10 Best Options To Be WWE's Next Top Guy
The show must go on, even without the star.
For the last five yeas, Roman Reigns has been pegged to lead WWE in the Hulk Hogan/John Cena role of top babyface. While his fan reactions were usually mixed to negative, he was more or less "the guy" do to the intensity of said reactions, and WWE's insistent push. The company was operating under the assumption that he would be occupying the role or at least the next five years, plenty of time to find a new top face in the process.
Obviously, their plans have now hit a snag. Look, we have no idea what kind of leukemia Roman Reigns has right now, but no kind is to be taken lightly. It could be months before we see him again, it could be several years, it could be never, we just don't know right now, and something tells me WWE doesn't either.
With that said, there's still shows to be put on every week. There's still the matter of SmackDown moving to FOX next fall. Someone has to step up to the plate and be promoted as "the guy" until Reigns can come back, or take the role permanently if he's not able to.
Thankfully, it's not as though WWE are hurting for candidates. While some (Styles, Nakamura) are too old, while others (Strowman) are too one-dimensional, there are plenty of young guys with good looks and great athleticism that, we think, would fill the role of top guy perfectly.
10. Ricochet
Roman or not, Ricochet is destined for main roster stardom, that much is for certain. At 30 years old, the man with springs for knees has been wowing indie audiences for years with his high-flying maneuvers that defy logic. Now the North American Champion, he's established himself as one of NXT's most gifted performers. Regardless of what happens, so long as Ricochet keeps himself healthy, he's destined for the Rey Mysterio superhero slot.
However, with the massive power vacuum that exists at the top at the moment, perhaps Ricochet could be even more. Granted, he has road blocks ahead of him. For one thing, he stands at only 5 foot 9 and weighs less than 200 pounds. Plus, he's never been known as a dynamo on the mic.
That said, I would hope WWE at least consider him for that top guy role. Wrestling has changed so much since the days of Hulk Hogan or even John Cena's heyday. Your average TV viewer thinks of pro wrestling as big meaty guys slugging each other with chairs. Ricochet neither looks nor moves like that, and with SmackDown's impending move to FOX, what better way to change the public's perception of your product than by pushing a guy like that as the centerpiece?
Just as Rey Mysterio created a whole new generation of fans back in Ruthless Aggression, so too could Ricochet.