5 Superstars who shouldn't be the next WWE Champion

Big E is the reigning, defending WWE Champion, and it's been close to two months since it happened. The company handled him well leading to his world title win.

The plan to push him as a top singles star was clear when he was separated from The New Day in the 2020 Draft. It only took him two months to win the Intercontinental Championship, and in 2021, he became Mr. Money in the Bank.

Since Big E was never going to be the man to dethrone Roman Reigns, he set his sights on RAW, making his intentions clear beforehand. Fans assumed that he was just throwing a wrench in to cause chaos and lead to questions, but he did exactly as he said.

Once Bobby Lashley retained the WWE title against Randy Orton, Big E came out and cashed in the briefcase. He won the title and retained it against Bobby Lashley before doing exactly the same against Drew McIntyre at Crown Jewel 2021.

Post-Draft, RAW has quite a fresh faces and contenders. This was exemplified on the 25th October episode of the Red brand when the contenders were revealed to be some of the biggest newcomers - Rey Mysterio, Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, and Kevin Owens.

We look at five superstars on the Monday Night RAW roster who shouldn't become the next WWE Champion:

---

#5. Damian Priest - Not ready for the WWE Championship just yet

The reigning United States Champion Damian Priest has had an incredible 2021. He debuted on the main roster in the 2021 Men's Royal Rumble match, and it's only been uphill for The Archer Of Infamy since then.

He benefited a great deal from his on-screen pairing with Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny. Priest would be involved in a tag team match at WrestleMania 37, where he teamed up with Bunny to beat The Miz and John Morrison.

Bad Bunny was praised heavily, with the bout being considered by many as the greatest celebrity match in WrestleMania history. What seems to be certain is the fact that it was the best individual celebrity performance at The Show of Shows.

After that, Priest would continue to pick up momentum, culminating four months later at SummerSlam 2021, where he won the United States Championship. He's been one of the most-pushed superstars in WWE this year, and the company has shown no signs of slowing down.

While it's an obvious pick, it's still too soon for Damian Priest to be involved in the WWE title picture, let alone win it.

#4. Randy Orton - Is his last WWE World title reign behind him?

Randy Orton is another pick for a superstar who shouldn't dethrone WWE Champion Big E. He has been having a great run in 2021. Despite the forgettable match against 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt, 2021 has seen The Viper have an enjoyable babyface run.

He has teamed up with Riddle, and their storyline began post-WrestleMania 37. The odd-pairing duo was the company's choice of the top babyface tag team on RAW, and they won the tag team titles at SummerSlam 2021.

Randy Orton was supposed to challenge Bobby Lashley for the WWE title at Extreme Rules, but the match was preponed to the Red brand, where he lost before Big E eventually cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase.

Orton should stick to the RAW Tag Team title picture rather than pursuing his 15th World title in Vince McMahon's promotion. His last reign as WWE Champion was brief, only lasting a few weeks before he dropped it back to Drew McIntyre.

Although Randy Orton's WWE contract is set to last until 2024, the company may not want to give him the 16 world titles that they gave John Cena.

#3. Finn Balor - A WWE title win still a while away?

With Finn Balor, winning the WWE title is all about timing. He certainly is worthy of being a top champion, and fans would love to see him further the success that he first enjoyed on the main roster in the summer of 2016.

Balor hasn't had the same success since then, going back to NXT for nearly two years before returning to the main roster this past July. He was presented as a credible opponent for Roman Reigns, but it was obvious that he was never going to topple The Tribal Chief off his throne - even when he was The Demon at Extreme Rules.

RAW presents a fresh start for Finn Balor, with many speculating that he was a swap for Drew McIntyre. If that's true, then Balor may enjoy more success on the Red brand in 2022.

However, the right time for him to become WWE Champion may only be in the second half of 2022. Until post-WrestleMania, Finn Balor shouldn't be involved in the main WWE title picture, nor should he win it.

#2. Seth Rollins - The next in line for the WWE Championship

Seth Rollins moved back to RAW, and his first target was the WWE Championship. While some didn't understand why Rollins would challenge for the title after losing to Edge, we should remind people of the fact that he did the same after losing to Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 36.

The Visionary has always put on good matches, and losing to The Rated-R Superstar didn't seem to affect his standing at all. While the latter has been given a lot of the credit for his incredible run post-comeback, Seth Rollins deserves just as much credit for being a part of one of the feuds of the year in all of pro wrestling.

Rollins confronted Big E and defeated Rey Mysterio, Finn Balor, and Kevin Owens in a ladder match to become the No.1 contender to the WWE Championship. He might finally be back in the world title picture after a long time, but he isn't in a good position to win it.

If anything, he is Big E's first major heel challenger for the title after Bobby Lashley. We expect the title feud to continue until early 2022, presumably until the Royal Rumble pay-per-view.

#1. Edge - Is he in the right position for WWE World title No.12?

Edge not being in the right position to win the WWE title might be a controversial opinion. He has paid his dues since returning, and his 2021 run, in particular, has been resurgent.

While 2020 had the magic of his return from retirement after nearly nine years away, this year has been one of the highlights of his entire career. From winning the Royal Rumble for the second time (from the first spot, nonetheless), to main eventing WrestleMania for the second time to his feuds against Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins - he has seemingly had it all this year.

Edge's 2021 run can be considered one of the best "part-time" runs in years, along with the likes of Brock Lesnar's best. With that said, he doesn't need to win the WWE Championship. It would make for a great story, and fans would likely cheer him winning the title. But dethroning Big E may not help his babyface position in the long run.

Edge undoubtedly deserves his 12th world title, but he shouldn't be the next champion.