Top-Five WWE Superstars Who Could Dethrone the ‘OTC’ in 2026
This past weekend at Backlash: Tampa, Roman Reigns had his first successful World Heavyweight Championship against his cousin Jacob Fatu. ‘OTC’s run with the World Heavyweight strap is ironic since its inception was caused by his lack of title defenses during his four-year WWE Championship reign. Reigns is unlikely to repeat his 1,316 day WWE Championship reign. He’s poised for another multi-month title run, but current booking gives fans a lot of reasons to believe he won’t be champion by the end of the year. Here are the top five WWE superstars who are most likely to dethrone ‘God Mode’ himself.
Jacob Fatu
Fatu did lose in his first challenge at the World Heavyweight Championship, but he’s been strongly booked against his older cousin. His use of the sacred Tongan Deathgrip on Reigns, his physical outbursts against random wrestlers, and his attacks on his own brothers Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso have positioned him as the most dangerous threat to the ‘OTC’s World Heavyweight Championship. The ‘Samoan Werewolf’ has evolved from Solo Sikoa’s right-hand man to becoming a spectacle of raw power, athleticism, and unpredictable charisma. He can hit a Samoan Drop on anybody, finishes opponents off with The Prettiest Moonsault Ever at nearly 300 pounds, and shakes his body around as if he were Papa Shango or WWE’s The Boogeyman. There are other worthy candidates for the belt, but it would be a huge mistake for WWE to not put the strap on Fatu during his feud with Reigns. Fatu’s character looks and acts like a future World Heavyweight Champion capable of holding the belt for an extended period of time.
Oba Femi
WWE’s creative team and Brock Lesnar undoubtedly made the right choice by putting Oba Femi over at WrestleMania 42. ‘The Ruler’ is this generation’s version of ‘The Beast’ or Goldberg. His microphone and wrestling skills at his massive stature alone warrant him to be a final boss-like character in the company. Who can blame WWE for trying to push Femi. NXT fans understood he was main event championship material before his main roster debut, the majority of WWE fans don’t watch the ‘developmental brand’. In the matter of a couple months, the main roster fans have performed the warcries, chanted ‘Oba’ during his entrance, and copied his strut in their seats. ‘The Ruler’ has quickly, but more importantly organically, gotten over with the majority of the WWE Universe. The question is whether or not WWE is committed to putting a main event-level championship on him. There are other superstars who deserve a World Heavyweight Championship or a WWE Championship run. Should Reigns and Femi step foot in a ring across from one another, WWE can’t ruin the new ‘final boss’s momentum and have him lose. A no-contest or a disqualification would make both wrestlers look weak if it weren’t done correctly. It’s on WWE creative to pull the trigger on ‘The Ruler’.
Bron Breakker
Spear versus Spear is not something new. Going back earlier in the 21st century, we saw Rhyno’s Gore versus Edge’s Spear. The 2020’s have given fans Edge versus Goldberg, Goldberg versus Reigns, and Edge versus Reigns in some capacity. Many older wrestling fans deem Rhyno’s Gore or Goldberg’s Spear to be the deadliest of the bunch, but this generation has Bron Breakker, who could evolve to have the most deadly iteration of the move. It makes perfect sense; he’s a Steiner, after all. The momentum he gains by sprinting into and bouncing off of the ropes is something to behold. When his spear lands clean, you grab your own midsection like you’re the one that took it. Breakker is a former Intercontinental Champion. He’s been poised as the head of The Vision after he booted out our next entry in the list. Just like the previous superstars, Breakker is a future World Champion waiting for the right moment. He’s previously challenged for the World Heavyweight Championship in a losing effort against CM Punk. That title fight experience, matched with his Steiner athleticism, could help him beat the ‘OTC’.
Seth Rollins
Triple H’s creative storytelling style is long-term. It’s slow, drawn out, and it’s supposed to build anticipation within fans to tune into future episodes of Raw and Smackdown. His use of delayed gratification has worked wonders at WrestleMania 39 and 40, but fans are still waiting to see whether WWE will fully resolve storylines surrounding ‘The Pirate Princess’ after the recent backlash surrounding Kairi Sane’s release. One story WWE hasn’t had a problem dragging out is the longtime feud between former Shield members Reigns and Seth Rollins. Rollins turned on his Shield brothers over 12 years ago as Evolution's ‘Plan B’ after the latter faction lost at Payback in 2014. From his early days as The Authority’s ‘Architect’ and the ‘Beast Slayer’, to his time as the ‘Monday Night Messiah’ and now as simply Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins, the future hall of famer has transformed and evolved his character, much to the appreciation and admiration of the wrestling community. The former Shield brothers had a feud for the Universal Championship leading into the 2022 Royal Rumble. They also had negative one-off interactions after their rivalry leading up to WrestleMania 41, where Paul Heyman turned on both Reigns and Punk. This helped Rollins to obtain the World Heavyweight Champion at the main event of night one, and it shortly led to the creation of ‘The Vision’. Rollins could surprise his former brother now and spark their inevitable feud over the World Heavyweight Championship. Whether or not he hires help for the job remains to be seen.
Gunther
Gunther has been booked as a final boss character since his main roster debut. ‘The Ring General’ is a former two-time World Heavyweight Champion in his own right. He recently started a feud with Cody Rhodes, but who’s to say he can’t unify both titles? He’s retired some of the greatest wrestlers, rarely loses, and if he loses, it’s usually because the finish isn’t clean or his arrogance got the better of him. The brand split hasn’t had any power since its reintroduction, so that isn’t the issue. Gunther is one of a select few WWE wrestlers who could seriously unify both belts. His quest for the gold could attract Rollins due to their recent feud, and in turn Breakker could tag along as well. ‘The Ring General’ could elevate himself once again as WWE’s ultimate heel by dethroning the ‘OTC’ and becoming the undisputed WWE Champion.
