Roman Reigns recently hinted during a WWE live show that he might take a break from the company. Various reports have emerged since the incident happened. One school of thought is that the Tribal Chief might venture into Hollywood. Dave Meltzer reported during the Wrestling Observe Radio that the Head of the Table has signed a new deal with WWE that will have him work in fewer house shows.
In this article, we will take a look at five wrestlers who could be the next Undisputed WWE Universal Champion if Reigns does take a sabbatical from Vince McMahon’s company.
5. Seth Rollins
While the Visionary has had a rough time of late losing a couple of matches to Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 38 and WrestleMania Backlash respectively, he could be someone who could carry the titles for a short period at least.
Rollins and Reigns have had a storied rivalry that started from the time when the former betrayed his Shield brothers. Their story goes back even further from their time in NXT.
If Reigns has immediate plans to leave WWE, Rollins could be the perfect opponent to beat him. This is just because WWE would not need to invest too much time to hype their feud. Rollins might become the new Undisputed WWE Universal Champion and build a feud with someone worthy for some time before dropping the titles to him.
However, the former four-time world champion would have to build some momentum by winning a few matches. Otherwise, he would not be a believable opponent to take the titles from someone who has not been pinned for over 800 days.
4. Bobby Lashley
The Almighty is a former two-time WWE Champion in his own right. He entered the men’s Elimination Chamber match earlier this year. Brock Lesnar won the match and Lashley took time off from WWE owing to a shoulder injury. He returned just before WrestleMania 38 and beat the Colossus Olmos at the Grandest Stage of Them All.
He took a loss to Omos at WrestleMania Backlash and the feud will see a third match between the two freaks of nature next week on Raw in a steel cage match.
Lashley is a worthy candidate to replace Roman Reigns as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. The 45-year-old is loved by the WWE Universe and if he faces Reigns it will certainly be a clash of the titans.
3. Edge
The WWE Hall of Famer has formed a very dominant-looking faction with Damien Priest and Rhea Ripley. They are collectively called The Judgement Day and have been on a roll of late. The Rated-R Superstar has defeated AJ Styles at WrestleMania 38 and WrestleMania Backlash with the help of his stablemates.
They will certainly be a force to reckon with in the near future with rumors of Finn Balor betraying Styles and joining the faction also doing the rounds. More members might be added to The Judgement Day over the next few weeks.
The ultimate goal of a leader of a powerful faction is always the world championship. The credibility of a faction goes up quite a few notches if the leader carries gold on his shoulder. The Judgement Day seems that sort of a faction and it would not be a surprise if Edge brawls with the Tribal Chief and take the title from him.
2. Drew McIntyre
The Scottish Warrior is already in the middle of a feud with Roman Reigns. This began when McIntyre saved RK-Bro who was being beaten down by The Bloodline. McIntyre and Reigns got involved in a brawl during the segment and Paul Heyman convinced Adam Pearce to change an already scheduled match for WrestleMania Backlash and added Reigns and McIntyre to the mix.
The Bloodline faced RK-Bro and McIntyre at WrestleMania Backlash and the heels got the victory. There was also a moment during the match when Reigns slammed McIntyre on the announce desk.
There are various reports which suggest that McIntyre would be having a feud with Reigns that would go on for a couple of months. This may have been the beginning of that feud. McIntyre is a former two-time WWE Champion and like Reigns, he has also achieved the stupendous feat of defeating Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania. No doubt McIntyre would be a worthy wrestler to become the next Undisputed WWE Universal Champion.
1. Cody Rhodes
The American Nightmare made a resounding return to WWE at WrestleMania 38. He defeated Seth Rollins at the Show of Shows and went on to do the double over him at WrestleMania Backlash.
Rhodes receives some of the loudest pops from the WWE Universe irrespective of which arena he performs in. He is certainly one of the most loved WWE Superstars in WWE at present.
The 36-year-old has made it clear that he wants to win the WWE Universal Championship by defeating Reigns. The former AEW star has momentum on his side and after his feud ends with Rollins, he could be the frontrunner to take the titles from Reigns and become the face of the company.
This will also delight the fans as well and change the monotony of having a heel as the world champion. Reigns have been the champion since 2020 and we do not want him to end the reign any time soon as he is doing a fantastic job but if WWE feels the need of having a world champion who is adored by the WWE Universe then they can certainly turn to the former Intercontinental Champion.
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