"It would've made sense" - Wrestling veteran names top star who could have faced Roman Reigns at SummerSlam (Exclusive)

Roman Reigns was shocked to see Brock Lesnar

Wrestling veteran Dutch Mantell believes Randy Orton would have made a great opponent for Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns at SummerSlam.

Rumors suggested that Randy Orton was penned down as Reigns' SummerSlam adversary for a while. However, Fightful Select reported earlier this week that The Viper's back injury had gotten progressively worse and he might need surgery, keeping him out of the ring for the rest of the year.

In this week's post-show review of Smack Talk, the former WWE manager detailed that the company had to change its plans due to Orton's back issues. He detailed that Roman vs. Randy at SummerSlam would have been the big-money match.

Here's what Mantell had to say:

"If Orton would've been ready, if he hadn't stepped out, they would have booked it differently. I think Orton, and I predicted that, Orton would've been a great, great challenger to Roman Reigns. It would've made sense." (From 26:10 - 26:28)

You can watch the full video here:

You can view the full SmackDown results from this week here.

Roman Reigns will face Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam

The Tribal Chief squared off against RK-Bro member Riddle with the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship on the line. The two men went to war with each other. Riddle kicked out of Superman Punch before nailing Reigns with an RKO for a nearfall. The thrilling match came to an end when The Head of the Table Speared his opponent mid-air and picked up the win.

JUST ANNOUNCED: @BrockLesnar will challenge @WWERomanReigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Title in a Last Man Standing Match at #SummerSlam! @HeymanHustle

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However, the victory celebrations did not last long as Brock Lesnar made his stunning return. The Beast Incarnate pretended to shake hands with Roman before pulling him into a resounding F5. He then landed two more F5s on The Usos. WWE later announced that the two behemoths will face each other in a Last Man Standing match at SummerSlam.

With Riddle's challenge out of the way, The Tribal Chief will have to turn his attention again to his most formidable opponent. It will be interesting to see who stands tall at the biggest event of the Summer.

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