Roman Reigns’ latest reign as Universal Champion has been dominant, culminating in his victory over Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 38. But how many days have Roman Reigns been Universal Champion?
Prior to his current run, Roman Reigns first won the WWE Universal Championship on August 19th, 2018 at SummerSlam, pinning Brock Lesnar to avenge the loss against ‘The Beast’ earlier in the year at WrestleMania 36.
Unfortunately, Reigns’s grip on the title was cut short due to a re-diagnosis of Leukemia. During an episode of Raw on October 22nd, 2018, he vacated the championship after 64 days in an emotional address to the live crowd. The WWE Universe was left wondering when, or even if, they would see ‘The Big Dog’ again.
While holding a title for over a year in WWE is more common now than ever before, Roman Reigns‘ run as universal champion is in a league of its own.
Since regaining the gold in August 2020, The Tribal Chief has embarked on an all-time title reign currently sitting at over 520 days, the longest of any kind on the main roster in nearly 50 years.
Although there appears to be no end in sight to his historic run, he’ll have two major obstacles to overcome in the coming months: Goldberg at Elimination Chamber followed by Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 38.
It’s virtually guaranteed he’ll reign supreme over the veteran in Saudi Arabia on February 19, although the chances of him leaving The Show of Shows still champ are slim given the story being told between him and The Beast Incarnate.
Then again, Reigns has emerged victorious against all odds in the past, even when facing elite competition. He’s battled—and beaten—a lot of high-profile opponents from Raw and SmackDown as well as future legends and current Hall of Famers.
Of his nearly two-dozen defenses in the last year and a half, these eight are the best of the bunch, ranked for their in-ring action, storytelling and memorability.
