A new report has shed some light on WWE’s apparent plans for Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 37 , which is scheduled to take place in March of next year.
On Tuesday, WrestleTalk wrote that per sources familiar with the situation, the company is still hoping for a match between Reigns and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, though the chances of that contest pushing forward will depend on a “variety of factors,” including the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and Johnson’s acting schedule.
Should Reigns be unable to face his cousin at WrestleMania 37 , there are a few wrestlers who could square up against the current Universal Champion. According to WrestleTalk ‘s sources, Big E and Daniel Bryan are two superstars who have been discussed as potential opponents for the “Tribal Chief” at this “very early” stage of planning for the upcoming event.
Aside from the aforementioned Friday Night SmackDown standouts, reigning WWE Champion Drew McIntyre — who represents Monday Night Raw — has been mentioned as another option. The publication noted that high-ranking company officials were “impressed” with the Scotsman’s performance against Reigns during their champ vs. champ bout at last month’s Survivor Series pay-per-view.
As further noted, Reigns was supposed to defeat Goldberg for the Universal title at WrestleMania 36 earlier this year before the erstwhile SmackDown star went on an extended hiatus due to his concerns with the coronavirus crisis. Given how this planned booking fell through as a result of unforeseen circumstances, Goldberg is reportedly under consideration as well as a potential opponent for Reigns at next year’s ‘ Mania in case Johnson isn’t available.
Rumors regarding a Reigns vs. Rock match at WWE’s biggest annual event have been swirling for the past few months. Toward the end of October, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter noted that most signs appeared to be pointing to a match between the real-life cousins at WrestleMania, especially if pandemic restrictions would be lifted or relaxed and fans would be allowed to attend live shows once again.
Although the plans for Reigns at WrestleMania 37 are still very fluid at the time of writing, it appears that things are far more certain as far as his booking for next month’s Royal Rumble is concerned. As reported by The Inquisitr , Meltzer recently wrote that the former Shield member is expected to defend his Universal Championship against Bryan, who is currently in the middle of a feud with both Reigns and on-screen ally Jey Uso on Friday Night SmackDown .