There’s no shortage of challengers hoping to step up to WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, that’s for sure. But “box office” clashes? Well, those may be fewer and further between, but the Special Counsel to the Tribal Chief, Paul Heyman, believes there are four ready-made WrestleMania opponents for the Head of the Table.
While speaking with William Mullally of Esquire Middle East, Heyman detailed the “big money matchups” available to the Universal Champion – who faces WWE Hall of Famer Edge at this year’s Show of Shows.
“I think there’s a lot of big money matchups. For Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar is absolutely positively one of them. But Roman Reigns versus The Rock is also huge box office. Roman Reigns one more time against John Cena would be huge box office. Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre at a WrestleMania would be huge box office.”
As well as his own previous client Brock Lesnar, The Rock, John Cena and Drew McIntyre, Heyman would name two of SmackDown’s hottest stars right now – Apollo Crews and Big E – as being people who could “truly step up” and become box office attractions.
“And I can’t discount, and I think we would all be remiss to discount, some of the new stars in WWE that I have had these discussions with on Talking Smack. Big E, Apollo Crews. Those are two people, just for example, that could truly step up into the main event on a global basis atmosphere and become the huge box office attraction that Roman Reigns needs to Main Event against at a WrestleMania.”
Heyman would say he couldn’t definitively say that Big E, Apollo Crews and Drew McIntyre wouldn’t be in the main event of next year’s WrestleMania against the current Universal Champion, saying they’re all currently emulating exactly what the Tribal Chief did for his own character at SummerSlam.
“I can’t tell you that next year’s WrestleMania shouldn’t be Roman Reigns vs. Big E or Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre, or Roman Reigns versus Apollo Crews. These are huge superstars stepping into their own the same way Roman Reigns stepped into his own last August.”
You can read Paul Heyman’s full interview with Esquire Middle East here.