After a successful title defense against Penta WWE Raw in Mexico CityWWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns now turns his attention to the LA Knight, who he will face at Money in the Bank in New Orleans. Knight staked his claim to Reigns’ title more than a month ago. Does that mean it will pay off for Megastar?
According to WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray, it depends on which of two ways WWE’s creative team is looking at their upcoming title match.
“I’m trying to think like the office would be thinking right now if they had a plan to drop the championship to Roman because either Roman is leaving or he’s going to be involved in a WarGames match at Survivor Series,” Rey said. “Lost Open Radio”. “We can handle Penta, but we can finish LA Knight. I wonder if they think so. You can’t just take Roman Reigns’ championship and throw it at the LA Knight and think it’s going to do wonders overnight.
“I can also give you the other school of thought right here,” he continued. “… That championship isn’t going anywhere for the next seven to eight months. Do you know why? Because it’s going to Oba Femi at WrestleMania.”
Talk of Reigns potentially fighting Oba Femi has been swirling since April when “The Lord” invited “The OTC” to fight him until the end of the year. At the time, Raines seemed open to the idea, but first wanted to see how Femi’s summer activities went. Earlier this month, the prospective match heated up once again when a report revealed Femi vs. Reigns tentatively flipped as the main event of WrestleMania 43.
Creative plans are always subject to change, of course, but in Rey’s mind, this one will likely stand the test of time and more than likely lead to a massive title change on WWE’s biggest stage. Could Reigns and Knight be playing hot potato with the World Heavyweight Championship before then?
For the sake of business, Ray thinks Knight shouldn’t win the WHC right now
Rey toyed with the idea, realizing that LA Knight’s title at Money in the Bank would appease many fans who it’s been a long time since he got a taste of the world title in WWE. However, for the sake of WWE’s long-term future, Rey prefers a much more linear path.
“LA Knight defeats Roman Reigns and then what?” Ray asked. “It’s like a one night stand. Not a wrestling One Night Stand, but an actual one night stand. It’s like hooking up and then eventually you hook up. It’s like. There is no consistency because it was what it was for the time. It was great for the build and for the moment, but we’re done now. Have a nice life. Goodbye. See you later. You don’t want to get into a situation with LA Knight where, well, we got the championship on him. We made his fan base happy. Now everyone will be silent. He finally got it. When we take it from him.”
From a business perspective, Ray emphasized the importance of looking to the long-term future, not just at Money in the Bank or the month after. If Knight were to dethrone The OTC at Money in the Bank, Ray suggested that, in turn, Femi’s stature, potentially doing the same thing next spring at WrestleMania, would be diminished.
After all, that’s why Ray puts the idea of a knight to win the world heavyweight championship; premium live event on October 10 back on the shelf. Instead, he believes Reigns should retain the title until The Show of Shows in 2027, where a huge dream and future-cement game probably waiting for him.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, credit Busted Open Radio with ah/t Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.