10 people who WWE could choose to replace Roman Reigns as the face of the company
Being recognised as the face of the WWE is a position that very few have been able to reach. Certain eras of professional wrestling are defined by and can be linked to a particular star, for example, you simply can’t think of the 80s without ‘Hulkamania’ coming to mind.
The business itself needs iconic names that can be easily marketed in order to draw new fans to the product. Most viewers can remember a particular moment or person that caught their eye as they were channel surfing that made us check out the following week.
At the moment, the figurehead of the WWE is Roman Reigns, a man who the company finally made into the top guy in 2020 after many years of trying to find the way to catapult him into superstardom. However, ‘The Tribal Chief’ isn’t going to be the head of WWE’s table forever. So, let’s take a look at ten people who could potentially fill Roman’s boots when the spot opens up.
10.Damian Priest
Starting with a man that WWE is clearly already very high on, Damian Priest is the current Mr. Money in the Bank and is a key part of one of the company’s top factions. Judgment Day is often the through line of Monday Night Raw and the large majority of screen time on the red brand is afforded to the group, with the main event usually featuring Priest.
Damian is one of the most experienced members of the WWE roster and has been trusted by higher-ups in the company to be involved in two Bad Bunny matches, proving that the company already have a good level of faith in him to train celebrity wrestlers and help them negotiate their way through a match.
With all that said, could Priest really fill the boots of Roman Reigns? Well, as easy as it is to think that the 40-year-old might not be the youthful exuberance that WWE are looking for to carry the company for the next decade or so, he’s a perfectly marketable heel and has a strong faction around him. In fact, there have been reports which suggest that higher-ups view Judgment Day as a potential long-term successor for The Bloodline, both in terms of drama and character development. So, it seems very possible that Priest could be the head of WWE’s next top storyline.
9.Dominik Mysterio
Okay, you’d be forgiven for raising your eyebrows at this one, but hear us out. From one Judgment Day member to another Dirty Dom has really hit his stride as of late. When he came into WWE in as a very inexperienced second-generation wrestler, no one would’ve ever expected him to be in contention on this list at any point, but his heel turn during Clash at the Castle 2022 has been the catalyst for him to come into his own as a performer.
Even at the start of his time with Judgment Day, some fans were off-put by his backstage segments and overall presentation. Though, when he was paired with Rhea Ripley, the 26-year-old never looked back in terms of his performances. Particularly, once they ran with the idea of ‘prison Dom’ being part of his petulant heel character, the fans seemed to get on board with what he was doing.
Of course, he’s not close to being ready to take over as the face of the company just yet, but who’s to say where he will be when Roman steps away from WWE? As it stands, audience members love to take part in booing Dom and the crowd participation during his promo segments has become a genuine reason for fans to come to shows. While many treat the heat he gets as an in-joke, Mysterio could easily become one of the biggest heels WWE has had if his momentum continues.
8.Carmelo Hayes
Our first NXT-based entry to this list is Carmelo Hayes, someone who has become the linchpin of WWE’s third brand in recent months. Starting as a mid-carder who had to rise through the ranks, Hayes began his time as a heel but had to turn babyface earlier this year due to the fans wanting to support his pure entertainment value.
His qualities were always there to be seen, as his run with the North American Championship showed that make anything feel big time. Carmelo dubbed himself the ‘A-Champion’ and didn’t miss an opportunity to state how important his gold was to the show itself. As the saying goes, it’s the man who makes the title and the 29-year-old was certainly able to elevate the brand’s midcard title in the eyes of the viewers.
Now that he has had NXT Championship itself, only recently losing it to Ilja Dragunov, there’s no doubting just how crucial Hayes has become to the developmental show. So, once he inevitably gets the call to join the main roster, it’s entirely possible that his endless charisma and ability to put on good matches could see him reach the top spot in WWE, he’s even been involved in a gripping storyline regarding the attack of his ally Trick Williams in recent weeks, showing that he can turn his hand to the dramatic side of things as well.
