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WWE official Adam Pearce was slated to face Roman Reigns in a singles clash at this year's Royal Rumble pay-per-view. While that was supposed to be the plan, things changed on SmackDown when Pearce outsmarted Reigns and found a way to insert Kevin Owens in his place at Royal Rumble.
However, there is always a possibility that the aforementioned official could make a full-fledged in-ring return somewhere down the road.
Adam Pearce is a five-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, so he did earn a lot of credibility in the ring when he was an active competitor. Currently, there are several interesting athletes that could step up to the WWE official if the opportunity came up for Pearce to wrestle again.
Let's take a look at five potential WWE opponents for Adam Pearce in the future.
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#5 WWE RAW Superstar AJ Styles
On a recent episode of WWE RAW, AJ Styles made fun of Adam Pearce for allegedly running away from a match against Roman Reigns at Royal Rumble. It was a classic heel tactic on The Phenomenal One's part to build up to his eventual clash against Ricochet.
Pearce and Omos also had a brief faceoff, where the WWE official looked clearly intimidated by Styles' bodyguard.
A lot of Superstars from the current WWE roster and several other promotions have stepped into the squared circle against Pearce, in the past. However, AJ Styles wasn't one of those stars, as there hasn't been a recorded instance of a singles clash between Styles and Pearce.
As mentioned in this slide, a decent storyline was already established between the two personalities on RAW. The Phenomenal One has been frequently praised for his in-ring acumen, which is why Styles would be one of the most apparent picks as someone who could put on a memorable clash with Pearce, upon the latter's potential in-ring return.
#4 WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns
The idea of a WWE Royal Rumble showdown between Adam Pearce and Roman Reigns was something that made sense in terms of Reigns' characteristics as an onscreen persona.
The Tribal Chief has established himself as somewhat of an authoritarian mafia don who doesn't like being dictated by other authority figures. The most sensible creative direction for someone whose authority is being challenged is for that person to take out the opposing threat. In the context of Roman Reigns' storyline, Adam Pearce is the opposing authority, which is why The Tribal Chief targeted him on the Road to WrestleMania 37.
However, Pearce seems to have tactically outsmarted the current WWE Universal Champion on SmackDown. Reigns will now have to face Kevin Owens at Royal Rumble instead, but this doesn't mean that he will happily co-exist with Pearce from this point onwards.
WWE may need to directly address the conflict between Reigns and Pearce at some point down the line. It doesn't have to be a major event, but Reigns vs. Pearce could still be a likely possibility on a future episode of SmackDown.
#3 WWE SmackDown Superstar Kevin Owens
Kevin Owens might be one of WWE's top babyfaces at the moment, but The Prizefighter belonged to a league of effectively vicious heels at one point in the past.
On WWE TV, it has been established that Pearce and Owens are allies. Both of them have an illustrious past with each other. Pearce and Owens have wrestled against one another in various kinds of bouts, a lot of which took place in ROH. Interestingly, one of Pearce's last matches also occurred against Owens at House of Hardcore IV, back in 2014. It was a singles clash where Owens emerged victorious against Pearce.
If The Prizefighter were to fall back upon his vicious ways in the near future, could WWE use Owens and Pearce's pre-existing storyline to create an impromptu feud?
When WWE Superstars or other pro wrestlers return to wrestling despite having abstained from in-ring action for years, they often rely upon familiar ties from their past to ensure that there are very few chances of errors or failure.
Adam Pearce and Kevin Owens are quite familiar with their respective in-ring styles, and their interesting past could very well make up for an entertaining WWE feud on SmackDown.
#2 WWE RAW Superstar Bray Wyatt
When it comes to re-establishing the past in a different context, WWE RAW's Bray Wyatt has changed the game in that department.
Just before last year's WWE Payback event, Adam Pearce was tasked with the job of getting three signatures from Braun Strowman, Roman Reigns, and Bray Wyatt, for a triple threat match at the said pay-per-view. The situation became quite bizarre when it came to Wyatt, as Pearce had to assume the role of 'Postman Pearce' to enter the Firefly Fun House.
Pearce seemed a bit unnerved in the presence of the Firefly Fun House host, and he made sure not to linger around unnecessarily after getting the contract signed by Wyatt. Apart from that instance, a detailed past between Pearce and Wyatt doesn't exist in the history books.
However, if the company chooses to get experimental with Adam Pearce's in-ring return, Bray Wyatt would be a great choice as the WWE official's opponent. When it comes to Wyatt, there is a lot of storytelling involved apart from in-ring action.
Adam Pearce appears in a non-wrestling capacity nowadays, so a rich storyline can be established between the two personalities without the frequent inclusion of wrestling. Moreover, a Firefly Fun House match stipulation could also be enforced in this scenario if Pearce is unable to make a full-fledged in-ring return.
#1 WWE SmackDown Superstar Sami Zayn
In all the previous entries from this list, Adam Pearce would be the clear underdog in a WWE ring. However, there is reason to believe that Pearce may not be intimidated to step into the ring against someone like Sami Zayn.
Zayn has been booked in such a way that he doesn't come across as a huge threat on WWE SmackDown nowadays. While Zayn was an integral part of the Intercontinental title scene last year, it doesn't seem like he will be moving up ranks anytime soon.
Currently, Zayn is engaged in exposing a massive conspiracy that allegedly exists against him in WWE. If this charade were to cross boundaries with WWE management, Adam Pearce may have to intervene at some point. Eventually, this plot thread could serve as the background for a match between Pearce and Zayn.
Judging by his current creative direction, it doesn't look like there are huge plans for The Great Liberator on the Road to WrestleMania 37. A potential feud with Adam Pearce may be an unexpected storyline for Sami Zayn that could prove to be fruitful in the long run.
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