What's Next For Roman Reigns After Second Loss To Brock Lesnar?

After rumors that this was finally going to be the moment Roman Reigns took the title from Brock Lesnar, things didn't quite go as planned. Not only did Reigns not win the Universal Championship, but he was screwed out of the title by a terrible referee call or a botched booking spot that was supposed to see Lesnar touch the floor first but didn't. The strange outcome now begs the question, what's next for Reigns?

Had Reigns won the title it would have been fairly simple to map out the next path for the Big Dog. He would have gone on to face Samoa Joe at Backlash for the Universal Title and likely moved forward as WWE's face of Raw and be the title-holder for some time. Instead, his future is certainly up in the air.

Knowing we don't really know what WWE has planned, here are our best theories as to what's next for Roman Reigns after his second loss to Brock Lesnar.

Reigns' Immediate Future

The next thing up for Reigns seems to be a meeting with Samoa Joe. Joe was backstage during the Lesnar vs. Reigns match and watching intently to see how the bout shaped up. Would Joe be facing a Universal Champion or an angry Big Dog who had something to prove?

Backlash is coming May 6, 2018, and with just over a week before that matchup, Reigns needs to set his sights on the right target and not get lost in the controversy that was the finish of the Greatest Royal Rumble match. If Reigns does lose his way, Joe has the skill to take it to a distracted former champion who's not had a good run as of late.

This is the kind of feud that could last a while as WWE is clearly pushing Joe for his move to the blue brand. Or, it could mean another loss for Reigns which would really be an interesting booking choice.

Reigns' Middle-Term Future

Once Reigns finishes off with Samoa Joe (if he does), he's got an immediate beef with Lesnar who won this latest match by controversial means. The referee ruled that Lesnar's feet touched the floor first and that clearly didn't happen. Instead, Lesnar was sent through the cage, landed on his back but Reigns touched his feet first.

Had Reigns lost clean this wouldn't have mattered but since Reigns didn't technically lose by the letter of the rules, he should be granted a rematch and another shot at Lesnar and his Universal Title. This seems to be a match WWE may plan for SummerSlam.

Perhaps this was a plan that was set by WWE but it seems so crazy that it's almost too much to assume WWE could have flawlessly pulled this off.

Long-Term Future

If Reigns is successful at a show like SummerSlam, he moves on as Universal Champion and the hand-picked leader of the red brand. That opens up the door to a number of potential opponents including Bobby Lashley, Baron Corbin or Braun Strowman. All might be worthy but Strowman and Reigns have some unfinished business and that could be a direction WWE chooses to go.

On the other hand, if Reigns doesn't finally beat Lesnar, it should signal that the company has become growingly concerned that Reigns won't be able to get over with the crowd. That means either a Shield reunion or a heel turn. Those two directions may be the only way WWE can get fans on his side and cheering the way the company wants fans to cheer.

All we know is that the finish and the way WWE tried to sell it on Friday doesn't appear to be the direction WWE was initially looking to go. If that's true, Reigns' future is completely up in the air and this could go anywhere.