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WWE WrestleMania 35: 5 Possible Opponents For Roman Reigns

By Patches Chance

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - FEBRUARY 23: Dwayne Johnson makes a special appearance at a screening of "Fighting With My Family" at Regal Cinemas Atlantic Station on February 23, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Marcus Ingram/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - FEBRUARY 23: Dwayne Johnson makes a special appearance at a screening of "Fighting With My Family" at Regal Cinemas Atlantic Station on February 23, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Marcus Ingram/Getty Images) /
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Kurt Angle

While The Rock would be a legend that Roman Reigns has a clear connection to, there’s another legend still hanging around WWE that could provide an interesting challenge for The Big Dog. Kurt Angle was inducted into the 2017 class of the WWE Hall of Fame, but has continued to be a presence on WWE television. After an up and down run as the General Manager of Raw, Angle took some time off before returning at TLC last year to ensure Baron Corbin’s reign in charge of Raw would come to an end.

Since that return, we’ve seen Angle continue this potentially final run, even competing in the 2019 Men’s Royal Rumble. Just over a month ago it looked like Kurt Angle was going to announce his retirement on WWE Raw, but he was interrupted by Baron Corbin and Drew McIntyre. The pairing attacked Angle, who was eventually saved by Braun Strowman. In the weeks since then we’ve seen Angle continue to be a presence on WWE Raw, but his exact purpose hasn’t been clear.

If Angle wanted to go ahead and retire, he’s had ample time to do so. Instead, it looks like Kurt Angle is clawing for one last big moment before he hangs up his boots and rides into the sunset. There may be no better candidate for that moment than Roman Reigns. While most of these matches will largely be about the continued return of Roman Reigns after his fight with leukemia, this would also be equally about Kurt Angle having one final WrestleMania moment before he truly retires.

Angle and Reigns have only really interacted in passing over the years, never squaring off at all like they could at WrestleMania 35. There’s also an interesting connection to The Shield if we step back to TLC 2017. At that event we were set to see a reunion of The Shield, but Roman Reigns was unable to compete due to medical reasons. WWE had heavily promoted that reunion, and sought to replace Reigns with a comparably huge name to make up for the last-minute change.

That night we saw Kurt Angle make a one-time-only appearance as part of The Shield, taking the place of Roman Reigns in what turned out to be a brutal 5-on-3 Handicap TLC Match. Fortunately that medical issue for Reigns was short-term and he was back in WWE soon after. It’s not something Reigns would hold a grudge for, but is an interesting callback to a moment The Shield connected these two legendary competitors. A match at WrestleMania 35 would be truly unforgettable, a perfect send-off for Kurt Angle, and a re-establishing of Roman Reigns as The Big Dog.