7.Jey Uso
Jey Uso may have a case for being WWE’s breakout star of 2023. Of course, as a nine-time tag team champion, we all know about his credentials alongside his brother Jimmy, but not many would’ve predicted his success as a singles star. Now, the 38-year-old is very much his own man and is able to lead sold-out arenas in bouncing along with his entrance through every Monday night. His entertainment value simply can’t be ignored and this has helped him become beloved in the eyes of many fans.
Jey spent around three years standing alongside Roman as part of The Bloodline, but let’s not forget that he was actually Reigns’ first challenger for the Universal Title, too. The feud between Uso and his cousin was the first inkling that Jey could find success away from his brother, and, given that Jimmy was out with injury for over six months of this run, the younger of the two twins proved that he belonged in the spotlight.
During his time under Roman, the tag team specialist would be dubbed ‘Main Event’ Jey Uso and he has certainly lived up to that moniker since moving to Raw and being away from Bloodline business. Jey can safely be considered one of the top four babyface acts on Raw, so why not keep WWE’s top spot in the family and have him inherit that spot from Reigns by finally dethroning The Tribal Chief for the gold.
6.Bron Breakker
Understandably, many were off-put when WWE initially switched its third brand from black and gold to 2.0 in September 2021. However, there was immediately one man who jumped out to everyone watching as someone to keep an eye on. Son of Rick Steiner, second-generation wrestlers do usually have a high chance of going far in the business, but Bron truly could be the future.
Straight out of the gate, Breakker was given a major push. He found himself as the NXT Champion just four months after his debut and is now a two-time title holder, with his heel turn this past April breathing new life into his presentation. Truthfully, the 26-year-old already has a commanding presence whenever he’s on-screen and most things that he’s booked to do automatically feel big time.
So, we’re left to wonder what WWE would look like if Bron Breakker was at the helm. Many already feel as though he is ready to be brought up to either Raw or SmackDown and the sky is the limit when it comes to what the fresh-faced star can achieve. In terms of claiming the spot at the top of the card, it really depends on how quicker Triple H wants to pull that trigger. WWE could have Breakker continue his monstrous heel run and rise to the top in exceptionally quick fashion, or they could start a slow build to the main event scene by having him win midcard titles before moving up. Either way, Breakker is surely a great option to carry the company for the next decade or more.
5.Sami Zayn
Sami Zayn is someone who many fans felt could’ve been the man to dethrone Roman Reigns earlier this year when all the stars seemed to align for him. The Canadian had been part of Bloodline’s saga for over eight months by the time he turned on the group at the Royal Rumble, and, with Elimination Chamber taking place in his hometown of Montreal, it seemed too perfect of a moment to moss and would’ve written history as one of the biggest and best babyface wins in company history.
As it turned out, WWE opted to have Roman’s title reign continue past Montreal, but that didn’t stop a portion of fans from believing that Sami could make it to the world championship level again. After shining in a role alongside Reigns, Zayn’s qualities were revealed for all to see. In particular, his endearing personality makes it effortless for fans to support him and the 39-year-old could easily get people on side should he get the chance to go for WWE’s top prize again.
Now a regular on Monday Night Raw, Sami was recently split from his tag team partner Kevin Owens via a brand trade pick, but is more than proving his worth as a singles star. WWE’s flagship show is flooded with top babyface characters, and the former Intercontinental Champion may be the most amicable of them all. He will surely be a contender for the World Heavyweight Title in the near future and could certainly have a Daniel Bryan-esque fairytale story that cements him as the next face of the company in the near future.
4.LA Knight
In a previous entry, we mentioned how age can be a limiting factor in whether WWE chooses to push a specific star, and, at 41-years-old, it’s something which is often thrown at LA Knight to push back on the idea of him as a potential main event talent. Some believe that The Megastar has reached this point of wild popularity too late in his career to have prolonged success at the top, but this isn’t necessarily the case.
