KEY POINTS

  • Roman Reigns appeared Monday Night RAW this week
  • He is set to defend his undisputed title at Crown Jewel next month
  • Crown Jewel will be held in Riyadh

Roman Reigns has turned down the offer to defend his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Matt Riddle on the latest episode of Monday Night RAW.

The Bloodline began the season premiere of WWE's red brand before they were confronted by Riddle, The Original Bro, who had defeated Seth Rollins last Saturday through submission at Extreme Rules in a Fight Pit match.

Riddle fought against Reigns for the coveted undisputed title in June on a SmackDown episode. According to a stipulation added in the fight, Riddle could not challenge Reigns for the title as long as the Tribal Chief was the champion. Since The Original Bro lost the fight, the rule is still in play.

On Monday Night RAW this week, the Bloodline, including Reigns, The Usos (Jimmy and Jey), Solo Sikoa, Sami Zayn and Paul Heyman were out discussing some internal clash involving Jey Uso. Riddle interrupted them and insisted that even though he cannot face Reigns for the title, he would challenge the Head of the Table anyway.

Reacting to Riddle's challenge, Reigns first asked the fans if they would like to see the match take place on RAW. Although many fans cheered, Reigns eventually refused, adding the stipulation rule was still applied. Subsequently, Sami Zayn stepped up and a match between him and Riddle was scheduled for the show.

Roman Reigns, WWE
Roman Reigns greets the fans ahead of his match during the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Crown Jewel pay-per-view in the Saudi capital Riyadh on October 21, 2021. Fayez Nureldine/AFP via Getty Images

Meanwhile, Reigns is gearing up for his fight against Logan Paul for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. The two are expected to lock horns at Crown Jewel, a WWE pay-per-view event, next month in Riyadh.

The unexpected rivalry between Reigns and Paul started first when the Tribal Chief appeared on the "IMPAULSIVE" podcast as a guest. After the undisputed champion left the show, Paul began insulting him and even claimed he could beat the former. Soon after that, Paul appeared on an episode of SmackDown to call out The Head of the Table.

It was announced in September that Roman Reigns vs. Logan Paul fight will take place on Nov. 5 at Crown Jewel for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. The venue for the much-awaited event is Mrsool Park in Riyadh, which has a capacity of around 25,000. This will be the second time the event will be held at the venue. It was previously called the King Saud University Stadium, the place where the inaugural edition of Crown Jewel took place in 2018.