Cody Rhodes has finally dethroned the Goliath of the WWE. After a hard-fought battle, a story that was two years in the making finally etched its ending. The American Nightmare has finished its story. But Roman Reigns, on the other hand, has had a legendary run as the Universal Champion.
Much has been said so far about Roman Reigns’ historic reign as WWE’s Undisputed Universal Champion. Considering that no one posed a real danger to the Champion, his limited participation in WWE programming, accompanied by successful defenses in major events, the longevity of this reign is something to talk about as it surpassed historical and legendary records that WWE is proud of. But for how many days did the Tribal Chief hold the title before losing it to Rhodes? Let’s find out!
The Dominant Reign of Reigns
The road to WrestleMania XL was littered with challengers. It was clear that Roman Reigns’ historic reign could have its days numbered. WWE had been reluctant to accept a change of Champion in recent times. The biggest example of this amounted to the defeat Cody Rhodes incurred in the last edition of WrestleMania. However, with The Rock in the picture, it was time for a new stage in WWE. And as Cody Rhodes said, it’s a new era in the WWE now. And it comes after 1316 days of Roman Reigns being the Universal Champion! Yes, he held the title for a legendary 1316 days!
He won the title at Payback 2020 in a ‘No Holds Barred Triple Threat Match’ against Braun Strowman and former champion The Fiend (alter ego of the deceased athlete Bray Wyatt). In the last 35 years, no wrestler other than the Tribal Chief has reached three years in a single reign. The last athlete to do so was the Immortal Hulk Hogan, who ended his reign on February 5, 1988, after 1474 days of conquest. However, Reigns has finally been dethroned in what was the biggest change of belts in half a decade.
The American Nightmare Defeats Roman Reigns
This was the main showdown of the 40th edition of The Showcase of Immortals in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As a result of the previous night’s result, the fight took place without disqualification and with the door open for all types of interference. With all the tension in the air, The American Nightmare fought through it all and won the championship despite interference from Solo Sikoa, Jimmy Uso, and the Rock.
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However, it took the efforts of other members of team Cody to help Rhodes win the title as speculated. John Cena and the Undertaker made a surprise return to help Rhodes finish his story. While Seth Rollins and Jey Uso too showed their support yet again, helping out Rhodes as he was bombarded with interferences of the Bloodline. Well, we guess Mama Rhodes would be proud of Rhodes fulfilling his father’s dream while the Rock couldn’t finish his promise.
What did you think of the finish? How do you rate the historic title reign of Roman Reigns? Let us know in the comments!
