Three things Roman Reigns must do as WWE World Heavyweight Champion

Roman Reigns quelled fears that he’d be a part-time champion after winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 42.

“All this part-time crap? We’re gonna fix that,” Reigns said during the Mania post-show. “Y’all better make some room because y’all gonna see my ass all summer.”

Notably, Reigns didn’t mention fall or winter. However, with a movie coming out in October and the holidays soon after, he might step away then to do promotional work, followed by a break.

What Reigns’ seventh world title reign might look like will likely start to take shape Monday on the Raw After WrestleMania. Early shots fired by the Tribal Chief and Oba Femi, fresh off a win at Mania over Brock Lesnar, suggest that matchup is coming soon.

But before that happens, Reigns has unfinished business to attend to and other things to prove as he begins a new chapter as world champion.

May Day: Calling the OTC

If Reigns wants to be a full timer, the good news is there are three big shows in May where the new champ could appear, though he would only need to work one.

Backlash heads to Tampa on May 9. Saturday Night’s Main Event follows on May 23 in Fort Wayne, with Clash In Italy on May 31. Reigns is not currently advertised for any of those shows, though that could change with his sudden flexibility.

Of the three, Saturday Night’s Main Event makes the most sense. Since its revival in 2024, Reigns has not appeared on the show. As the only WWE offering on Peacock, a title defense could bring back fans who canceled their Peacock subscriptions once WWE programming flew coop, even if it’s just for May.

Make the World Title Relevant

While Reigns’ future beyond this summer is unclear, his immediate goal is not. Before WrestleMania, he revealed one of them to watch expert Nico Leonard.

“My goal is to showcase the difference between when I have a title and when everybody else has one,” Reigns said. “There’s a difference between when I hold a championship and the rest of the cast.”

That’s a tall order for a title many see as inferior to the Undisputed WWE Championship. It doesn’t help that Reigns once dismissed the very gold he now wears, calling it “the loser bracket title” in 2024.

Reigns can fix that by taking a page out of Seth Rollins’ playbook and heading to NXT to defend the gold. Rollins, who became the first World Heavyweight Champion in 2023, defended the title in WWE’s developmental brand less than a month after winning it.

To set him apart from Rollins, a title defense against a SmackDown star, along with a trip to AAA, WWE’s lucha libre promotion, would further elevate Raw’s top prize. Doing so could set up a dream match between Reigns and El Hijo del Vikingo in a battle between WWE’s main attraction and AAA’s top star.

Should Roman reign through the summer, he would likely collide with the Undisputed WWE Champion at Crown Jewel for the Crown Jewel Championship. A win over the Undisputed king should help raise the World title’s prestige even more.

And if the undisputed champion is Cody Rhodes, the Tribal Chief has a chance to settle once and for all who is the face of this generation.

Beat Seth Rollins

Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins seemed destined to collide at WrestleMania 42 for the World Heavyweight Championship before an injury to Rollins derailed a potential matchup.

Their rivalry stretches back more than a decade and centers on Rollins’ treachery. From breaking up The Shield to stealing Reigns’ first world title opportunity at WrestleMania 31, to taking his “Wise Man” at last year’s Mania, Rollins has repeatedly cost Reigns everything.

Before he calls it a career, Reigns needs to put Rollins down for good. Doing it with the title that Rollins established and still holds dear would be the ultimate dagger to the heart of “The Visionary.”