WWE: The Top 5 Champions of 2020
By Mark Justice
![Sasha Banks, Bayley, WWE SmackDown (photo courtesy of WWE) Sasha Banks, Bayley, WWE SmackDown (photo courtesy of WWE)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/e521d6a2955fe96b3a0efe8dea5ec6f0544fe1cfee3979f5717b810c9a0472eb.jpg)
2.) Roman Reigns
At WWE Payback 2020, Roman Reigns dethroned ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt in a triple threat match with Braun Strowman to become the new Universal Champion. He then went on to retain the Universal Championship in a compelling bloodline storyline against Jey Uso at both WWE Clash of Champions 2020 in September and WWE Hell in a Cell 2020 on October and defeated WWE Champion Drew McIntyre at Survivor Series. He is now feuding with Kevin Owens.
These victories have been meaningful over the past few months for Reigns. He solidified his big return to in-ring competition after winning back the Universal Championship he never lost at PayBack, solidified his spot as the Tribal Chief after defeating his cousin, Jey Uso, at the two consecutive PPVs of Clash of Champions and Hell in a Cell, and solidified himself as the superior champion in the WWE after defeating WWE Champion Drew McIntyre at Survivor Series.
On top of that, Reigns has been perfect as the heel Tribal Chief who sits at the head of the table and leads his Samoan heritage to stardom with the Universal Championship in his grasp, his counsel, Paul Heyman, at his side, and his cousins, The Usos, behind him. Although he should have already had his rematch with former Universal Champion Bray Wyatt, the booking of his title reign has been consistent nonetheless.
His exemplary in-ring work and manipulative promo work have told great stories, keeping things fresh each week and making the fans wonder what he will do next. His marketability is self-explanatory, as he is one of a few potential megastars in the WWE today. His elevation of the main event scene is debatable. It is too early in his reign to call this, but he has elevated Jey Uso thus far as Uso is no longer seen as merely a tag team wrestler.
However, Reigns’ contenders, such as Kevin Owens, tend to be rushed into the title scene and needs to be built up better. Evidently, this is not a Roman Reigns problem and mostly a WWE booking problem. Nonetheless, Reigns has proven to be a worthy Universal Champion whose heel run as the Tribal Chief has far surpassed his prior babyface run as The Big Dog that never truly resonated with the hardcore wrestling fans.
In-Ring Work: 4.5/5.0 Stars (A-)
Promo Work: 5.0/5.0 Stars (A+)
Fresh Entertainment: 5.0/5.0 Stars (A+)
Division Elevation: 4.5/5.0 Stars (A-)
Box Office Attraction: 5.0/5.0 Stars (A+)