5 superstars who can challenge Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship before WrestleMania: Roman Reigns’ future opponent seizes opportunity, blast from past at MSG?

WWE Champion Brock Lesnar will meet with Roman Reigns tonight to sign the contract for their upcoming "Winner Takes All" match at WrestleMania 38.

Earlier this week, Lesnar walked out to an epic welcome from the WWE Universe on RAW. His celebration was halted by Paul Heyman, who informed the Beast Incarnate that he would have to defend his title against Bobby Lashley next weekend.

However, the All-Mighty is currently injured and has been pulled from the scheduled Madison Square Garden show. Thus, WWE will likely look at alternatives, and even Heyman suggested that the replacement would be just as challenging as Lashley if the latter couldn't make it.

In this list, we'll look at five potential superstars who could challenge Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship before his WrestleMania match against Roman Reigns. So, without further ado, let's begin.

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#1. Drew McIntyre returns to haunt Brock Lesnar

Former WWE Champion Drew McIntyre was one of the key performers in the company during its ThunderDome era.

Many forget that while Roman Reigns was establishing himself as the top heel in the promotion, The Scottish Warrior worked hard to remain the biggest babyface. Along with Randy Orton, he deserves the lion's share of credit for carrying RAW when there were no fans in attendance.

Not so long ago, McIntyre had a dream run, winning the Men's Royal Rumble match and capturing the WWE Championship from Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't celebrate the biggest moment of his career with his fans.

Fast forward to last year's draft. McIntyre was moved to SmackDown and the creative team started building his storyline from scratch. It was good to see that The Scottish Warrior wasn't pushed into the title picture right after his arrival on the blue brand, as it allowed him time to gain credibility.

On the flip side, he has been involved in a feud with Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss for months. His booking is repetitive at this point, and he could massively benefit from a one-off appearance in a championship challenge against Brock Lesnar.

Recent reports suggest McIntyre will continue his feud with Corbin on SmackDown to set up their match at WrestleMania. Additionally, he is expected to challenge Reigns for the title after WWE's Show of Shows.

If that's the case, challenging for the world title will leave room for a future feud, especially if Reigns turns up and compromises the result.

At the same time, interference from Corbin will give a credible reason to extend their feud on SmackDown. After all, this rivalry has been going on for months and is in dire need of something new.

Drew McIntyre and Brock Lesnar have worked well in their previous in-ring encounters, and a potential match next week won't be any different.

#2. Jey Uso steps up for a significant bout against Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar’s ongoing feud with Roman Reigns has seen the latter rely on his usual tactics far too often. The Universal Champion has had support from both The Bloodline and his special counsel.

If Heyman could betray Lesnar for his Tribal Chief, it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to expect ‘main event’ Jey Uso to step up for a clash against the Beast Incarnate.

Jey spent the better part of last year establishing himself as one of the strongest contenders on WWE SmackDown. He would undoubtedly make for an exciting challenger against Lesnar, especially considering the motivation behind his urge to slow down the Beast.

However, it must be noted that Lesnar is unlikely to lose his WWE Championship before WrestleMania. In fact, each of the potential matches listed here could make for a perfect setting to ensure that Reigns interferes before the match ends to secure his champion vs. champion battle at WrestleMania.

After all, the Universal Champion would want to prove that he doesn’t intend to escape a match against Brock Lesnar.

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#3. Sami Zayn challenges fellow “Canadian Alpha” Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar has been nothing short of brilliant since his return as a top babyface in WWE.

Some of the best segments from his current run are with Sami Zayn when the latter frauded his way to becoming the No.1 contender for Roman Reigns’ Universal Championship. The duo engaged in hilarious interactions on SmackDown that impressed several fans.

The Canadian Alpha Bros were doing well until Lesnar scripted Zayn’s merciless exit from the championship picture. Now that Sami has recaptured the Intercontinental Championship, he could demand his match against the top champion.

We don’t expect the WWE championship to change hands, but it would at least give Zayn his long-awaited challenge for the top prize.

#4. Big E gets his rematch against Brock Lesnar

No list of deserving challengers could be complete without Big E. The Beast Incarnate kickstarted the year by dethroning the New Day member as WWE Champion, and Big E never got his title rematch.

Could that change at MSG next weekend? Big E’s singles run has effectively ended as he's reunited with Kofi Kinston on SmackDown in the absence of Xavier Woods, who is currently out with an injury.

The former WWE Champion is not expected to return to the world title picture anytime soon, but he at least deserves a more honorable exit. It would be better to have him challenge Lesnar for the title and mark the end of his singles run with a memorable match compared to quietly being shuffled to a different brand.

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#5. Austin Theory punches above his weight against Brock Lesnar

Austin Theory is the future of WWE, and the company has left no stone unturned in establishing the same.

Theory was in the Elimination Chamber match against Brock Lesnar and was booked well inside the monstrous steel structure. He is also one of the few people on the roster who can absolutely humiliate himself against Lesnar and still come across as a credible superstar.

For instance, he spent most of the time running away from Lesnar during the Chamber match, but picked his moment to hit back with a low blow. His signature dropkick left Lesnar stunned for a hot second, and the Beast sold it well enough to make the budding superstar look like a credible opponent.

Austin Theory can afford a clean loss against Brock Lesnar, unlike every other name previously listed. It would also be an excellent opportunity for him to show why Vince McMahon has invested so much faith in him.