Every 'Tribal Chief' Roman Reigns Title Match, Ranked

Roman Reigns has had an unquestionably incredible reign as WWE Champion and, more recently, WWE Undisputed Champion. As of the time of this writing, Roman has held at least one of the two most important belts in World Wrestling Entertainment for over two years and shows no signs of slowing down. The fact that Roman has been putting out some of the best character work of his career isn't hurting the product either.

It can be fun to point out that credible challengers for the Undisputed WWE Championship no longer exist, or to fantasy book the end of Roman's reign every time Goldberg or Brock Lesnar make another surprise return to the WWE. That said, Reigns' recent title defenses can be described (with apologies to Sheamus) as "banger after banger after banger." He's consistently getting fantastic work out of his challengers and making it more and more difficult for his detractors to make an argument for him to drop the title. Still, they haven't all been five-star matches, as we'll see as we go through our ranked list of title defenses in this current run by our "Tribal Chief," the "Head of the Table," Roman Reigns.

A championship rematch of sorts, this match suffered from being against a powerhouse in Braun Strowman who simply wasn't the kind of wrestler who needed to be put into a 10-minute singles match. While Strowman got some offense in, Roman's championship run was just getting started and the finish never really seemed in doubt, especially since Roman had recently acquired the services of Paul Heyman. Roman won his second WWE Universal Championship defense via submission, locking the Monster Among Men into a guillotine choke that forced Braun to tap out.

This is the first match on our list that took place during the ThunderDome era of WWE television, and those matches present a challenge when ranking. AEW, WWE, and NXT, among other wrestling promotions, did their best to provide live entertainment while still keeping performers' safety in mind. WWE's solution was to rent the then-unused Amway Center (and later Tropicana Field and the Yuengling Center) and set it up with video boards displaying fans watching at home. It was a unique solution to a never before experienced problem, and while it had its growing pains, the ThunderDome ended up becoming a better experience than it had any right to be in a time when distractions were desperately needed.

We've seen Brock Lesnar, loveable farmhand, face off against Roman Reigns a number of times, and nearly all of those matches end with a Roman victory after some sort of interference or shenanigans. At the 2021 edition of Crown Jewel, Brock found himself the last man standing in the ring after an F-5 knocked out both Roman and referee Charles Robinson. After Roman recovered and hit Brock with a desperation spear, Paul Heyman tossed the championship belt in the ring between the two downed superstars. Brock grabbed it first, but as he stood up the Usos dove into the ring and hit Lesnar with a double superkick. That led to a Reigns belt shot to Brock's face as the replacement referee hit the ring (and took none of this interference into account) and Roman won by three count.

One of several of Roman's title defenses that required interference for him to pick up the win, this one was particularly interesting because of Paul Heyman's questionable loyalties leading into this match. Even as he tossed the title belt into the ring, it wasn't obvious whether it was meant for Reigns or Lesnar. While Lesnar was the man to collect it, in the end it was Reigns who was able to put the belt to use and continue his dominant championship run.

Another of Roman's defenses against the mayor of Suplex City, the WrestleMania 38 match seemed to split fans between those who anticipated the match, and those who had zero desire to watch these two big meaty men slap meat once again. While Lesnar dominated early with a series of suplexes, Roman followed up with a couple spears (one through the announce table) and a pair of Superman punches. The rest of the match was exactly what we have come to expect, but the end of the match was sudden and surprising as Roman hit a clean spear for a three count.

There are a few reasons this match ends up on the lower end of our rankings. First, given Brock's part-time status, the likelihood of the Beast holding both major WWE championships seemed slim at best. Second, the match was fun, but it wasn't "good," per se. At the end of the day, each man used about three moves over and over again. And, of course, the finish required Roman to use both a low blow, a belt shot to Brock's face, and Paul Heyman breaking a submission by placing Roman's hand on the ropes — although, admittedly, the actual pinfall was the result of a spear and a clean three count. It was fun, it was expected, and it really shows how far the quality of Roman's title defenses has come, as this match is really quite good despite being low in our ranking.

While still in the lower tier of Reigns' title matches, the build for Roman's only title defense against a fellow former SHIELD member was interesting for the way Seth Rollins was able to use the group's history to get into Roman's head. Rollins turned the dial to 11 after Roman made his entrance — first, oddly, as the "Head of the Table" typically enters last. The Shield stinger hit and the crowd went wild for the entrance from one of the greatest stables in recent pro wrestling history. Seth entered the arena from the crowd, decked out in his old SWAT team style ring gear.

