Roman Reigns has enjoyed several "passing of the torch moments" as a WWE superstar. At some point in the distant future, he'll surely do the same for superstar.
That's obviously a long time away. Reigns is still being pushed as the face of the WWE, and he's relatively young at just 36 years of age. Plus, Reigns recently expressed that his goal is to wrestle for another 15 years.
But if Reigns had to pass the torch on to another WWE superstar now? He revealed his choice in an interview on Cheap Heat with Peter Rosenberg (h/t Ringside News). It's none other than Drew McIntyre, whom Reigns defeated in a thrilling main event match at Survivor Series 2020:
"I could say my favorite #2, Drew. He’s my favorite #2, 3’s whatever you wanna call them...I mean how strong of a #2 do you wanna be at this point, and right now 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 I think 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 and so solid within my foothold, my stronghold. So, the flag is firmly planted in, so I can’t even think about it now, but I mean in order to you know John (Cena) needed someone to come in so he could go on and do other things and take care of his body, I will eventually need that, but there’s just nobody at this point."
Reigns' first "passing of the torch" moment took place at WrestleMania 32, when he defeated Triple H in the main event to become the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
A year later, he defeated The Undertaker in the main event of WrestleMania 33, becoming just the second person to defeat the WWE icon on the Grandest Stage of Them All. Less than six months later, Reigns picked up a clean win over John Cena at No Mercy, essentially marking his third "passing of the torch" moment.
It's worth noting that McIntyre is the same age as Reigns. However, the former's main event run only began last year, whereas the Universal Champion has been at the top of the card as a singles star for six and a half years. So in short, there's lots of time for Reigns to eventually pass the torch over to McIntyre.
McIntyre Is A Great Candidate To Take The Torch From Reigns
McIntyre could very well move over to SmackDown through the WWE Draft, so we could see another program between him and Reigns in the near future. McIntyre would be an enticing candidate to take the torch from Reigns, even though they're the same age. The former is more than over with the WWE Universe, and he's clearly well-suited for the main event scene. It's unlikely that Reigns will officially pass the torch to him, but he's certainly worthy of the opportunity if it ever comes up.