August 8, 2020 - Evan Luebbe

Tony Khan must be a fan of the movie Old School – because it seemed to be his primary intention to re-create the debate scene from the 2003 film, with Orange Cassidy in the place of Will Ferrell. Chris Jericho was in the midst of doing his absolute best to embarrass Orange, and then Eric Bischoff – who was making his first appearance on TNT in 20 years since WCW was bought out, that did blow my mind so Jericho wasn’t lying – asked a question relating to global warming, which had absolutely nothing to do with what Jericho was talking about.

This was just for comedic effect, and it worked perfectly. It was also the same general question Will Ferrell – or Frank in the movie – was asked in Old School in the debate scene to which he answered very intelligently to everyone’s surprise, just like Orange Cassidy did. Cassidy displayed his mic skills for the first time in AEW – or at least the first time I remember. Jericho has single-handedly put the finishing touches on the effort to transform Orange into a star for years to come in AEW.

There is a small chance that Roman Reigns will make his WWE return after SummerSlam 2020. He has not directly said anything about this, but it’s highly feasible to see his return to WWE before the end of the year.

With that being said, there are several potential feuds The Big Dog could sink his teeth into once he does get back into the ring.

Bray Wyatt/The Fiend – This may be the most likely rivalry for Reigns to get involved in immediately upon returning. Wyatt is already on SmackDown (the brand The Big Dog was performing on before he began his hiatus from WWE starting just a couple weeks before WrestleMania 36), and The Fiend will most likely be winning the Universal Championship from Braun Strowman at SummerSlam 2020. It makes the most sense on paper to throw Reigns right into a title feud when he returns – because he is such a massive star.

On the other hand, Reigns could start into a non-title program with:

Braun Strowman – The Monster Among Men is also already on SmackDown. This option would have a significant amount of depth because these two men have so much previous history together (most notably their long-term rivalry in 2017 which lasted for roughly 6 months). There is a very feasible way this new chapter in the Reigns – Strowman saga could take place as a long-term story lasting several months either immediately when The Big Dog returns to WWE right before he enters into a title feud with The Fiend, or it could take place after Reigns wins the Universal Championship – in which case it would be a title feud (either way The Big Dog will probably win the Universal Championship from Wyatt after a long-term program in order to protect the reputation of The Fiend as a menacing presence. As yet another possibility on SmackDown, Reigns could engage in a rivalry with:
Daniel Bryan – this could be for the Universal Championship or not – it doesn’t matter that much. These two men have tagged together a few times since their Pay-Per-View singles match at Fastlane 2015. For the most part, they have largely stayed out of each other’s business. They are definitely two of the top four or five workers in the entire WWE – maybe even the top two. A long-term storyline between them would be money. This might happen, however, a year or two down the road – for now, the priority will be the Universal Title.
There is a possibility that WWE could shift its plans by having Reigns return to Monday Night Raw – in this case, he would almost certainly begin a rivalry with whoever the WWE Champion is – either Drew McIntyre or Randy Orton. Again The Big Dog has a little history with both men, but not as much as someone might think. Orton has been doing some of the best work of his career, while McIntyre has gained much respect after defeating Brock Lesnar at Mania 36 for the WWE Title – and Randy Orton could propel his career to the next level.

AEW Dynamite 8/5/2020

Potential feuds for Roman Reigns assuming he makes his return after SummerSlam 2020