WWE is well on its way in the build toward SummerSlam with the 2026 edition of the King of the Ring tournament to decide the opponent for either Roman Reigns or Cody Rhodes. Both began this week with the final, as it has been in the past, taking place at Night of Champions. The winner will go on to challenge for one of the two world titles at SummerSlam. According to a recent report, the champ facing the king will be Roman Reigns.
There are some interesting wrinkles there, as WWE hasn’t clarified if the winner needs to challenge for the title from their brand, meaning a Raw wrestler could vie for a SmackDown title or vice versa. This is especially curious since Reigns recently sent Raw superstar Jey Uso to SmackDown to challenge for Cody Rhodes’ title. This would allow the Bloodline to hold both of the top championships, perhaps the one thing the faction has yet to accomplish in their astonishing six-plus-year run.
While a Jey Uso title win would be monumental given the stakes, he is not the man who seems poised to claim the crown. As is being rumored, that honor belongs to a different former champion, one who, like Uso, also has history with both Rhodes and Reigns. Though it is his history with Roman Reigns that seems will once again be front and center to headline WWE’s Biggest Party of the Summer.
Seth Rollins Rumored to Win 2026 King of the Ring, Face Roman Reigns at SummerSlam
Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns. Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. These two have been and seemingly always will be intertwined. Their careers began at the same time, and their paths have often been parallel. The two have been friends, rivals, frenemies, reluctant allies, brothers. And so long as one of them has been champion, they have been competitors, vying for the same spot at the top of the mountain. At present, that spot belongs to Reigns, following his WrestleMania 42 victory over CM Punk. Their hatred for the former champ and their former leader is arguably the one thing Rollins and Reigns agree on these days.
Rollins and Reigns have been due for another blockbuster for a while, as their last was seemingly derailed due to Rollins’ injury. Ever since the Shield broke up in 2014, fans have clamored for Rollins and Reigns to have their WrestleMania moment. They’ve certainly come close. That said, it might surprise many to know that Reigns and Rollins have only wrestled head-to-head one-on-one 10 times in the post-Shield era.
Up until 2022’s Royal Rumble, their biggest showdowns had only taken place on lesser PLEs like Money in the Bank or Night of Champions. They’ve wrestled each other at WrestleMania, but never just the two of them, something that was certainly lamented at WrestleMania 41 when Punk was added to what could have finally been the Reigns/Rollins match fans have waited for.
The Biggest Stage for their Biggest Match Yet
This may not be WrestleMania, but in recent years, WWE has built SummerSlam up as its second most important PLE, even giving it the two-night treatment. Headlining either night one or two with Rollins/Reigns is a sure bet, as the issues between these two are far from resolved.
In fact, Rollins seems to still be in Reigns’ head. This was evidenced by Reigns’ decision to attack his former Shield mate instead of focusing on Rhodes, leading to the OTC’s loss at WrestleMania XL. Through memories of the Shield, Rollins has the ability to do what no other wrestler in WWE can. He can get in Reigns’ head and cause the leader of the Bloodline to get off-kilter. Not even CM Punk could do that, try as he did.
There was great relief for Reigns when he finally beat Rollins in a title match, putting an end to Rollins’ long-held claim of the “death, taxes, and Seth Rollins beats Roman Reigns every time” narrative.
During their Shield days, Punk endeavored to find out who was the best member of the Shield. He wanted to, and in many ways succeeded, in causing division between the formidable trio. Now, 12 years later, the answer to that question is nearly impossible to answer, as all three members of the group have gone on to incredible accomplishments in pro wrestling. They’ve redefined a generation. The only thing that remains is, who is the best wrestler in WWE? Should Rollins win King of the Ring and go after the OTC as he teased, we’ll be a lot closer to answering that question.
