As we all know, Daniel Bryan has had his reign as WWE World Champion cut short due to a neck injury that has prevented him from competing for over a month now (with no concrete return date set as of now). It's really unfortunate to see it happen, but WWE had no choice but to strip him of the title. The company is in an interesting position now, with their annual Money In The Bank pay-per-view coming up. Do they continue giving "different" people a chance to be their top guy, or do they go back to what they feel are the more tried-and-true names? It could be a decision that has lasting long-term effects on the overall product, so they might want to choose carefully and make it good. This article will be looking at the ten best people WWE could select to be the next WWE World Champion, and talking about why they happen to be the best. That's not to say any of these people will be the next champion, necessarily. It's just that these would be the best choices. Let's get things underway.
10. Roman Reigns
It might be a bit of a surprise to see him ranked so low on the list, when it's crystal clear that WWE sees huge things for the guy, but a popular opinion continues to be that he isn't ready yet. He has been wrestling on the main roster since December 2012, but in the 18 months he's been there, he has only participated in 12 total singles matches. He's being protected, and rightfully so. He doesn't have a lot of experience, and with his future being so bright, the company shouldn't ruin his development by rushing him into anything too major. He had a legendary performance in the Royal Rumble this year, and that went with being the sole survivor in last year's Survivor Series match, where he teamed with his Shield brothers, as well as the Real Americans (Jack Swagger and Cesaro), to face Cody Rhodes, Goldust, The Usos, and Rey Mysterio. With Seth Rollins, he was one-half of the WWE Tag Team Champions for five impressive months, but right now, it may just too early for him to be the guy. Would it make for some fun television? Yes, it would. Would it get the crowd excited? Absolutely. However, the added pressure and the more extensive singles work that he would need in that position runs the risk of exposing him and having the WWE Universe turn on him. He has too much going for him right now, and the company shouldn't try to blow that for a momentary solution.
Columnist/Podcaster/Director at LordsOfPain.net for nearly seven years, with nearly 2000 total columns written. Interviewed and/or involved in interviewing the likes of Tyler Black/Seth Rollins (twice), Diamond Dallas Page, Jimmy Jacobs, Christopher Daniels, Uhaa Nation and more.