Unfortunately for Rollins, head games will only get you so far against the "Tribal Chief." The match was actually pretty even, as both men got a lot of offense in and there were several close near falls. The Usos were barred from ringside, allowing fans to talk themselves into believing Seth really had a chance here. Rollins insisted on pushing Roman's buttons, constantly referencing their former partnership and offering up fist bumps to remind the champion that it was Rollins who ended their team. That led to Roman snapping, locking a guillotine choke onto Seth, and refusing to release it even after Rollins was able to grab the ropes. The referee was forced to award Seth the DQ victory, but the championship did not change hands.

It seems like there is always some tension within the Bloodline, whether it's between Jimmy and Jey Uso, or whether it's provided by Paul Heyman questioning his loyalties to Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns. Jey had recently returned to the active WWE roster, and lost a challenge for Roman's championship at Clash of Champions. He was doing his best to stay separate from Roman, while simultaneously trying to bring his brother back into the light, so to speak. Reigns demanded fealty from his cousin, and the challenge was made for the first ever Hell in a Cell "I Quit" match, where Roman would demand Jey profess his loyalty to the Head of the Table.

The match itself was unique not only for the stipulation, but also because it took place in the ThunderDome era. Every strike loudly echoed throughout the arena despite crowd noise being pumped in, especially when Jey found a leather strap beneath the ring and used it to beat on his cousin's back before Reigns did the same to him. Roman eventually got the upper hand, as always, and when he raised the steel ring steps over his head to finish Jey off, Jimmy Uso slid into the ring (the cage door had been opened after Roman threw the referee after the ref threatened to end the match early) to cover his brother. That led to a heartfelt moment between Jimmy and Roman, but one that quickly turned to horror as Roman locked Jimmy in a guillotine choke, forcing Jey to quit the match to save his brother and force both Usos into "indentured servitude" under Reigns.

After his loss to Roman in their first meeting due to a pre-match beating by the Usos, Finn resorted to his inner Demon more quickly than he normally would for this brutal match with a questionable ending. There was very little build between Finn's last loss and his summoning of the Demon, but since the Demon King hadn't been seen in some time, hopes were high that Finn could overcome Reigns and finally take the title off Roman's waist. This was an Extreme Rules match, and Finn used that to his advantage for the majority of the match. He started by matching Roman's kendo stick with a themed 4-pack of sticks, and things escalated to multiple table attacks and a brutal trip through the crowd.

Even after an attack by both Usos derailed his momentum and led to Roman starting to gain control, an effect that used the Demon's "heartbeat" entrance to revitalize him after a beating by the Bloodline revived the Demon. Balor took to the top rope to hit a Coup de Gras, only for the turnbuckle to inexplicably implode when Finn went up for a second attack, leading to a quick spear and pinfall victory for Roman.

This was the last time we would see the Demon on any WWE or NXT programming. The Demon version of Finn Balor was a terror before this match, with only one loss in NXT and none after he moved up to the main roster. Roman so thoroughly destroyed Balor's alter ego that the Demon has been essentially retired, courtesy of our tribal chief.

The setup for this match was a clever use of Roman's aggression and ego against him. After he'd run roughshod over "SmackDown" for weeks and used Jey Uso to help him win his first two meetings with Owens, Reigns decided he needed to punish GM Adam Pearce for his lack of respect. Owens, then out of the picture after Roman tossed him off a ledge on the New Year's Day edition of "SmackDown," had been a thorn in Roman's side for some time, but Pearce also sided with K.O. and that didn't sit well with the "Tribal Chief." A gauntlet match that was supposed to name a new challenger for Reigns ended with Jey and Roman destroying Shinsuke Nakamura and forcing Pearce to get a pinfall victory to challenge Roman at the Rumble. After Roman had signed the contract for their match, Pearce left the ring and an "old knee injury" crept up. Fortunately, he had a suitable replacement waiting in the wings: Kevin Owens.

The last of the Reigns versus Owens trilogy of matches took place in (and around) the ring at the 2021 Royal Rumble. Notable for taking place in the ThunderDome era, Reigns and Owens made a point of using a lot of the space available to them to make this match brutal and memorable despite the lack of fans. Some memorable spots included brawling among the video panels that had replaced fans, speeding around the arena in a golf cart, and Owens flying off ledges onto Reigns. Owens managed to handcuff Roman to a lighting stanchion and nearly had Reigns beat, until the "Head of the Table ” hit a low blow on K.O. and knocked out the referee to stop the ten count. In the end, Heyman arrived with a handcuff key to free Reigns, who applied a guillotine choke to end Owen's championship hopes.

Edge's one on one rematch with Roman after their triple threat meeting at WrestleMania 37 proved that Edge still had enough in the tank to put on an entertaining main event match. His battle with Reigns at Money in the Bank was stipulation-free and leaned on Edge as the grizzled returning hero after Edge's sort-of-heel-turn before the 'Mania match.

