WWE's PPV schedule kicked off earlier than ever in 2022 courtesy of Day 1. Plans were also turned on their head earlier than ever as just hours before the show, Roman Reigns revealed he was unable to compete after testing positive for COVID-19. The card then underwent a slight reshuffle and Brock Lesnar, Reigns' opponent for the night, was added to the WWE Title match to make sure he still got an opportunity to win gold.

Lesnar went on to win the match, of course, and now both he and Reigns are WWE's World Champions. That means after the twos' paths were intricately intertwined as Lesnar tried to win back the Universal Title and the pair played emotional ping pong with Paul Heyman, all of a sudden they aren't even on the same show. Before that became the norm, Lesnar paid Reigns a visit on SmackDown and hinted at what might be next for their storied rivalry.

Lesnar Wants All The Gold

Just six days after he had won the WWE Title for the sixth time in his career, Lesnar wanted to put it up against the Universal Championship in an attempt to win it all. Reigns wasn't interested, claiming that because it isn't his idea, he doesn't want the unification match Lesnar suggested. WWE wouldn't have had The Beast mention it if the idea hadn't at least been discussed, though. There's a unification match coming, and odds are the week after WrestleMania, one man will be holding both of WWE's top prizes. And let's be honest, that one man is probably going to be The Head Of The Table.

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lesnar and reigns and the universal title
via WWE

While the tease hasn't been nearly as overt as Lesnar showing up and throwing down the gauntlet, there's reason to believe another unification match could be on the WrestleMania 38 card. Both of 2022's Royal Rumble matches are quickly filling up, and Charlotte Flair has declared she will be a part of the women's match. A little strange as The Queen is already the SmackDown Women's Champion. The winner of the Rumble earns the opportunity to face the champion of their choosing at WrestleMania. That gives Flair a few options should she outlast the rest of the field.

What Is Charlotte Flair Thinking?

Flair could opt to face the NXT Women's Champion. The formerly black and gold brand's title has been included as an option in recent years. She could also pick an opponent to face her for the SmackDown Women's Title, or simply take the night off, framing it as challenging herself. However, should Flair win the Rumble as a champion, then the most likely scenario is she shifts her focus to the Raw Women's Championship.

As is the case with the men's titles, there's a chance different people will be holding the Women's Championships by WrestleMania 38. For the sake of unifying these belts though, the plan is probably to keep the gold right where it is through WrestleMania season. That will give WWE the perfect excuse to run Flair versus Becky Lynch yet again without having to force the issue. Flair wins the Rumble and the following night on Raw as Lynch questions whether she even has a challenger for WrestleMania, The Queen's music hits and she reveals it'll be title versus title, winner takes all on The Grandest Stage Of Them All.

Charlotte Flair Royal Rumble 2020 Cropped

A New Angle For An Old Rivalry

Lynch and Flair's rivalry has defined the current era of women's wrestling in WWE. The two of them have clashed numerous times but their matches together rarely disappoint. You might even argue the only time one of their matches did disappoint was when Ronda Rousey was involved too. Their triple threat made history as the three of them were the first women to main event WrestleMania. This match could help make up for that, but also allow Flair to do a few things Lynch can claim but The Queen cannot.

First of all, a win in the main event at WrestleMania. Most importantly though, holding two titles at the same time. Flair can hold both titles over her head and the following week, appear on SmackDown with a new unified championship that will be defended across both Raw and SmackDown. Best of all for WWE, it's an excuse to add yet another reign to Flair's tally. Hell, since she will be winning one title and then turning the pair into a new championship, why not count it as two more reigns?

If the World and Women's Titles are going to be unified at WrestleMania 38, then the Tag Titles probably will be too. It's no secret Vince McMahon doesn't think much of the tag division, so any plans setting a unification match in motion likely won't rear their head until we're much closer to the event. As for the Intercontinental and US Title, hopefully they will be unaffected and mean more post-WrestleMania since there will be far fewer titles to compete for. Oh, and the Women's Tag Team Title, with little-to-no teams to compete for them, they're probably not long for this world.