Latest On Roman Reigns' Return And Shift In WWE WrestleMania 42 Plans

What’s the plan for Roman Reigns on the road to WrestleMania 42?

The former Undisputed WWE Champion has been off television since November, when he teamed with Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, and The Usos in a losing effort against Brock Lesnar, Drew McIntyre, and The Vision in a WarGames Match.

However, with WrestleMania season in full swing, WWE fans have been curious as to when ‘The Tribal Chief’ will make his return.

And now, there seems to be a bit more clarity on what’s next for Reigns.

Reigns' expected return

According to the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, he is expected to return at the Royal Rumble in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on January 31, but there has been an interesting development with his WrestleMania 42 plans.

The report states that while WWE had initially teased a third WrestleMania match between Reigns and Rhodes, Reigns is now expected to be out of the title picture.

Rhodes lost the Undisputed WWE Championship to Drew McIntyre on last week’s SmackDown, thus shifting the company’s creative plans for several top superstars.

Reigns defeated Rhodes in the main event of WrestleMania 39 in 2023, but Rhodes triumphed in the rematch between the two at WrestleMania 40 in 2024.

Possible WrestleMania 42 Opponents For Roman Reigns?

If Reigns isn’t in line to face Rhodes at the biggest show of the year, who are some potential opponents?

Reigns was mostly connected to Paul Heyman and The Vision in 2025 after Heyman made a shocking turn on both Reigns and Punk at WrestleMania 41, allowing Seth Rollins to score the win in their Triple Threat Match.

Bron Breakker would seem to be a money opponent for Reigns at some point, but Breakker figures to be in the World Heavyweight Championship discussion after losing to Punk on the Raw on Netflix anniversary show on January 5.

What about Brock Lesnar? Lesnar, just like Reigns, is featured in the WrestleMania 42 trailers, so one would expect him to be in a marquee match at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Of course, Reigns and Lesnar have already had several WrestleMania matches in their longstanding rivalry, so going back to that again might not garner the best reaction from fans.

Another candidate for Reigns’ opponent is Seth Rollins, who has been out injured since October and could be back for WrestleMania 42.

There was speculation that Reigns vs. Rollins was a possibility for the show prior to the injury, and WWE could reignite that story, but it would have to be told in a different way after Rollins was ousted from The Vision.

With so many questions regarding his creative direction, there will be plenty of suspense as to what’s next for Reigns.

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