At the 2024 Royal Rumble, WWE decided to shake up the World Heavyweight Championship picture in a major way by having Roman Reigns lose… his spot as the headlining act on the show.

That's right, while his match wasn't particularly surprising, as, despite having to best three other Superstars, including a 14-time Champion in Randy Orton, Reigns still came out on top, the decision to have him wrestle second, albeit on a four-match card, turned more than a few heads online, as it's just so unusual to see the “Tribal Chief” do anything but work as a closer, especially with a mid-card belt, the United States Championship, going on after the top honor on SmackDown.

Working a fun, fast-paced match immediately after a woman's Royal Rumble match that lasted well over an hour, this was a classic mid-card “party” match, with everyone getting to hit their finishers, a series of big spots that will dominate social media, and, most importantly of all, near-falls that looked like surefire pins before someone jumped out from off-screen to break things up.

Really, the only truly surprising thing about the match was how Reigns' reinforcements impacted the match, as Solo Sikoa decided to pull the ref out of the ring just as he was about to count three and end the “Head of the Table's” reign a few weeks shy of 1,300 days.

So what gives? Did Reigns just want to beat the traffic on his way home to Pensacola, or could there be some sort of storyline reason for going on second, with the potential for the “Tribal Chief” to come out at the end of the Royal Rumble to mean mug someone like Cody Rhodes as the show goes off the air? Either way, while the match was predictable, the results were confusing indeed.

Paul Heyman spoiled Nick Aldis' plan to dethrone Roman Reigns.

While it wasn't too hard to predict who would win the Fatal Fourway for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at the Royal Rumble, especially when the match went on second, fans who watched the preshow on Peacock had the results of the match straight-up spoiled by Paul Heyman, who broke down why the villainous Nick Aldis wouldn't be able to swindle the “Tribal Chief” out of a spot at the “Head of the Table.”

“Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the final night of Roman's reign. Well, that's how WWE wants it, huh? Come on, tell the truth, that's the truth. WWE doesn't have a system set up anymore for a champion that lasts three and a half years as an Undisputed Champion. WWE doesn't have a system anymore to promote a dynasty. ‘We don't want the New York Yankees, we don't want the Boston Celtics, we don't want the LA Lakers, we don't want the Dallas Cowboys, we want a champion, we want a champion in, we want a champion out, and let's create a new replica title while we're at it, right? That's the new system around here! The system is not designed for a Roman Reigns! The system is not designed for a Roman Reigns to be champion for three and a half now going onto four years. That's why Nick Aldis, this villainous James Bond, comes along and puts Roman Reigns in a Fatal Fourway where it's practically guaranteed that Roman Reigns loses the Undisputed Championship. Keyword? Practically,” Paul Heyman told the WWE Universe during the Royal Rumble preshow.

“The last time Roman Reigns was put in this situation, it was right over the bridge in Tampa Bay and what did Roman Reigns do? He stacked Daniel Bryan and Edge; he packed 'em, he stacked 'em, he pinned 'em both. Now I'm not suggesting that tonight, Randy Orton, LA Knight, and AJ Styles get stacked by Roman Reigns, but I'm not suggesting that they won't either. Because at the end of this match, Roman Reigns defiest the odds, Roman Reigns goes past three and a half years, Roman Reigns heads towards four years, Roman Reigns heads to WrestleMania as not only your ‘Tribal Chief' but as your reigning, defending Undisputed WWE Universal Heavyweight Champion. And while that panel can sit there and offer predictions, that, ladies, gentlemen, and Byron, is what they call a spoiler.”

You know, you really have to give it up to Heyman; he is absolutely correct about one thing: WWE really isn't built for performers to have near-four-year championship reigns at the top of the card. While fans may be tired of the same old Reigns routine, it's clear the “Wise Man” has devised a strategy that remains borderline unbeatable through 1,200-plus days.