Another big story on the booking of former Undisputed WWE Champion, Roman Reigns.
The Tribal Chief was finally dethroned at WrestleMania 40 by Cody Rhodes, ending a title run that lasted 1,316 days and saw Reigns headline four Mania events as champion. Many assumed that Cody would defeat Reigns in last year’s main event, but a ton of interference from The Bloodline helped get Reigns the win. As previously reported, this was not the original plan, and now there is another layer to the story.
According to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Reigns and his Wiseman, Paul Heyman, convinced Triple H and Vince McMahon to let Reigns win at WrestleMania 39 as there were more things he wanted to accomplish as the top act. In the year Reigns engaged in the Bloodline Civil War storyline, as well as another major showdown with Jey Uso at SummerSlam. He would also not compete for upwards of five-six months.
That’s not all. The Observer also has a tidbit about this year’s WrestleMania 40, and how The Rock vs. Roman Reigns was the original direction before WWE decided to shift the narrative and let Cody Rhodes “Finish The Story.” The report states that The Rock actually pushed to defeat Reigns to become the new champion. He would then go off to Hollywood, vacate the title, but still be referred to as the People’s Champion. This explains why The Final Boss introduced “The People’s Championship” belt, a new title that he introduced in the final weeks of the Mania 40 build.
Regardless of what was planned, Cody Rhodes did get the ball and is now the new Undisputed WWE Champion. The Rock has since gone off to Hollywood, but has told Rhodes that he will come back for him. And Roman Reigns? He sits on the sidelines, waiting for his return.