First Challenger For Roman Reigns’ WWE World Heavyweight Championship

Published: Apr 20, 2026 by SP3 | Last Updated: Apr 20, 2026 by SP3

Born in Harlem, New York and now living in the Bronx, Sid Pullar III aka SP3 is a lifelong wrestling fan who has been covering the industry for over nine years as a podcaster and writer. His passion for the industry has been documented with over 3,000 videos on YouTube and 8,000 written pieces across multiple outlets, such as WrestleTalk, Sports Illustrated and more.

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First Challenger For Roman Reigns’ WWE World Heavyweight Championship

WrestleMania 42 weekend concluded with Roman Reigns dethroning CM Punk for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

With ‘The OTC’ now back on the mountaintop of WWE, it should be intriguing to see who the company will position as the first challenger for the new World Heavyweight Champion.

From former champions to newly rising stars, there are going to be plenty of major talents who could come after Reigns now that he holds the top prize on Monday Night Raw.

Here are seven potential options for the first challenge for Roman Reigns’ WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

7. Oba Femi

At WrestleMania 42 Night Two, Oba Femi defeated Brock Lesnar in what had to be the biggest victory of his young career.

Following the premium live event, Femi appeared on the Mania post show and was asked what is next for him.

‘The Ruler’ did not hesitate to call out the new World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns and stated that he is coming for the title.

WWE should not waste any time and position Femi as the top contender to challenge Reigns for the gold as soon as possible.

6. Finn Balor

Another WWE star who picked up a huge win on ‘The Grandest Stage of Them All’ was ‘Demon’ Finn Balor.

After embracing his alter ego for the first time in three years, Balor defeated Dominik Mysterio in a Street Fight.

Now that he is out of The Judgment Day and gotten revenge on his former stablemates, it might be time for Balor to pursue the World Heavyweight Championship once again.

Wanting revenge on his loss from Extreme Rules 2021, ‘Demon’ Balor might be next in line to challenge Roman Reigns for the title that has eluded him for all these years.

5. Jey Uso

At the beginning of Roman Reigns’ epic 1,316 day Undisputed WWE Universal Championship reign, ‘The OTC’ was challenged by his cousin Jey Uso.

In what would be one of the defining rivalries of that run, Roman and Jey did battle on several different occasions.

After Uso’s own reign came to an end last summer, Reigns might want to give his cousin another opportunity at the title he captured back at WrestleMania 41 in 2025.

Reigns issuing a challenge to Uso for the World Heavyweight Championship would be fitting to show how much he values his cousin and wants to redeem himself for all the bad treatment he’s given him over the years.

4. Seth Rollins

At the WrestleMania 42 Night One premium live event, Seth Rollins made his in-ring return in a loss to GUNTHER.

Before Mania, Rollins made it clear that he has two goals in mind, which was to take down what he created in The Vision and go after the World Heavyweight Championship that he never lost.

While he suffered a loss to ‘The Ring General’ at ‘The Showcase of the Immortals,’ Rollins might still find himself in contention to challenge the man he pinned in the main event of WrestleMania 41 last year.

Rollins stepping up to challenge Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship would be a high profile showdown that could headline any premium live event coming up in the near future.

3. Bron Breakker

One of the more memorable moments of WrestleMania 42 weekend had to be Bron Breakker’s return during Night One.

Coming out to spear Seth Rollins and cost him his match against GUNTHER, Breakker showed that he was back to make an impact.

After giving Rollins a second spear following his loss, Breakker embraced Paul Heyman, reuniting with ‘The Oracle.’

While he will certainly have to deal with Rollins, Breakker could find himself positioned to challenge Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship sooner rather than later.

2. CM Punk

In what was viewed by many fans as an epic conclusion to WrestleMania 42 Night Two, Roman Reigns defeated CM Punk to win the World Heavyweight Championship.

This ended Punk’s five-month reign as the top champion on Monday Night Raw and came down to the final moments.

After a 34 minute battle, Punk did not have enough in the tank to finish the job against ‘The OTC.’

To prove himself as ‘The Best In The World,’ Punk must come back and challenge Reigns to solidify that Mania was a fluke by taking back the World Heavyweight Championship.

1. GUNTHER

Over the past few months, GUNTHER has been on a roll and proven himself as ‘The Career Killer.’

Earning this moniker, GUNTHER has defeated Goldberg and John Cena in their final matches. Then, ‘The Ring General’ vanquished AJ Styles in a retirement match at WWE Royal Rumble 2026.

Continuing his massive amount of momentum, the former World Heavyweight Champion then beat Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 42 Night One.

Wanting to claim his third world title, GUNTHER should find himself at the top of the line as the number one contender to challenge Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship coming out of ‘The Grandest Stage of Them All.’