There is no doubt that Roman Reigns is the top dog in WWE, but is the clock ticking?
The Tribal Chief garners all the attention whenever he’s out with The Bloodline. His presence oozes ‘superstar’ and the WWE Universe has indeed acknowledged him.
The ‘Head of the Table’ gimmick was a much-needed turnaround for Reigns. While WWE always viewed him as a main-eventer, the audience knew he was being forced on them for many years.
Back in the summer of 2020, Reigns turned heel and aligned with Paul Heyman. Eventually, he forced The Usos to join him and they formed The Bloodline faction.
Since then, Roman Reigns has become the top draw in WWE. He is the current Undisputed WWE Universal Champion.
While WWE has been enjoying the success of the “Tribal Chief,” it may not last much longer. Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio reported that Reigns has signed a new contract for fewer dates.
Prior to the news breaking, Reigns spoke to fans during a house show in Trenton, New Jersey and said that he was entering a new phase in his career.
It’s also been reported that Reigns could be missing the June 5 Hell in a Cell show. With Reigns having fewer dates and the potential of Hollywood knocking on his door in the not-so-distant future, it’s left many wondering who could be the one to replace Reigns when the time comes.
For the five stars named here, we won’t be including the likes of Cody Rhodes or Drew McIntyre. They have already been established as big stars who are in their mid-30s. Instead, we’ll be taking a look at talent on the rise.
Let’s dive into five potential WWE Superstars to replace Roman Reigns:
Gable Steveson
WWE has high hopes for Gable Steveson. The Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling is signed to a WWE contract. While Steveson hasn’t had a match yet, he’s already gotten physical, giving Chad Gable an overhead belly-to-belly suplex at WrestleMania 38.
Very few are doubting that Steveson can become a great in-ring performer given his amateur wrestling background. The real question is, can he captivate the WWE audience with his personality?
So far, Stevenson has been purely presented as an athlete but he’ll need more than that to thrive in WWE.
Time is certainly on Gable Steveson’s side. He will turn 22 years old on May 31. He’ll be hard at work in the ring and in promo classes behind the scenes before he becomes a regular on WWE TV.
Theory
At least for now, Theory is Vince McMahon’s golden boy.
The reigning United States Champion has been pushed on TV as Vince’s new “chosen one.” WWE officials are high on Theory as he seems to attract younger viewers to Monday Night Raw, something the company has struggled with.
Some fans are struggling with Theory’s rise, however. The concern is that he’s a bit too generic on the mic and in the ring, at least when working the WWE style. Some feel Theory is being held back by heavily scripted promos and needs to be unchained similar to what happened with Reigns.
Theory is reportedly viewed as the next John Cena by Vince McMahon. The WWE United States Champion has even teased a SummerSlam match with Cena.
Solo Sikoa
This option would certainly be close to home for Reigns. Solo Sikoa is the younger brother of Jimmy and Jey Uso. He’s currently featured on the NXT 2.0 brand and it hasn’t taken him long to become a fan favorite on the show.
Being a member of the Anoai family certainly isn’t a bad thing when you’re a WWE superstar. At 29 years old, Sikoa isn’t the youngest guy on this list but he isn’t the oldest either. His size certainly fits the bill with WWE’s new initiative when looking to build stars.
If Sikoa develops fast enough, they may just have the perfect person to dethrone Reigns and possibly snap his brothers out of the mind control that the “Tribal Chief” has over them.
Madcap Moss
Madcap Moss is in the midst of a babyface push. After winning the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal, Happy Corbin got jealous and the team ended up splitting. They had a one-on-one match at WrestleMania Backlash, which Madcap won.
While many within WWE feel Madcap has potential, he has some things working against him. WWE has had difficulty finding the right fit for Moss and even as a face, he has still retained his bad joke gimmick when he was with Corbin.
At the age of 32, Moss isn’t exactly a young prospect either. While he may not seem like the most appealing choice, don’t rule out WWE trying to tie the rocket ship to Moss’ back.
Bron Breakker
To many fans, this is the only option.
Bron Breakker just looks like he was born to be a WWE main eventer. The son of Rick Steiner hasn’t had a lot of experience but he’s already been impressive in the ring.
He certainly stands out above the other green talent that fills up NXT 2.0. Breakker made his WWE TV debut back in Sept. 2021 and he’s already a two-time NXT Champion.
He’s got an intimidating presence, has great facial expressions when selling, is as intense as they come, and can hold his own on the mic.
To top it off, Breakker will be 25 years old this October. He has all the ingredients to headline WrestleMania one day. It’s up to WWE to maximize his potential.
Whether that means replacing Roman Reigns remains to be seen.
