Roman Reigns’ Royal Rumble opponent changed on WWE SmackDown. The Tribal Chief was scheduled to face Adam Pearce but that changed tonight.
Roman Reigns is currently on a power trip. Not only did he get Paul Heyman to insert Adam Pearce, a WWE official, into a match but he also managed to ensure that Pearce would come out on top so he could lay his hands on him at Royal Rumble.
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A match against a retired Pearce would also be an easier defence considering the pedigree of opponents he has made recently. Kevin Owens, Daniel Bryan and most recently Shinsuke Nakamura have all been wronged by the Tribal Chief and are gunning for the title for personal glory and revenge.
Roman Reigns’ Royal Rumble opponent changed on WWE SmackDown
It has been speculated for a while that Roman Reigns vs Adam Pearce will not be the final match on the card. That proved to be true with Pearce pulling out of the match tonight. Reigns and Pearce sat down for a contract signing. After the Universal Champion signed the contract, Pearce left the ring with a limp.
The WWE official claimed that he didn’t think he would be medically cleared for their match and since this was a standard WWE contract, the card was subject to change. He then introduced his replacement who happened to be Kevin Owens!
WAIT A MINUTE!
It’s going to be @FightOwensFight and @WWERomanReigns at #RoyalRumble! pic.twitter.com/Cel7q7m3an
— WWE (@WWE) January 16, 2021
And like that, @ScrapDaddyAP has officially turned the tables on @WWERomanReigns heading into #RoyalRumble!#SmackDown @FightOwensFight pic.twitter.com/bmLda4oK48
— WWE (@WWE) January 16, 2021
With the way the story was going, many believed that Nakamura was being groomed for a shot at the title. The speculation for a long time however, has been Owens and it would make sense for him to have a final go at the Universal Champion considering he was screwed out of a win in their last two matches.
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