"The Walking Dead" Season 7 is already in full swing, and it looks like there could be a new sheriff in town to replace Rick.

Last time we saw Rick Grimes, he was in a less than ideal situation; kneeling in front of new baddie, Negan. After giving him some new rules about his latest takeover of Rick's crew, fans were left wondering what is about to transpire next season.

Those who think that fan favorite Rick beat the odds and regain control of his crew may be in for a shock by the time season 7 ends. There is a good chance that Negan will be taking his place as head honcho of the group.

Rick has been in some pretty dire situations with the odds stacked up against him but he always manages to come out on top. But he has never faced anyone quite as powerful or as magnetic as the new villain Negan.

To add credence to that theory, the "Walking Dead" creator Robert Kirkman was quoted in an interview in Entertainment Weekly as saying:

"It'll introduce a new level of fear for these characters that hasn't really been present since the first couple of seasons. That fear's going to affect them all in different ways, but it will be pushing them apart in a lot of different ways as well, so there's going to be a lot of division in the group and a lot of conflict."

Another interesting tidbit is this little gem in an interview with the NY Post on actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan who plays Negan:

"People say he's this psychotic guy," said Morgan, "I never looked at him like that. I think there's a lot of similarities between him and Rick. If we had been following Negan from day one, the audience would be rooting for him."

All indications point to a power struggle between the two eerily similar characters in "The Walking Dead" Season 7. The only question is, will Rick get replaced by Negan permanently?

Fans will just have to wait and see when "The Walking Dead" Season 7 finally graces TV screens again.