The pacing of this battle started slow but built up, as both performers were getting used to the fact that this was WWE's first show with fans in the attendance since WrestleMania. While the action was good, the match was overshadowed by the dustiest of Dusty finishes. We had a ref bump, followed by the Usos heading to the ring to interfere, followed by the Mysterios cutting them off, followed by a Seth Rollins attack, followed by a two count for Edge by a replacement ref, followed by another Rollins attack, followed by a distracted Edge eating a spear for a pinfall loss. If Reigns fatigue was an issue for the viewer by this point in his championship run, an ending like this was going to do nothing but intensify those feelings — which is why John Cena returning to close out the show was an inspired decision.

While their Elimination Chamber "match" left a lot to be desired, the three full matches we got between Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns were pure gold. This was Roman's first title defense against Bryan, but it also had Edge waiting for his own opportunity at the championship — an opportunity he had already earned by winning the 2021 Royal Rumble match. Edge was involved as the special enforcer for this match, and as a result, shenanigans ensued.

While Bryan opened the matchup strong, goading Roman and employing the stick-and-move tactics that found success against Brock Lesnar previously, Roman eventually settled down and gained the upper hand. Bryan rallied, but an accidental running attack to the referee led to Jey Uso getting involved and attacking both Edge and Bryan. Bryan was able to recover, only to accidentally hit Edge with a steel chair meant for Reigns. Bryan was somehow able to reverse an incoming spear into a Yes Lock, but a furious Edge attacked both men with a steel chair. Roman recovered first and crawled onto Bryan to secure the victory and set up a triple threat match at WrestleMania 37.

When Edge decided to choose violence after the Bryan/Reigns matchup at Fastlane, he leaned in on the darker side of his personality. After he won the Royal Rumble and chose Roman Reigns, Daniel Bryan challenged Roman at Fastlane and Edge was not too pleased with his WrestleMania moment being taken from him. He attacked both men to set this match up, and what a match it was. Jey Uso was involved early, as Triple Threat matches are no DQ, but Edge took him out temporarily with an Edgecution on the steel stairs. Roman and Edge hitting simultaneous spears was amazing, and later a broken chair resulted in the birth of Edge's "crossface plus leverage with little metal bar" spot.

Triple threat matches in the WWE tend to rely on one participant falling into the "wrestling hole" behind the ring while the others do battle. This had very little of that, as all three participants (and, frequently, Jey Uso) were constantly interacting in creative and violent ways. It ended after Bryan was taken out by a con-chair-to shot, and a distracted Edge was felled by another, allowing Roman to drag Edge atop Bryan for an iconic ending to WrestleMania 37.

Let's take a moment to recognize what this match had for us, as wrestling fans: all three of these men cut promos essentially telling us that they believed their careers were over. They overcame spinal fusion surgery, a history of concussions, and leukemia, and did it at least in part just so they could return to the ring and keep entertaining fans worldwide. All three of them continue to compete at a high level today, which is really something special.

This was probably the match most fans thought would go the way of the challenger. Drew McIntyre won the Universal Championship over Brock Lesnar during the ThunderDome era, and popular opinion was that Drew was "owed" a proper championship run in front of fans. With Drew hailing from Scotland, what better place for that win to take place than WWE's first premium live event in the UK since SummerSlam 1992?

Everything lined up for Drew to win that night. He got a dramatic video package, set to the entrance music he used during his first run with WWE. The crowd was vocally behind him throughout the match, which was fairly even from start to finish. Even when Theory entered the arena with his Money in the Bank briefcase, and fans prepared themselves for a cash-in to derail their hopes, boxer Tyson Fury emerged from behind the fan barricade to knock him out before Theory could alter the outcome of the match. Reigns grabbed a chair, but McIntyre hit two claymores.

It turns out, the "Head of the Table" had a plan. While the Usos did not make the trip overseas, their brother did — a debuting Solo Sikoa tripped up the referee as McIntyre went for a pin, allowing Roman to hit a spear and retain his championship.

Riddle's match with Reigns was the least predictable of the top five. Drew McIntyre's was the most likely to end with a title change. Daniel Bryan's was the most technically sound, and Kevin Owens' was the most brutal. But Brock Lesnar's SummerSlam 2022 match, the one that brought his seven-year rivalry with Roman Reigns to a close, was definitely the most fun. After Randy Orton was injured, a big-name opponent was needed for SummerSlam and there wasn't much time for a build. Fortunately, Brock Lesnar answered the call.

This was a match that began with Brock pausing his entrance to mount a tractor, and somehow things escalated from there. Brock flew from the tractor's loader onto Roman to start things off and would eventually use that tractor to raise a corner of the ring into the air. Interference from the Usos, Theory, and Paul Heyman added to the chaos. It took double superkicks from the Unified Tag Team Champions, a belt shot, and multiple hits from Theory's Money in the Bank briefcase to finally put the farm boy down. Even though it didn't end with a title change, it was undeniably fun, and the best Roman Reigns title match to date.