“Tell everybody all of this truth about April 3rd and what it means for me, let’s talk about what it could mean for you. What it will mean for you. April 3rd, Tribal Chief, you will have to wake up and remember what it’s like to lose. You’ve got to wake up without these titles that mean the most in our world and when that happens, here’s what else happens; Jey is gonna leave you. And then Jimmy will leave you too. So no Usos, guess what happens then? Solo… solo leave you too. And when Solo leaves you, this man (WWE's Paul Heyman), well, he becomes an advocate again. So there you’ll be, a man without a family, a Roman with no more Reigns, a Chief without a tribe.”
When Cody Rhodes closed out his promo on Roman Reigns these his comments at the end of RAW, it presented a question to the WWE Universe that no one has asking before the show but now seems incredibly prescient: what will Paul Heyman do when Reigns' historic run comes to an end? Will he take a step away from the WWE Universe for a few months of well-earned vacation? Will he step into a managerial role on RAW or SmackDown a la his time as the SmackDown general manager in 2004? Or maybe, just maybe, Heyman will look for a new guy, or maybe even a few guys to manage moving forward, a la his runs with Reigns, Brock Lesnar, and CM Punk?
Heyman being Heyman, the last option seems very realistic.
So, if Reigns either doesn't return for some time, decides he's done with Heyman, or The Bloodline bursts in another way entirely, who are some pre-existing WWE guys who “The Wiseman” can latch on with, as opposed to targeting outside performers like Moose or Brian Cage? Fortunately, WWE is chocked full of talents who would benefit greatly from a mouthpiece like Heyman, including these three.
3. Bronson Reed, RAW
If Heyman wants to continue to work on Monday and work with an international star with power for days, he could do a whole lot worse than Bronson Reed, the former NXT-turned-NJPW star with a win over Kazuchika Okada on his resume.
While Reed isn't a total outsider to WWE, he does have five matches on his resume on RAW and took part in the 2023 Elimination Chamber, his reactions in wrestling rings across North America have been incredibly underwhelming during his current run, with crowds rarely cheering him on to the degree that they should.
Give Reed a manager like Heyman, who instantly garners respectability from his performers and puts him in a meaningful spot on the card. From there, Reed would be afforded a fair shot at proving his worth one way or another, even if having Heyman by one's side doesn't necessarily guarantee long-term success, as performers like Ryback will clearly prove. Fortunately, Reed gets comparisons to Bam Bam Bigalo for a reason, and if he can get a proper showcase to the WWE Universe, it's hard to imagine him fading into obscurity.
2. Solo Sikoa, SmackDown
On paper, this is the easiest new client for Heyman because he technically already works with him: Solo Sikoa.
Now granted, would it be a tad redundant to have Heyman go from managing Reigns to his nephew? Eh, maybe a little bit, but since WWE doesn't have a trios division, splitting Sikoa off from The Usos to be his own solo act would be made a whole lot easier with Heyman by his side, as he could talk his boy's battles and line up “The Street Champ” to become a legit champ in WWE for the first time since he held the North American Championship as part of NXT.
1. Gable Steveson, WWE signee
And last but not least, if there's anyone who needs a talker like Heyman to really put them over the top, it's Gable Steveson.
One of the most decorated amateur wrestlers of all time, with legendary runs at the University of Minnesota and the Olympics on his resume, Steveson has been a member of the WWE Universe since late 2020 but has yet to properly debut in the promotion despite being drafted to RAW in 2021. While he's not quite ready to wrestle just yet, as he's currently trying to pursue an Olympic run in 2024 in addition to training to become a WWE Superstar, debuting Steveson properly with Heyman by his side would not only evoke Lesnar's initial arrival but provide the 22-year-old with the best possible sideman to fight his battles on the mic before he takes care of business in the ring.
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