WWE WrestleMania 35: 5 Possible Opponents For Roman Reigns

Last night at WWE Fastlane, Roman Reigns had his first match back since returning to WWE. It was physical and brutal, but it proved Reigns is as ready to go inside the squared circle as ever. Now the attention shifts forward. Who will Roman Reigns be facing at WrestleMania 35?

Now that the initial wonderful shock of Roman Reigns returning to WWE has worn off, and his first match back was a rousing success, it’s time to figure out what’s next for The Big Dog. Any questions about his readiness to compete have been dispelled, but his path to WrestleMania 35 remains murky.

In order to put Roman Reigns back in the main event scene, a place he’s definitely worthy of, he first needs a marquee match at WrestleMania 35. Seth Rollins already has the Universal Championship locked down as he’ll be taking on Brock Lesnar.

A step down to the Intercontinental Championship wouldn’t make sense right now, so where does that leave Reigns heading towards MetLife Stadium? He needs a top notch opponent, and there’s definitely more than one man that could fit the bill. Here, we’ll look at five opponents that could square off with The Big Dog at MetLife Stadium.

John Cena

The first choice to face Roman Reigns would be someone who isn’t currently part of an ongoing storyline in WWE. John Cena has been off since just before the Royal Rumble to film another movie. While his exact return isn’t clear, it’s expected he’ll be back in time to hype a match at WrestleMania 35. It won’t be the first time we’ve seen these two square off, but it’s certainly a different situation now than we had back in 2017.

In the buildup to John Cena vs Roman Reigns at No Mercy 2017, the two had a volatile contract signing that saw John Cena on fire while spitting insults at Roman Reigns. The clash took place during a time when the crowd continued to be heavily mixed in their opinions of Roman Reigns. Every time he entered an arena, there would be a thunderous mix of cheers and boos from various fans.

In his time on the microphone, John Cena took to spouting many of the comments heard from Roman’s critics during that time. One of Cena’s first strong statements before Reigns entered the arena was one no shortage of fans had reiterated before: “Roman Reigns has been the blue chip prospect that has been protected against anyone and everyone that steps in his path.”

That belief that Roman Reigns was protected from his failings and somehow unworthy of his position has since been thoroughly debunked, but it was still on the tips of fans’ tongues in the fall of 2017. Things have changed more than anyone could have anticipated in the year and a half since then, and even John Cena had these great words to say after Roman’s return to WWE.

Another clash between the two wouldn’t have nearly the same controversial tinge to it, but would be a chance for Roman Reigns to prove that he’s just as great as he was in the past and confirm the “yard” that is WWE belongs to him. Reigns was victorious in their clash at No Mercy, and defeating Cena again on the stage of WrestleMania would dispel any doubts of Reigns still being as great as he’s always been.

One of the things Roman Reigns brought up during his brief rivalry with Cena in 2017 was the part-time schedule John Cena had nestled into. In the time since then, Cena’s schedule has become even more part-time. He’s gotten bigger movie roles, and gotten them more often. On the contrary, Roman Reigns took four months off to battle leukemia, send it back into remission, and immediately put himself back inside a WWE ring. The story writes itself, and it’s a match we’d surely love to see again.