Reigns Praises McIntyre, Triple H Talks Cena, Rock WWE Returns; Wight Calls Out Shaq

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

Reigns Talks Possibly Passing the Torch to McIntyre

Roman Reigns is the unquestioned top star in WWE currently, but he sees potential in another Superstar to potentially take that spot at some point.

During an appearance on the Cheap Heat podcast (h/t WrestlingInc.com's Jason Ounpraseuth), Reigns made it clear that he isn't leaving his perch any time soon, but endorsed Drew McIntyre as the possible next person in line:

"There ain't nobody. I could say my favorite number two, Drew. He's my favorite number two. There's a bunch of number twos, threes, whatever you want to call it. We can we can rank them. It really don't matter. They're under me. How far under? Who knows? Who really cares? How strong of a number two do you want to be? At this point, my favorite is Drew McIntyre.

"So in a perfect world, if there was an opportunity to pass the torch to him, he's the one guy that has captivated my attention in that manner, but at the same time, he ain't there, and it's only because I'm still here, so solid within my stronghold. The flag is fully planted in, so I can't even think about it now, but John [Cena] needed somebody to come in so he could move on and try new things and take care of his body. I will eventually need that, but there's just nobody at this point."

Reigns is the Universal champion and has been for nearly a year. During his run with the title, he has done the best work of his career, taking to the heel role more seamlessly than anyone could have imagined.

While Reigns has been a dominant force on SmackDown, McIntyre has consistently been one of the top guys on Raw during that time. He also helped carry WWE through much of the pandemic era, including the period when Reigns was away from the company last spring.

Reigns and McIntyre faced each other in a huge match at Survivor Series last year that was well received, and they also locked horns at WrestleMania 35 when Reigns was the face and McIntyre was the heel.

Roman and Drew have shown great  chemistry, so it comes as little surprise that Reigns views McIntyre as someone potentially capable of occupying his spot in the future.

For now, there is no sign of Reigns going anywhere, and it is clear he isn't looking to give up his spot willingly.

Triple H Comments on Cena, The Rock Potentially Returning to WWE

Wrestling fans love to speculate on when past stars like John Cena and The Rock will return to the company, and the whispers have grown louder recently with fans set to return as part of live crowds next month.

WWE legend and executive Triple H was asked about Cena and The Rock in an interview with Joseph Staszewski of the New York Post this week, and responded by saying: "No matter how busy they are, I know that anytime there's an opportunity where you would say to them, 'Hey, you could enter the ring in WWE and do this,' there's a part of them that goes, 'Ooh, that sounds like a lot of fun.'"

Cena hasn't wrestled a match for WWE since WrestleMania 36 last year due largely to his acting commitments, but now that he is done filming for the HBO Max series Peacemaker, he is available to return.

The 16-time world champion has said on multiple occasions that he is excited to return to WWE, and rumors have run rampant that his return could be happening soon.

WrestleVotes recently reported that WWE wants to make August's SummerSlam event at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas as big as possible, and it desires to have Cena vs. Reigns headline the show.

It makes sense given Cena's availability and the desire to fill an NFL stadium as much as possible. Plus, a heel Reigns against a returning babyface Cena is one of the biggest matches WWE could make right now.

The Rock's return doesn't feel as imminent, but both he and Reigns, who are real-life cousins, have expressed interest in a potential match against each other in the past.

Reigns vs. The Rock is a legitimate dream match fit for WrestleMania, and it would make sense to have that match at WrestleMania 38 in Dallas next year or WrestleMania 39 in Los Angeles the following year.

WWE seemingly has some aces up its sleeve moving forward, and it could make for some entertaining programming in the coming years.

Wight Responds to Shaq's AEW Match Challenge

Paul Wight against NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal is a match that has been teased for years, and it can be argued that it has a better chance of happening now than ever before.

Wight is under contract with AEW, while Shaq is an NBA analyst for TNT, which is the same channel that airs AEW Dynamite.

Also, Shaq made his AEW in-ring debut in March, winning a tag team match with Jade Cargill against Cody Rhodes and Red Velvet.

In an interview with Victoria Moghaddami of PopCulture.com this week, Shaq said a match against Wight could happen "really, really soon," before adding: 

"There shouldn't be any problems for us getting together now. Last time there was a lot of bureaucracy and red tape. Now there is no red tape. I'm still kind of sore from that table so I'm going to work out during the summer, pump these muscles up and I'll be waiting for you, Mr. Paul."

Wight took to Twitter on Thursday, writing:

For about two decades, Wight wrestled under the name Big Show in WWE. During that time, he and Shaq had a handful of run-ins.

The most notable among them came at WrestleMania 32 in 2016 when they both competed in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and mixed it up a bit.

Both men talked about having a one-on-one match after that, but it never came to fruition.

Now, the opportunity is available to them again in AEW, and it seems as though they are open to making it happen.

If it does, Wight vs. Shaq could help get some new eyes on the product given how much crossover appeal the Basketball Hall of Famer possesses.

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