At WrestleMania 42, Roman Reigns will challenge CM Punk for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Reigns has stated ahead of the match that he doesn’t think he belongs in WWE anymore if he ends up losing against Punk.
With ‘The OTC’ potentially having an uncertain future, WWE might have to think about who could replace Roman as the top star of the company moving forward.
Here are eight potential WWE replacements for Roman Reigns.
8. CM Punk
The main event of WrestleMania 42 Sunday may just determine who will take the mantle as the biggest star in all of WWE today.
While Roman Reigns has sat at the mountaintop for the better part of the past decade, it may be time for him to end his in-ring career and start a new journey in his life.
With Reigns out of the way, it might be up to Punk to stay on top of WWE until he finishes out his legendary career.
At 47 years old, Punk might not be a long term solution to replacing Reigns, but he just might be the best option right now.
7. Jey Uso
During the dominance of The Bloodline, it was clear to see Roman Reigns was grooming his cousin Jey Uso for greatness.
Widely regarded as a tag team specialist due to the success of The Usos, Jey has come a long way and established himself as a more than capable singles competitor.
In 2025 alone, Jey won the men’s Royal Rumble match and then went on to capture the World Heavyweight Championship from GUNTHER at WrestleMania 41.
If Reigns is finishing up his run in the company, there might not be anyone better suited to replace ‘The OTC’ than Jey Uso.
6. Solo Sikoa
Another WWE star who gained a lot of guidance and mentorship from Roman Reigns over the years is Solo Sikoa.
During his time in The Bloodline, Solo earned the moniker of ‘The Tribal Heir’ with Roman himself stating that his cousin would one day become ‘The Tribal Chief.’
After Reigns losing the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship to Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40, Sikoa did not waste any time taking the Ula Fala and taking over The Bloodline himself, leading to a rivalry with his cousin.
Despite losing that war with Reigns, it might be up to Solo to once again take the mantle from ‘The OTC’ if he is leaving WWE.
5. Jacob Fatu
Since debuting in WWE in 2024, Jacob Fatu has showcased what has made him one of the most intense and intimidating forces in the business today.
‘The Samoan Werewolf’ is a former United States Champion and has physically dominated a who’s who of stars, such as Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre.
While they have only interacted against one another, Fatu is another member of Roman Reigns’ legendary family who has made a name for himself in the wrestling industry.
Fatu replacing his cousin would be interesting and position him to reach the mountaintop of WWE sooner rather than later.
4. Trick Williams
It has been no secret that Trick Williams has his eyes on a top spot in WWE since his arrival to the main roster at the start of 2026.
While he remains a heel, Williams usually receives some of the loudest cheers from the fans every time he appears on the company’s programming.
With unforgettable mic skills, undeniable charisma and underrated in-ring ability, Williams has checked every box necessary to become a main event level talent in short order.
Considering that Roman Reigns could be winding down his time in a WWE ring, Trick feels poised to fill the void left behind by ‘The OTC’ more than most on the roster right now.
3. Bron Breakker
Back on the WWE Raw after WrestleMania 41, Bron Breakker made a statement when he physically dominated and destroyed Roman Reigns to officially align with Paul Heyman and Seth Rollins to form The Vision.
This alliance has seen Breakker in a more prominent spot on the WWE roster over the past year.
While he has stepped in the ring against Reigns in tag team action, Breakker has never gone one-on-one with ‘The OTC.’
Feeling like the star pegged to be at the very top of the company, Breakker could become the logical replacement for Reigns when the time is right.
2. Cody Rhodes
At WrestleMania 40 in 2024, Cody Rhodes defeated Roman Reigns to win the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship and finish his story.
Since then, Rhodes has been WWE’s biggest full-time star, but there has always felt like a Roman Reigns-shaped cloud has hung above his reigns as champion.
After Reigns held the top prize in the company for 1,316 days, it has felt like ‘The American Nightmare’ has just been trying to play catch up and usually feels like second fiddle when he and Roman are on the same side of a fight.
Without Reigns in the company, it feels inevitable that WWE will look to Cody to fill the void left behind by ‘The OTC’ and truly ascend to the same level that Roman was able to achieve ahead of him.
1. Oba Femi
Heading into WrestleMania 42, it feels like no one has been riding a wave of momentum quite like Oba Femi.
Accepting Brock Lesnar’s open challenge for WrestleMania 42, Femi has shown no fear in ‘The Beast Incarnate’ over the past few weeks.
‘The Ruler’ has the size, strength and intensity that should make him someone to watch for years to come and eventually take down the top stars before cementing himself as one.
Whether it be from Roman leaving the company or by defeating ‘The OTC’ to win the World Heavyweight Championship, it feels like WWE have a ready-made upper echelon star in the making in Oba whenever they are ready to pull the trigger.
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