WWE: Brock Lesnar May Lose Title At Royal Rumble, Roman Reigns Still Set For WrestleMania 31?

Brock Lesnar may be what is best for business at the moment, but if Vince McMahon and Triple H can’t negotiate a decent deal soon, Jim Ross believes it’s possible the Beast could lose his WWE World Heavyweight Championship title at Royal Rumble 2015. But if this happens, who would Roman Reigns be destined to fight at WrestleMania 31?

In a related report by the Inquisitr, the WWE was also negotiating with Brock Lesnar for additional Monday Night RAW appearances, and it seems like they managed to reach a deal. Brock is set to appear on RAW at least twice in December, although it’s believed the Beast could show up at a RAW taping that’s scheduled to be at a location within two hours of Brock Lesnar’s house. There’s also rumors that Lesnar won’t fight John Cena at Royal Rumble 2015, with some reports suggesting that WWE TLC could feature that match, but the latest backstage whispers suggest otherwise.

The idea that Brock Lesnar’s WWE title may actually be lost at Royal Rumble was suggested by Jim Ross on the basis that their contract negotiations may not be going well.

“It’s going to be curious to see how WWE addresses the contractual issue with their part time, WWE World Champion Brock Lesnar as his contract is allegedly expiring shortly after WM31. There is no way that I would roll into Levis Stadium with Brock as the Champion if I did not have a new contract in place for the amazing athlete. If Lesnar isn’t signed to a new, more WWE friendly deal by early January there is no reason for him to make it out of the Royal Rumble as the WWE World Champion.”

So where would this leave Roman Reigns? It’s still being suggested that the former Shield member is the heir apparent to the WWE title, but due to his surgery, Reigns won’t wrestle until WrestleMania 31 since Royal Rumble won’t give him enough time to heal up. If Lesnar is removed from the mix, it’s possible the WWE management will have to spin an entirely new story line. Of course, last minute decisions are not unknown since Vince McMahon supposedly decided to end The Undertaker’s streak with minutes to spare before the infamous match at WrestleMania 30 began.

Losing the title would also be quite unexpected. Although technically Brock Lesnar lost to John Cena due to Seth Rollins’ interference, pretty much everyone is expecting Cena to be German suplexed into the ground on his third try. If Vince McMahon and Triple H can add a hint of unpredictability to match results, then the long-time fans may come streaming back, and it’s possible the WWE Network subscriber numbers won’t have the media saying the company is about to crumble. Cena would also tie Ric Flair’s record for the number of WWE title runs, which could provide a pop despite all the Cena haters.

But the WWE also needs to figure out what the fans want. Paul Heyman’s guy has apparently been losing faith with many a fan, so it might be a case of Lesnar needing to lose the belt sooner rather than later, anyway. WWE fans are just sick of Lesnar being a part-timer, and many are saying he should lose the WWE Heavyweight Championship title, so it’s possible that any decision on the WWE title will wait until WWE management can gauge fans’ reactions to the planned appearances at Monday Night RAW.

Eventually, the Beast will fall, and Brock Lesnar will retire as a farmer. The question remains who is set to take the WWE into the future over the long term.