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Moments after the massive news of Vince McMahon announcing his retirement broke, a new report has now revealed that Brock Lesnar has walked out of SmackDown. It was further reported that he was "pi**ed off" at the announcement and said something along the lines of "If he's gone, I'm gone".
Now this could put WWE into a tricky situation. Lesnar is all set to compete in the main event of SummerSlam 2022 less than 10 days from today. He is scheduled to challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship in a Last Man Standing Match. The most recent report has now suggested that Lesnar could be replaced at SummerSlam.
Let's take a look at five possible replacements for Brock Lesnar at WWE SummerSlam 2022 against Roman Reigns if The Beast Incarnate refuses to compete:
#5 Drew McIntyre replaces Brock Lesnar
While Roman Reigns is scheduled to compete against Lesnar at SummerSlam next weekend, he has another major match reportedly set for later in the year. For quite some time now, WWE has been teasing a clash between Reigns and Drew McIntyre. It will reportedly take place at WWE Clash at the Castle on September 3 in the United Kingdom.
In the scenario that Lesnar backs out, Drew McIntyre could be one of the first names to come to mind to replace him as Reigns' SummerSlam opponent. These two have a lot of history and fans would surely be interested to see them face each other on a huge stage like SummerSlam.
#4 Seth Rollins once again challenges Roman Reigns
Replacing Brock Lesnar might not be an easy job for WWE as they'll have to find just as big a star to face Roman Reigns. Who better to fill the spot than Reigns' Shield brother Seth Rollins?
The Architect ended Reigns' lengthy pay-per-view winning streak earlier this year at the Royal Rumble. The only concern in booking this match is that WWE has already announced that Rollins would be facing Riddle at SummerSlam 2022.
One way to deal with this could be to let the Rollins-Riddle match be to determine who will face Reigns later in the main event of SummerSlam.
#3 AJ Styles could save the day for WWE again
When it comes to the best pro-wrestlers in the world right now, one name that makes the list for many is AJ Styles. The former 2-time WWE Champion has been one of the top stars for the company ever since debuting in 2016.
Now, we've already seen AJ Styles save the day for the company at the last moment when he replaced Bray Wyatt at WWE TLC 2017 and put on an instant classic with Finn Balor.
He could be one of the top picks if WWE is forced to choose Brock Lesnar's replacement. The only downside is that fans would want to see a proper storyline between Styles and Reigns rather than just a throw-around match.
#2 Kevin Owens could be a suitable replacement for Brock Lesnar
Kevin Owens main-evented Night One of WrestleMania 38 earlier this year against Stone Cold Steve Austin. Fans were extremely happy to see him get such a huge opportunity. However, WWE then put him into a feud with Ezekiel, which seemed to be underwhelming after a WrestleMania main-event spot.
There is no denying how much value KO brings to the table for WWE. A former Universal Champion, Owens could be a great last-minute replacement for Brock Lesnar at WWE SummerSlam 2022. He has previously faced Reigns on multiple occasions but has never been successful in dethroning him.
#1 Time to call the franchise player John Cena?
Brock Lesnar backing out of WWE SummerSlam 2022 would be a massive blow for the star power on the card of the show. But there's one major star who could bring back that star power and was also reportedly in plans for a SummerSlam 2022 match. Yes, we are talking about John Cena.
The 16-time world champion recently returned to WWE television to celebrate his 20th anniversary with the company. During his promo on RAW, Cena made it clear that he is not done with wrestling and will return to the ring soon.
There were also rumors of him facing Theory at this year's SummerSlam, however, that isn't happening anymore. Could WWE instead call him back for a match against Roman Reigns?
Reigns and Cena previously faced each other in the main event of last year's SummerSlam, where the Tribal Chief won and retained his Universal Championship. If WWE calls Cena back, they will be repeating the same match at the same show, two years in a row.
Comment down and let us know your reactions on Vince McMahon retiring and thoughts on whether Brock Lesnar could refuse to compete at WWE SummerSlam 2022?
