When was Roman Reigns set to lose the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship? WrestleMania 40 was not it! 

Roman Reigns' 1,316-day reign as Undisputed WWE Universal Champion was ended by Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40. The Tribal Chief arguably enjoyed the greatest world title reign in history but could have lost the gold earlier.

Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that the original plan was for Rhodes to defeat Reigns at WrestleMania 39. Former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon and current chief content officer Paul 'Triple H' Levesque agreed with the change.

The American Nightmare returned from pectoral surgery and won the 2023 Men's Royal Rumble. It was widely expected among fans that he would finish his story at SoFi Stadium in California.

However, the WWE higher-ups weighed the situation and agreed that this year's 'Mania would be a stronger victory. They also felt that keeping The Tribal Chief as champion would allow Jey Uso to emerge as a singles star and a top merchandising draw for the Stamford-based company.

Roman Reigns beat Cody Rhodes thanks to interference from The Bloodline, particularly Solo Sikoa. The Head of the Table would remain champion for another year, seeing off the likes of Jey Uso, LA Knight, Randy Orton, and Kevin Owens.

---

Cody Rhodes was surprised by the fans' fury after his defeat to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39

Cody Rhodes' dream of finishing his story and winning the WWE Championship that evaded his late father Dusty appeared to end at WrestleMania 39. The two-time Royal Rumble winner was crestfallen as Roman Reigns celebrated after retaining his Undisputed WWE Universal title.

The American Nightmare was quickly becoming the top babyface in the Stamford-based company. Fans were just as devastated by his failure to win the title as he was, voicing their frustrations on social media.

Cody Rhodes opened up on fans' response to his WrestleMania 39 setback three months later. He admitted that it took him by surprise:

"I was surprised at how p*ssed people were. A lot of managerial people in the company reached out to me, checking on me, and also reached out to me to let me know, ‘Don’t go online. Don’t go online.'" [H/T TJR Wrestling].

This reaction from fans played an intriguing role in Rhodes' journey to becoming champion. The online fury increased tenfold on the Road to WrestleMania 40 when it looked as though The Rock was taking his spot in the main event.

Rhodes won the Royal Rumble for the second consecutive year and pointed at Roman Reigns to close the Premium Live Event. He appeared to make a U-turn by introducing The Rock to the ring the following SmackDown.

However, fans let loose on social media with #WeWantCody trending on X/Twitter in the United States. WWE catered and allowed the former AEW executive vice president to finish his story.