his chances against Reigns and his protective circle. Every former Universal Champion has fallen to Roman Reigns during his historic run, and The Usos recently became the longest-reigning tag-team champions in WWE history. This isn’t a faction that often loses, which is why War Games presents WWE with a unique booking opportunity.
It seems like a long shot that Reigns ends up counting the lights, but the possibility is there. Recent reports suggested that Triple H has a general idea of who will eventually dethrone Roman. If any of those men are involved in the War Games match, then there’s an opportunity to give them a massive push by allowing them to pin Reigns. All told, there will be ten beatable men involved in the match, and War Games was always a fun, chaotic mess in NXT. Any number of things could unfold in the double steel cages, leading to possible storylines involving Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. There’s also the chance that Sami ends up eating the pin, furthering the disconnect between himself and Jey Uso. Survivor Series is unpredictable, at least, which is a step in the right direction after years of heartless Raw vs. SmackDown iterations of the big-four pay-per-view.
Pros & Cons Of Beating Roman Reigns At Survivor Series
Like with all booking decisions, there are pros and cons to Reigns getting beaten at Survivor Series. On the surface, it looks like a fantastic way to give a monster push to Kevin Owens, Drew McIntyre, or Sheamus without Roman losing the unified titles he’s been carrying since WrestleMania 38. Given the nature of the War Games match, the finish wouldn’t have to be particularly clean, either.
WWE has taken this clever route multiple times over the years with Brock Lesnar. Sure, he lost at SummerSlam, but it took the entirety of The Bloodline to do so, and he finished the night literally buried underneath tables, chairs, and all kinds of other furniture from the ringside area. Triple H could take a similar route with Reigns at War Games. Someone else gets a massive feather in their cap while The Tribal Chief still looks strong.
The big negative is that if Reigns gets pinned at Survivor Series, it’ll make his eventual championship loss feel less memorable. It’s been an eternity since he’s lost a match in WWE, and his current win streak is Goldberg-like, even though it’s not being talked about in the same manner. A bona fide, marquee-topping megastar will be born the night Roman Reigns finally loses his unified championship. Some of the shine would come off that moment if Michael Cole couldn’t scream something about how The Head of the Table hadn’t been pinned in 1,104 days or whatever it ends up being. That’s a delicate line for WWE to talk.
Internal Strife Could Define Survivor Series War Game Match
Infighting is another intriguing way that the War Games match could finish. With Owens and McIntyre feeling like they are owed rematches against Reigns, could they argue over who gets the pin? The Brawling Brutes are also a three-person unit, unlike the two outsiders they’ve conscripted for this match. That could come into play as well. Then there’s the long-running beef between Sami Zayn and Jey Uso, which could come to a head at Survivor Series. There are a lot of threads that WWE could pull here, and it’ll be fascinating to see which one ends up getting pulled.
If there are plans in place for Reigns to lose the titles before WrestleMania 39, then the seeds for that downfall could be planted at Survivor Series. That seems highly unlikely, however, as WWE is still hoping for The Rock vs. Reigns to headline one of the two nights in Hollywood. A loss during War Games could set up a long-term feud with one of Owens or McIntyre, though, both of which would make for captivating television in the months leading up to the Showcase of the Immortals. Since taking over booking in July, Triple H has done an excellent job of keeping fans off of the scent of his storylines. The War Games match at Survivor Series is just another example of that. It’s a can’t-miss WWE event that will significantly impact Raw and SmackDown moving forward.
