‘The Tribal Chief’ Roman Reigns cemented himself as the ‘Head Of The Table’ in WWE after his empathic win at WrestleMania. And with new theme music, it feels like his transformation is complete. Daniel Bryan is out of the picture, Kevin Owens has moved on to Sami Zayn, and Jey Uso is well under the thumb. So the question is, after Roman Reigns fends off Cesaro’s challenge, who else could step up to him? Is anyone credible enough to resemble a viable threat?
#1. Edge
Conspicuous by his absence is the Rated R Superstar Edge. With steel chairs in hand, he came dangerously close to claiming the Universal title at WrestleMania, but circumstances lead to him & Daniel Bryan taking an embarrassing double pin from Roman Reigns. It frustrated him when Daniel Bryan stuck his nose in to their business and turned their match in to a Triple Threat. Now he’s barred from SmackDown, Edge could return for the one-on-one match he felt deserving of after winning the Royal Rumble.
Despite this, I have little faith Edge would usurp Roman Reigns from his position. If there’s anything WWE is headstrong with, it’s making Reigns concrete block strong. It’s like a repeat of Brock Lesnar or John Cena, and no amount of love for Edge will change their mind. Aside from winning the Rumble and getting a win on Orton, failing to straight up beat Reigns would hurt his return. It would be smarter going after Lashley on Raw, as it would be more likely Edge would win the WWE Championship. Going after Reigns is more his style though, but beating him for the Universal title would come as a shock to everyone.
#2. Shinsuke Nakamura
It has been a while since Shinsuke Nakamura was able to challenge for the biggest prize, but since moving on from teaming with Cesaro he has been almost non existent. He hasn’t been on the best of roles lately either, after suffering losses to Seth Rollins in March.
There is time to hype Nakamura by getting wins over Rollins, like what they did with Cesaro, but time is running out. Roman Reigns needs new challengers, and Nakamura has all the credentials to be one, but WWE needs to do right by him and make him look a threat as early as this week.
#3. Rey Mysterio
If WWE wants a stopgap opponent between Cesaro and Edge (or someone else), they can call on reliable veteran Rey Mysterio. They’ll have to get him out of the tag team division first, but they can involve Dominick by having him support his Father against Jey Uso. The numbers game won’t be as prevalent in this program, which would show another side of Roman Reigns.
The Tribal Chief won’t be able to count on Jey Uso, so he would have to take on Mysterio without his help. Paul Heyman could provide distractions though, which seems more likely than Reigns getting a squeaky clean win. WWE has used the Mysterio’s well in the past year (whether or not you enjoyed the Rollins feud, they were being used!). Even in defeat, it would be like a reward for their hard work. Also, it gets Dominick in the spotlight again, and WWE is keen on selling the Mysterio name long after Rey hangs up the mask.
#4. Big E
Similar to Shinsuke Nakamura, except Big E was the Intercontinental Champion not so long ago. Bobby Lashley did something similar and became WWE Champion, so it’s not an impossibility. It’s tough to see Big E moving on from what is a loss to Apollo Crews and Commander Azeez, but the signs are there for a push.
He gets as much airtime on SmackDown than anyone, and the endgame for splitting him from The New Day was about getting him over as a singles star. What better way than to pit him against Roman Reigns? Big E is stronger and more charismatic, but has never danced with the biggest names for the most coveted prize. Is it his time? If so, WWE needs to plant these seeds ASAP.
#5. Daniel Bryan’s Raw Substitute
Daniel Bryan’s status is unknown, but if he stays with WWE, it’s obvious that his next step will be to turn up on Raw. It won’t be a transfer on its own, however, as it’s likely that WWE would use the opportunity to do a swap. Substituting for Daniel Bryan, the moving superstar needs to fulfill the following criteria: a) someone Reigns hasn’t beaten recently, b) isn’t currently holding a title, and c) is a baby face convincing enough to threaten him.
Who could it be? The only two names I can think of is Keith Lee and Jeff Hardy. They are currently inactive, Keith Lee with an injury, and Jeff Hardy because he was helping his Father before his passing on April 6th. One of ‘em should be due back soon, and it would freshen up the SmackDown roster to have a fan favorite replace Daniel Bryan. I think Keith Lee would do wonders for the show, as he finally gets the chance to showcase his skills in a more positive light since moving on from NXT.
Who Can’t It Be?
Here are the superstars I hope or assume WWE won’t go with as challengers to Roman Reigns for the following reasons:
- Seth Rollins – Too much of a heel to go up against Reigns. Better suited getting others over in the mid card, like he did for Cesaro at WrestleMania
- Kevin Owens – Lost to Reigns at TLC, so if anyone thought he had no chance before, he definitely won’t a second time.
- Aleister Black – Way too early for him. Needs to get back in to the flow of winning matches before it can be thought about.
- Jimmy Uso – I wouldn’t put it past WWE to bring Jimmy back in a way to get his brother Jey away from their cousin’s dictatorship, but I think it would insult our intelligence. Not that WWE hasn’t done this before… but we already saw Jey’s failed resistance in 2020. Going through it a second time with Jimmy feels like unnecessary retreading. Either get him in the stable or bury him so hard he moves to Raw.
Conclusion
Seriously guys, I tried my absolute best to come up with a list of challengers. The fact I could only come up with this shines a painful spotlight on SmackDown’s roster. It sucks! And it’s nothing to do with the talent, but the way WWE books them. No one outside of Roman Reigns, Edge or Daniel Bryan is ready to be Universal Champion, and we’re talking about SmackDown here. The brand which fans claim is “watchable” compared to Raw. Even Edge & Daniel Bryan aren’t believable in carrying the show over the long term, because WWE has built Reigns up to the point he’s ironclad.
I’m happy with building a champion up the right way. Roman Reigns was terrible as a babyface, so his heel persona has been a breath of fresh air. Yet, any exceptional champion needs a few great rivals. Stone Cold Steve Austin had The Rock and Triple H. Hulk Hogan had Randy Savage and The Ultimate Warrior. John Cena had Randy Orton, Batista and Edge to give us a break. Roman Reigns has nobody on any brand who can rock up to a PPV and make us think… wait a minute, could Reigns lose tonight?! Nobody is ready. Reigns is king. And that my friends, is all we can conclude when we look at today’s WWE. Thanks for reading!
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