At WWE SummerSlam this August, reigning World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns and his former Shield brethren turned bitter enemy Seth Rollins will do battle once again. And this time may well be the last.
Reigns returned to the championship picture after two years away when he defeated CM Punk in the main event of WrestleMania XL back in April. The Tribal Chief has since been on a tear, twice successfully defending the title against real-life cousin Jacob Fatu while Rollins, the inaugural holder of the new World Heavyweight Championship, has also mounted quite the run since Mania. He has twice knocked off recent adversary Bron Breakker to return to title contention before officially calling out Reigns in the aftermath of Night of Champions for one last battle between WWE’s two biggest modern stars.
Reigns Expected to Finally Beat Rollins for the Gold
Over the years, the two former Shield brothers have done battle countless times, but in the contests that matter, it has been Rollins who has repeatedly come out on top. The pair of them, alongside CM Punk in a triple threat match, headlined night one of last year’s WrestleMania, with Rollins once again winning out after a shocking Paul Heyman betrayal. But at SummerSlam, online betting sites expect Reigns to finally get his marquee win.
Sites such as the popular Lucky Rebel Sportsbook listed Reigns as a -250 betting favorite to win the World Heavyweight Championship back at WrestleMania, and he duly obliged. While the bookmakers’ SummerSlam odds haven’t yet been posted, with the company waiting to see what unfolds on WWE television first before providing their offering, odds on Reigns retaining the strap are expected to be even shorter.
But history isn’t kind to the Tribal Chief when it comes to wrestling his greatest rival in championship matches. The two men have squared off four times for championship gold in their respective 14-year careers. He is still waiting for his first victory. So, what happened in the previous four? Let’s take a look.
Heist of the Century
Seth Rollins wasn’t even supposed to be competing for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 31 in Levi’s Stadium back in 2015. That was an honor that went to Roman Reigns, who won the Royal Rumble three months before to a chorus of boos in Philadelphia. Brock Lesnar was the fearsome champion, holding the company hostage after snapping the Undertaker’s perfect 21-0 WrestleMania streak the year prior.
However, there were major concerns from WWE brass as to which direction the company should head in with its major championship. It was clear that Reigns was the man that WWE wanted to build their future around, but fan backlash to his Rumble match victory had many worried. The company was also concerned regarding Brock Lesnar’s part-time schedule and was desperate for its main title to be showcased on WWE TV each and every week as opposed to every few months.
Luckily, the company had an ace in the hole in the form of Seth Rollins and his Money in the Bank briefcase. Reigns and Lesnar would put on a barnstormer of a main event, with both men seemingly having the match won only for their opponent to kick out before the count of three. After Lesnar delivered a fourth F5 to Reigns, Rollins made his way to the ring, cashed in his championship opportunity to turn the main event into a triple threat match, and delivered a vicious curb stomp to Reigns to escape with the title.
Rollins Retains the Gold
Two months on from Rollins’ heist of the century, he would defend his newly minted WWE World Heavyweight title against Roman Reigns, their other former Shield stablemate Dean Ambrose, and Randy Orton in a fatal 4-way match at Payback, and once again, it would be Rollins who retained the title.
This time around, there was less backstage politics to report on. Rollins was the new champion, and he was expected to continue in his championship reign. He ultimately did, with interference from the Authority clearing his path to victory. Kane laid out Reigns with a chokeslam outside the ring, allowing Rollins to hit Orton with the Pedigree and retain the title.
Rollins Returns to Dethrone Reigns
Rollins’ title reign would come to an unfortunate end in October of 2015 as the champion would blow out his knee in a house show against Kane. Reigns would be the man who ultimately inherited the throne, winning the title at WrestleMania 32 in April 2016 after a lackluster main event against Triple H. He would go on to defend the title in back-to-back epics against AJ Styles, but just as was the case the previous years, fans were unwilling to get behind the new champion.
Rollins would make his long-awaited return two months after Reigns’ coronation, and he immediately clamored for a shot at the title that he never lost. The match was set: Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns in the main event at Money in the Bank. And much to the delight of all of Reigns’ detractors, it was Rollins who shockingly emerged with the title. He drilled the champion with two Pedigrees to emerge with the title, but his joy was short-lived as Ambrose would make his way to the ring with his own Money in the Bank briefcase to steal the title.
Tribal Chief Still Unable to Beat His Nemesis
By 2022, Roman Reigns was a far different beast. He had shed his “Big Dog” skin to become the villainous “Tribal Chief” fans know and love today. He had claimed the Universal Championship in the summer of 2020, and by the Royal Rumble of 2022, he was 18 months into a title reign that showed no signs of slowing down.
He defended the title against Rollins in St. Louis in a rare “heel versus heel” contest. Reigns was expected to leave Missouri with the gold, and he did, albeit not with the victory. After refusing to release the guillotine choke when Rollins reached the bottom rope, the referee would disqualify Reigns, officially handing Rollins the win. However, with the title not changing hands via disqualification or count-out, the champion would leave St. Louis with the title still in tow.
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