Watching the Royal Rumble with more than 100 fans at El Cajon’s Regal Cinemas, one thing was clear: Roman Reigns is wildly over.
When he entered at No. 26 in the men’s Royal Rumble, a loud “OTC” chant erupted. Fingers pointed skyward as fans rose out of respect. When he won, the theater turned celebratory — well beyond my wife’s and my own satisfaction.
And El Cajon wasn’t an outlier.
In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, fans demanded that Reigns win. At the Royal Rumble kickoff event, CM Punk asked the crowd who
they wanted to win. As fingers shot up and “OTC” chants rang out, the answer was unmistakable.
It became even clearer when fans warmly received Jey Uso and Cody Rhodes — until each declared they would win the Rumble, turning cheers into a chorus of boos and shouts of “No! No! No!”
Still not convinced about Reigns’ star power? Go back to the Raw after WrestleMania XL. During Cody Rhodes’ victory speech, fans broke into a “Thank you, Roman” chant.
In the months that followed, as Solo Sikoa proclaimed himself the new Tribal Chief, crowds only grew louder for Reigns. When he returned at SummerSlam 2024, it felt less like a comeback and more like a king reclaiming his throne.
Need more proof? Look at WWE’s 2025 international tours. A year earlier, crowds serenaded Cody Rhodes with soccer-style chants. When Reigns went abroad, fans shifted those chants and other hymns of praise over to the Head of the Table.
Yet, despite Reigns’ enduring appeal, some fans retreated to online echo chambers to voice their dissatisfaction, insisting it was time for WWE to pass the torch and create a new star at WrestleMania.
In fairness, they’re right: Roman Reigns did not need to win the Royal Rumble. He’s a made man: a ten-time WrestleMania headliner, multi-time champion, and a performer who has transcended the business.
But here’s what they missed.
WWE needed Roman Reigns to win the Royal Rumble.
As I noted in our site’s Royal Rumble predictions, with this year’s WrestleMania likely the last in North America until at least 2028, WWE was never going to gamble on an unproven name to win the men’s Royal Rumble and headline its biggest event of the year.
According to a January post from ticket tracker WrestleTix, more than 36,000 tickets had already been distributed for each night of WrestleMania in Las Vegas this year — without a single match announced.
That speaks to WrestleMania’s drawing power, but WWE still needs to sell 25,000 more tickets per night to match or beat last year’s attendance records. That’s where proven stars like CM Punk and Cody Rhodes come in — and above all, that includes Roman Reigns.
Additionally, his name and presence at the top of the marquee help ensure that this WrestleMania and future events — including WrestleMania 2027 in Saudi Arabia, where he was and is treated like royalty — are a success.
It may not be what you want. Based on the complaints online, you’re not alone.
But you are outnumbered.
Roman Reigns remains the biggest star in professional wrestling. Fans the world over want to see him, and they’re willing to pay for it. That outweighs personal favorites, and his track record makes him the safest bet WWE has to ensure this WrestleMania — and its immediate future — remains secure.
The day will come when the torch is passed, either because someone is ready or because time demands it.
But that day isn’t now, and it doesn’t appear to be anytime soon.
