Xavier Woods: There’s No Way Roman Reigns Leaves WrestleMania As WWE Champion

Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns is headed back to the main event of another WrestleMania. 'The ‘Tribal Chief’ defends his championship in a highly anticipated rematch with Cody Rhodes on WrestleMania XL Sunday on April 7. Despite his dominance as champion, fans and some of his peers believe his reign may finally be nearing its end.

The stage is set for Rhodes to finally ‘finish his story.’ After winning the 2024 Men's Royal Rumble and choosing Reigns as his opponent, fans believe WWE WrestleMania 40 will be his moment to win. WWE superstar Xavier Woods is also starting to believe Reigns will not make it past the event as champion. 

In an interview with WWE Die Woche (WWE The Week) with Sebastian Hackl, Woods shared his prediction for the Reigns vs. Rhodes match. He doesn't think Reigns holds the title past the event and that it will create new opportunities for other talent. 

"...There's no way he gets through WrestleMania with that championship. If he does, I don't know. I can't even say anything because, just in case that he does, but I fully believe he will no longer be champion after WrestleMania 40," said Woods. He added, "...And then I feel like we might just have a champion who shows up and defends the title a bit more and then people will have a shot at winning the heavyweight championship. Excuse me, the universal championship."

Potential Future With Cody Rhodes As Undisputed WWE Universal Champion

Woods's statement may echo other talent beliefs and hope that Rhodes will be the new champion. While fans have appreciated Reigns' championship run over the years, he hasn't been as active in defending as some may hope. 

His last successful title defense occurred at WWE Royal Rumble on January 27 in a Fatal Four Way match against LA Knight, AJ Styles, and Randy Orton. This is a problem, as he only defended the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship five times throughout 2023.

 WWE WrestleMania 40 will mark more than two months since the 'Tribal Chief' put his title on the line. Rhodes's winning the championship is expected to make him more active and put WWE in a position to consistently find fresh challengers. 'The American Nightmare seemingly has the odds stacked against him but is confident he'll win the title and usher in a new era in WWE.