WWE has a number of stars who could potentially be the face of the company, ranging from Roman Reigns to Seth Rollins to Braun Strowman.
Credit: WWE.com
While backstage reports state that Vince McMahon still sees Reigns as "the guy," a.k.a. the star the company should be building its programming around, there are indications that there are other options already on the main roster who may be leapfrogging "The Big Dog." Strowman, for example, recently won the 50-man Greatest Royal Rumble match and the Money in the Bank briefcase, while Rollins has been pushed incredibly well and is generating arguably the best crowd reactions in the company.
Of course, Daniel Bryan continues to be an incredibly popular superstar, and AJ Styles, who may be WWE's No. 2 merchandise mover, recently earned the honor of becoming the cover star of WWE 2K19, suggesting "The Phenomenal One" may indeed be the one. But even though stars like Bryan, Styles and Rollins all would be great choices to be solidified as the new face of WWE, there are reasons to believe they may not be. From Styles' age to Bryan's injury history (and his uncertain future with the company) to Rollins always being stuck behind Reigns, WWE may look to some new options to become the face of the company as a babyface Reigns continues to struggle to win over the masses.
And it may have to consider some unlikely candidates for the job, too. Here are five darkhorse candidates to become "the guy" in WWE.
Elias
Credit: WWE.com
There are striking similarities between Elias and Rollins beyond just their nearly indistinguishable looks.
When Rollins first emerged as a top singles competitor on Raw in 2014, he spent two years as a top heel before his consistently incredible performances essentially forced WWE to turn him babyface in 2016, at which point he started his rise to becoming one of the company's most popular stars. Now, there is speculation that Elias could follow a similar path and be in line for a babyface turn as he continues to win over fans due to his improvements in the ring, his undeniable charisma and amazing abilities as a talker.
There is already reason to believe that Elias could be someone the company wants to build around going forward. Earlier this year, Elias had the top two selling t-shirts in all of WWE, proving his potential merchandise-moving prowess, and WWE officials reportedly view him as a main eventer in the making. Although Elias has only been on the main roster for a little over a year, he already knows how to get the crowd reaction he wants, whether boos or cheers, at the drop of a dime, and he's quickly developed a cult following despite technically being a heel. Elias also recently demonstrated his marketability when popular guitar brand Fender announced a "working relationship" with the rising star.
Because Elias is steadily improving on the ring (his MITB match against Rollins was fantastic), is already one of WWE's best mic workers, consistently generates better crowd reactions than any other heel on Raw and is still only 30 years old, he's a prime candidate to be the future of WWE.
And perhaps "the guy" when it's all said and done.
Johnny Gargano
Credit: WWE.com
The rise of stars like Bryan, Styles and even CM Punk proved that WWE fans gravitate toward superstars who are smaller in stature but elite in the ring, and if any rising star currently under contract with WWE can follow in their footsteps, it's Johnny Gargano.
The incredibly talented NXT superstar is the perfect example of a lovable underdog, and he's been on an absolute roll both as a character and in-ring worker in 2018. Gargano has delivered arguably three consecutive five-star caliber matches at NXT TakeOver events, all while easily becoming the brand's most lovable character because of the heart and passion he brings to everything he does, whether it's a promo, backstage segment or in-ring performance.
One could certainly argue that Gargano is far and away the best pure babyface in all of pro wrestling at the moment, and at just 30 years, old, he has time on his side and is already scary good in the ring. Bryan, of course, probably came closer to officially replacing John Cena as the face of WWE than any superstar has this decade, establishing himself as a top two merchandise seller and blowing everyone else out of the water when it came to crowd reactions at the peak of his babyface ascension in 2014.
While there is concern that WWE may pigeonhole Gargano as a Cruiserweight and stick him on the sinking ship that is 205 Live, Gargano has so much potential to be "the next Daniel Bryan" so to speak that this would be nothing short of a massive mistake. Instead, WWE needs to seriously consider moving Gargano to the main roster, going the Bryan route with his push and seeing if all of his success in NXT can make him the top babyface on Raw or SmackDown.
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