Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins are the two reigning men’s world champions on SmackDown and Raw right now. Whilst the pair could well lose their gold at any time, it does feel more likely for them to keep hold of their belts for a little while longer, being the central focus of WWE’s red and blue brands respectively.
RELATED: The Visionary: 10 Backstage Stories About Seth Rollins WWE Fans Should Know About
When looking forwards, there are certain names on both sides who could step up to do battle with the pair over the next six months or so (or perhaps even longer in the case of Reigns, who defends his title on a part-time schedule).
10 Roman Reigns: Randy Orton
Prior to Randy Orton’s injury last year, it felt as though he was to be next on the list of Roman Reigns’ big-time opponents during his record-breaking reign as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. If he is to return any time soon, this match has a strong chance of happening.
Orton’s return is still up in the air, but it would be smart to add him to a list of challengers throughout this reign that includes the likes of John Cena, Edge, Goldberg, Brock Lesnar, Daniel Bryan, and more.
9 Seth Rollins: Brock Lesnar
Seth Rollins and Brock Lesnar have crossed paths in the past, but with only a select few established main eventers currently on the Raw brand, he could well step up to challenge for the World Heavyweight Championship.
When Lesnar is on WWE TV, the vast majority of the time he has a title on his mind, and it would not be a shock at all to see him in the ring for Rollins, especially when it comes to a big Saudi Arabia show for instance.
8 Roman Reigns: Solo Sikoa
Solo Sikoa has shown small signs of breaking away from Roman Reigns over the last couple of months, and this is no accident. WWE clearly sees him as someone who could be a singles star, and a breakout title feud against Reigns could help with a push.
The Bloodline storyline is still among the most enthralling in all professional wrestling, and further capitalizing and extending the story would make sense from a WWE perspective.
7 Seth Rollins: Logan Paul
A return to the feud between Seth Rollins and Logan Paul is one which would be developed naturally, and similar to the Lesnar match mentioned before, it would make sense to see this at a Saudi PPV in November, or perhaps sooner if Paul is sticking around on a more regular schedule.
Paul looks to be in line to pick up a big victory over Ricochet at SummerSlam, and for someone his name value, he will only be climbing up the card from there.
6 Roman Reigns: AJ Styles
Roman Reigns and AJ Styles have proven to have great chemistry in the past, but they have surprisingly thus far not crossed paths during Reigns’ nearly three-year reign as champion.
RELATED: 5 Ways Roman Reigns & Brock Lesnar Are Similar (& 4 Ways They're Different)
Styles has been picking up some wins and momentum recently, and even if it is a one-off match on an episode of SmackDown, this would be a great match to add some quality to Reigns’ run with the gold.
5 Seth Rollins: Drew McIntyre
Drew McIntyre will likely lose out to Gunther at SummerSlam, which poses the question of how WWE can justify a World Heavyweight Title challenge after missing out on a midcard belt. There is an easy answer - a heel turn.
McIntrye desperately needs a character reboot, and a heel turn in order to target Rollins would be a good idea. If McIntyre doesn’t end up re-signing with WWE, then WWE should take advantage of his star power whilst he’s still there by having him challenge Rollins.
4 Roman Reigns: Sheamus
WWE looked as though they were building up to a match between Roman Reigns and Sheamus last year when the Brawling Brutes found themselves battling The Bloodline inside WarGames, but it never came to fruition.
Sheamus still has a lot of popularity among fans, and he and Reigns had good chemistry in the past. It is a combination that would be fresh though as they haven’t feuded since 2016, and it would be nice to see Sheamus in the main event scene again, even if it is brief.
3 Seth Rollins: Matt Riddle
Rollins and Matt Riddle locked horns several times in 2022, but in a similar way to Drew McIntyre, a heel turn for Riddle would make this a fresh matchup and feud. Riddle does have the quality to be a main eventer, as shown in matches with Reigns and Rollins last year, and could well be built up for a feud with Rollins.
Even if it ends up as Riddle simply being someone to answer an open challenge, it is a match that would have an instant story and will likely take place.
2 Roman Reigns: Cody Rhodes
With Roman Reigns’ infrequent Undisputed WWE Universal Championship defenses, Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40 could well come within his next 5 challengers.
RELATED: 6 Ways WWE Treated Roman Reigns Like Garbage
This is a match that should happen, and it is a match that Rhodes should win, with WWE needing to not make the same mistake as they did at WrestleMania 39 when they sucked the energy from the stadium with a Rhodes loss.
1 Seth Rollins: Gunther
Although Judgment Day’s surge in popularity could well be the cause of Rollins losing the World Heavyweight Championship sooner rather than later, there is still an argument to be made that it should be Gunther who ends Rollins’ reign.
Gunther is coming up to breaking the record for the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion, and whether he keeps the gold after breaking the record or not, he will soon set his sights on a world title.
