In the opening match of the night, Roman Reigns put his Universal Championship on the line against Seth Rollins.
In the few weeks since Roman's Rumble opponent was announced, Seth has been trying his best to get under Reigns' skin. This past Friday on SmackDown he was able to get a rise out of Roman after he called Reigns and his family embarrassments. Not only that, but Seth spoke about their days in The Shield and reminded him how he broke up the group with a steel chair to the back. Roman said that he would never forgive Seth for what he did.
Ahead of the bell ringing on tonight's bout, Seth Rollins came to the ring to The Shield music, wearing his old gear, and entering through the crowd.
---- Sierra. Hotel. India. Echo. Lima. Delta.#RoyalRumble @WWERollins @WWERomanReigns pic.twitter.com/CVo0AdKcIa
— WWE (@WWE) January 30, 2022
During the match, Seth hit a Shield Bomb, Buckle Bomb, and Stomp, but none were enough to put Reigns away. After Roman hit a second Spear, Rollins offered up a Shield fist bump which sent Reigns over the edge. He would lock in a chokehold but didn't break when Seth made it to the ropes. The referee told him to let go, but Roman said Seth won't allow him to let go. He proceeded to assault Rollins with a chair.
Despite the loss via disqualification, Roman Reigns retains the Universal Championship, extending his 516-day reign.
.@WWERomanReigns has lost it!#RoyalRumble #UniversalTitle @WWERollins pic.twitter.com/GnKrnajNGn
— WWE (@WWE) January 30, 2022
Via disqualification, @WWERomanReigns is STILL your Universal Champion.#RoyalRumble @WWERollins pic.twitter.com/dW8FykNBZP
— WWE (@WWE) January 30, 2022
Keep track of everything happening at the Royal Rumble by checking out Fightful's live coverage. You can also watch along with the Fightful crew over on our Twitch channel. Finally, we will have a post-show review immediately following the event's conclusion.
