Roman Reigns faces Seth Rollins at SummerSlam for World Heavyweight Championship

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Roman rains down punches on Seth Rollins at the 2022 Royal Rumble. | (Photo: WWE) Contrary to Seth Rollins’ claim on Raw that he owns Roman Reigns, their head-to-head history tells a different story. According to Cagematch, the OTC is 20-8-1 against “The Visionary” in their 29 singles matches, with most of those victories coming at live events. Their last singles match came in 2022 during WWE’s Road to WrestleMania tour at Madison Square Garden, where Reigns put Rollins to sleep with a guillotine choke. But the perception that Rollins owns him has hung over Reigns’ legacy ever since Rollins betrayed him and broke up The Shield in 2014. Then, at WrestleMania 31 the following year, Rollins successfully cashed in his Money in the Bank contract during Reigns’ opportunity at the WWE Championship against Brock Lesnar. A year later, at Money in the Bank, Rollins beat Reigns fair and square to win wrestling’s most prestigious prize. Shortly after, Reigns was suspended from WWE for 30 days after violating the company’s wellness policy. Their next marquee encounter was at the 2022 Royal Rumble, and it was among their most memorable. Rollins prevailed, but he didn’t look like a winner. Dressed in their old Shield gear, Rollins got in Reigns’ head. He continued to taunt the Tribal Chief until Reigns snapped and refused to release a guillotine, forcing a disqualification. After the match, Reigns battered him with a steel chair. Although Rollins was the victor, it was Reigns who stood tall. In the ensuing years, Rollins remained a thorn in Reigns’ side. He cost him the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania XL against Cody Rhodes. At last year’s WrestleMania, Rollins pinned Reigns in the Night One main event in a match that included CM Punk. To add insult to injury, Rollins also left with Reigns’ wise man, Paul Heyman. On Monday, Rollins noted that they’re getting closer to the end of their careers, suggesting this may be the final time they’ll have a chance to face each other at a signature event like SummerSlam with the World Heavyweight Championship on the line. If so, Reigns’ current arc, more than statistics, points to a win at SummerSlam. Since last fall, he has set out to prove that he can win on his own without help from the Bloodline. On his own in 2026, Reigns won the Royal Rumble, defeated CM Punk at WrestleMania 42 to win the world title, and beat Jacob Fatu in back-to-back premium live events. Looking ahead, an eventual showdown against King of the Ring winner Oba Femi is seemingly on the horizon. To get there, WWE appears to be building Reigns as strongly as possible. That makes a victory over the one rival who has haunted him for years the only logical next step in his story.