WWE Raw 5 Predictions: Roman Reigns’s First Open Challenge Opponent

On tonight’s episode of WWE Raw, Roman Reigns will begin his reign as the Intercontinental Champion. Who will he face first?

Last year, Roman Reigns defeated Rusev at Hell in a Cell to win the United States Championship, but his time with the title was both short-lived and uneventful. Although he held the US Championship, Reigns was also in pursuit of Kevin Owens’s Universal Championship.

And while his matches, particularly the vicious Royal Rumble bout, with KO and Chris Jericho were entertaining, it never felt like Reigns was booked to make the US Title more prestigious. John Cena, whose open challenges became a thing of legend, brought this point up in his feud with Reigns at No Mercy.

Tonight on WWE Raw, Reigns begins his first full show as Intercontinental Champion after defeating The Miz for the title last week. The win made Reigns a “Grand Slam” champion, and he was the right person for the job. The WWE seems poised to allow Reigns to have his own “Open Challenges”, which will further enhance his character and allow him to produce the great matches he’s consistently given the fans for the last two years.

The show won’t just be about Reigns, however. Paige shook up the women’s division upon her return, as she’s the leader of a menacing stable. Meanwhile, Braun Strowman will continue to be a focal point, especially since he’s been butting heads with Triple H. And as for Reigns’s brothers in the Shield, they will have a big night ahead.