Photo Credit: Roman Reigns’ Instagram
Roman Reigns is still among the active WWE Superstars, but his everlasting legacy would already put him among the greatest of all time. During his evolution from the Big Dog to the Tribal Chief of WWE, he took his stature to a greater height.
Reigns’ singles journey began in 2015 following his split from The Shield and eventually the Royal Rumble victory, leading to his first main event at WrestleMania 31. Throughout his singles run, the Head of the Table predominantly wrestled in the main event, winning the world title six times.
With this article, we reflect on OTC’s celebrated WWE career, talking about the six world title reigns and how long Roman Reigns was the WWE Champion and the Universal Champion.
6) Becoming A WWE World Champion For The First Time At Survivor Series 2015
Roman Reigns squandered the opportunity of winning his first world title at the Grandest Stage Of Them All in 2015, owing to the famous Money in the Bank cash-in from Seth Rollins. He waited almost seven months to get the next opportunity.
In pursuit of a vacant WWE Championship, Reigns faced off with his former Shield brother Dean Ambrose, aka Jon Moxley, in the final of Survivor Series the same year.
The question remained how long Roman Reigns was WWE Champion in his first reign. Meanwhile, his time with the first world title barely lasted a few minutes due to another Money in the Bank briefcase holder. Sheamus cashed in successfully.
5) Capturing The Second World Title After Beating Sheamus On RAW, December 14, 2015
Roman Reigns’ first world title unfairly slipped from his hands, and he rightfully deserved a rematch. In the second week of December 2015 on WWE RAW, he beat the Celtics Warrior to win the second world title of his career.
SUGGESTED ARTICLE: Who Is Roman Reigns’ Twin Brother? Truth Behind The Viral Question About WWE’s Original Tribal Chief
While the reign was better and lengthier than the few minutes of the first tenure, it would still be considered a brief run to make a significant mark as the World champion. In less than six weeks, the new babyface of the company lost the belt competing in Royal Rumble 2016.
4) Winning The Third World Championship At WrestleMania 32
Predictably, Roman Reigns received one more opportunity to contend for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, setting up a grand encounter with Triple H at the Showcase of Immortals. He mainevented a WrestleMania for the second time in his career.
He was poised to have a great third WWE Championship run, but he came across an uninvited setback. After failing to pass the company’s wellness policy, Roman was coerced to lose the belt, leading to a month of suspension for the violation.
Suffering his maiden clean loss, Reigns was defeated by Seth Rollins in an incredible match, with the title reign lasting less than three months.
3) Claimed The First Universal Championship At SummerSlam 2018
Amid Brock Lesnar’s historic Universal Championship reign, starting at WrestleMania 33, he was inevitable, beating everyone on his way. His rivalry with Roman Reigns ignited in 2018 after the two clashed multiple times. The Beast’s epic 504-day run as the champion, which was the longest at the time, was stopped by Reigns.
Winning his first Universal Championship, he entered the history book as a four-time world champion. Just as his third one, misfortune struck, cutting short his run before he could prosper as the champ.
Remaining champion from SummerSlam to October 2018, he vacated the belt due to his illness. It was back to haunt after being diagnosed for the first time when Roman Reigns was attempting to make a football career in the NFL.
2) Finally A Lengthy World Championship Run And Creating History
Roman Reigns’ path in his first four world title reigns in WWE was hindered by misfortune, cutting short his title reigns more than it should have. None of his previous reigns crossed even a hundred days, making it among many reasons why the fans detested his Big Dog character as a babyface.
The unexciting Roman repackaged and reignited himself, unveiling his inner bad guy and introducing the new Tribal Chief character. With Paul Heyman as the Wiseman, he took only a week to win his fifth world title and second Universal Championship.
The title triumph boosted his confidence tremendously, and Roman began radiating his aura on another level. From 2020 to 2024, for nearly four years, Reigns kept the Universal Championship in his possession, making it the greatest world title run in modern history.
1) Roman Reigns Beat Brock Lesnar At WrestleMania 38 To Win The WWE Championship
Amid his epoch-making lengthy title reign, Reigns faced the WWE Champion Brock Lesnar, reaching the climax of their long-standing rivalry. At WrestleMania 38, they clashed with their respective world titles on the line in a Winner Takes All encounter.
Reigns won the main event, adding the WWE Championship to his title collection. While he held both titles for a few months, WWE eventually unified two belts, calling it the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.
Cody Rhodes brought an end to one of the historic world title reigns of all time at WrestleMania 40, finishing his story. The question could be how long Roman Reigns was the WWE Champion and Universal Champion simultaneously. From WrestleMania 38 to 40, the time frame was two years.
SUGGESTED ARTICLE: What Is Roman Reigns Theme Song Called? Explore Everything Behind WWE Star’s Entrance Music
Avik Das is an English Literature graduate with an experience of over six years as a professional writer. He has written for renowned publications such as The Sportster, Sportskeeda, Pinkvilla, and The Things