It’s worth noting that what Knight was doing while outside WWE compared to nowadays on SmackDown isn’t all that different. He has always had the undying charisma that is on display every Friday night, it’s just that he’s been given a bigger audience to captivate with his catchphrases. What Knight does is likely to pique the interest of any viewer, even the most casual fans may be able to get drawn in by his work which is exactly what the company would want out of its top star, which is why he’s thought by many to be a future World Champion, which could happen in 2024.
The face of the WWE is someone who attends the vast majority of their promotional events, including interviews and talk shows, a role which LA would surely be perfect for. If he does get given the opportunity to be the figurehead of the company, it would be a decision that’s almost entirely driven by pure fan support. Barely anyone is as popular with audiences across the world as LA Knight is today, and so it would make sense for Triple H and co to capitalise on this and reward him with a huge position in the coming months.
3.Seth Rollins
As the current World Heavyweight Champion, it would make sense for WWE to look to Seth Rollins in the absence of Roman Reigns. After all, when Triple H first introduced the new title to Raw, he stated the importance of having a world champion that was likely to be there every week and regularly defend the title, something which he has given his all to do despite a very legitimate back injury which has become part of his storylines in recent months.
From one former Shield member to another, Rollins inheriting the position as the distinctive face of the WWE would be poetic in a myriad of ways, not least because Seth was the one to take a chair to Reigns’ back to call an end to The Shield. The Visionary is also able to boast a relatively successful singles record, something which has been referenced on TV in the past.
The company is trying to present Rollins as a workhorse champion and he’s been one of the most reliable performers for WWE over the last decade. All in all, he has five world championship reigns since he pulled off the ‘Heist of The Century’ in 2015, but, to this point, he has never really felt like the recognised top guy, whether that he because of short title reigns, injuries or fighting an uphill battle to try and make the Universal Title feel equal to the WWE Championship. It would be fitting for Triple H to crown The Architect as the true face of the company in the the future.
2.Gunther
After spending a considerable amount of time in NXT and NXT UK, many fans were worried about the prospect of the man formerly known as Walter joining the main roster, but, as of writing, Gunther has been the WWE Intercontinental Champion for over 525 days, being a dominant force since his SmackDown debut in Spring of last year. Particularly under Triple H’s creative direction, the Austrian has gone from strength to strength and is currently flanked by his Imperium teammates as he continues to take on all comers for his IC Title.
The Ring General even reached the final two of the 2023 Royal Rumble, entering at number one and only being thrown out by the final entrant and eventual winner Cody Rhodes, and he’s one of the favourites for this year’s match too. It’s clear that the company see Gunther as a future main event talent, and, despite never competing for a world championship thus far, he will surely be challenging at the level of Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns once someone ends his Intercontinental Title reign.
In terms of whether he could ascend to being the face of the WWE, Gunther is surely the perfect monster heel to sit atop the card for years to come, waiting for a babyface to knock him off his perch. Heroes need villains and the six-foot, near-300 pounder could prove the perfect final boss for any fan favourite.
1.Cody Rhodes
Cody Rhodes seems to be the most likely candidate to become the face of the WWE once Roman steps away. Many fans still can’t believe that Rhodes didn’t walk out of WrestleMania 39 as the Undisputed Universal Champion after his 2023 Royal Rumble. Still needing to finish the story, some viewers are still expecting Cody’s crowning moment to come at WrestleMania XL, and whether that happens or not, there’s no denying that he’s earned a run with the world title.
Truthfully, love him or hate him, Cody Rhodes is exactly what WWE needs as their next iconic babyface. Much like John Cena before him, The American Nightmare is someone who is able to battle through any adversity put in front of him, as we all saw at Hell in a Cell 2022. Plus, unlike the 16-time world champion, audiences across the world are still captivated by Cody’s presence each week, with it only really being AEW’s viewers that have grown tired with his performances.
Speaking of his AEW stint, helping to found a genuine alternative to WWE and acting as an EVP proves that Rhodes has the right skillset to be a true company man. Having the Grandson of A Plumber at the helm of Raw and SmackDown would be a fair reflection of the way in which he has already improved business for WWE, almost always being among the top merchandise sellers, and it surely won’t be long before he finds himself with the title his father never had the chance to hold.