10 extremely bold predictions for WWE in 2019

Disclaimer: All the views expressed here are those of the author alone, and does not echo Sportskeeda's stance.

What a year!

That is honestly the only way to describe WWE in 2018, especially after The Shield reunion, Daniel Bryan's heel turn and Paige's retirement, but one has to wonder if the company will ever be able to top all of that. Furthermore, will they be able to overcome their lacklustre booking at the tail end of 2018 to do it?

In all honesty, WWE has a lot of terrible booking decision to overcome if they want 2019 to be a successful year and it's going to require the company to make some controversial decisions. Of course, some of these decisions will succeed and some of them will probably fall flat, but maybe fans will meet them halfway if the company starts trying again.

With that being said and another new year upon us, here are ten bold predictions for WWE in 2019. Keep in mind that some of these will involve some speculation and fantasy booking, but others will be based on rumours that are actually out there. As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments below and also be sure to tell us what some of your predictions for 2019 are

#10 Ember Moon Wins The Women's Royal Rumble

Ember Moon deserves to win The Women's Royal Rumble in January

It's no secret that WWE will need a new champion on Raw when Ronda Rousey moves to Smackdown Live and who better to take up the mantle than Ember Moon? Not only does she have one of the most versatile move sets in the entire women's division, she also has a very unique look that will separate her from the pack.

Beyond that, her time teaming up with Ronda Rousey has done nothing but hype her up as the next big thing and that's what WWE needs to capitalize on! With that in mind and Monday Night Raw needing to move on from Rousey by the middle part of 2019, why not kick that into motion by having Moon win The Royal Rumble?

#9 Braun Strowman doesn't win the Universal title

Warning. Braun Strowman will not be Universal champion in 2019!

Let's be honest here.

Between Braun Strowman's nagging injury problems and his alleged less than stellar behavior backstage, it's very likely that WWE is slowly starting to give up on him as a top guy. Beyond all that, Strowman still isn't very good on a microphone and keeps getting fed corny lines, which isn't helping things at all.

Interestingly enough, it looks like WWE is going to write Strowman out of the title picture after The Royal Rumble and build up another superstar for WrestleMania instead. Unfortunately for Strowman, this likely means his push will be over for a while and the company will have him toil away in the mid-card.

Of course, WWE could always choose to do a triple threat match at WrestleMania 35 and have Strowman involved to add some excitement, but its very likely that he wouldn't come away with the title. In fact, will how much WWE has been stopping and starting his push lately, it seems like they are getting very frustrated with him.

In the end, that's not a good thing and coupled with his other problems, it pretty much guarantees that WWE won't be giving him a shot at WWE's top belt anytime soon. Whether that changes or not and WWE starts to see something in him again remains to be seen, but don't expect Strowman to hold the big red belt in 2019.

#8 Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair win tag team titles

Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair deserve to be the first ever Women's tag team champions!

As much as fans want to see Sasha Banks and Bayley become the inaugural women tag team champions, it seems like they want to see Becky Lynch and Charlotte be the first to win them even more. Of course, that would require the two current heels to work together and become a team again, but if they can get past that storyline hurdle, the rest would be easy.

In fact, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair have much more appeal as a team than Bayley and Sasha Banks and would do much better in helping the titles get off the ground. Compare that to the almost hokey and somewhat erratic story that WWE is telling with Bayley and Banks and you see why putting the titles on them might be a bad idea.

With that being said, its always possible to be proven wrong, but it feels pretty fair to say that Charlotte and Becky Lynch would have a lot more momentum on their side as champions. Beyond that, they also are much better on the microphone, much more over with the fans right now and seem like a more cohesive team.

#7 Daniel Bryan loses the WWE title to The Miz

Why WWE would want to turn Daniel Bryan heel and make The Miz a babyface is beyond comprehension, but it likely means the two will meet sometime in the future. In fact, various rumours have speculated that The Miz would be Daniel Bryan's opponent at WrestleMania 35, and Bryan's heel turn seems to solidify that.

Another thing that seems to solidify that is the fact that WWE is slowly turning The Miz into a babyface to create the unique dynamic for their WrestleMania match. Whether the company actually succeeds in making fans hate Daniel Bryan and love The Miz is anyone's guess, but it would be an interesting match if they could pull it off.

In the end, The Miz has deserved a high profile spot like this for years now and what better place to do it than at the grandest stage of them all? Furthermore, what better opponent than that of the man he used to mentor, Daniel Bryan. If nothing else, its got all the fixings of a classic WrestleMania match and seeing The Miz win would make it just that sweeter!

#6 John Cena retires from in-ring competition

Let's be honest here.

While WWE might still need John Cena and his mainstream appeal, Cena no longer needs WWE in order to be relevant. With that in mind, his busy filming schedule and his diminished presence in the company, it makes perfect sense for Cena to officially retire from in-ring competition and transition into another role with the company.

Maybe he turns out to be a spokesperson, or maybe he comes out of retirement for one more match later, but there is absolutely no reason for John Cena to be in a ring in 2019. Not only is that evident by WWE's need to establish new stars while Roman Reigns sits on the shelf for the foreseeable future, but also by Cena's diminishing appeal.

Of course, Cena will always be popular with the young kids and the fans that were around long enough to know that Cena used to be an absolute superstar, but older fans today just despise the man. Beyond that, they get angry whenever Cena beats their favorite superstar, which is something WWE can't risk right now.

In the end, Cena's departure is imminent and while he will always be a crucial part of WWE in some way, shape or form, that will no longer involve in-ring performances.

#5 Alexa Bliss doesn't win a title in 2019

Believe it or not, Alexa Bliss might not win a WWE title in 2019. While some might think that is a ridiculous statement to even make, especially given how much the company loves her right now, her recent concussion injury and the stacked title picture heading into WrestleMania 35 could be her undoing.

In all honesty, with stars like Ember Moon, Ruby Riott, Sasha Banks and Ronda Rousey on Raw and Charlotte, Becky Lynch and Asuka on Smackdown Live, it is very likely that Bliss gets passed up quite a few times for a title shot. Then again, WWE might use her to help establish a few young stars along the way, but that doesn't mean she will win the title.

In the end, Bliss has had her time in the sun on both Smackdown Live and Raw. Beyond that, she is also becoming quite injury prone due to her severe concussion and might not be reliable in high profile spots. Unfortunately for Bliss, that likely means she will be stuck in the mid-card for the foreseeable future, which her fans probably aren't going to like.

#4 Seth Rollins doesn't win the Royal Rumble

Seth Rollins might not be the favorite to win The Royal Rumble match anymore!

Vince McMahon reportedly wasn't happy with Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins' performance at The TLC pay per view, which has caused some to speculate that Rollins may lose his opportunity at Lesnar's Universal title. With that being said and WWE in full out pandering mode after months of bad booking, its at least possible that the company changes course.

Unfortunately for Seth Rollins, that could mean that Finn Balor, who has been rumoured to be reviving a huge push soon, might replace him in the title picture at WrestleMania 35. Think about it! Not only would it be a huge crowning moment for Balor, especially given the setting, it also is exactly what fans want right now.

In the end, if WWE is going to pander, they might as well go all the way and do what fans have been wanting for some time. At least that way, The WWE Universe can finally see what Balor can do with the Universal title and it would go a long way in the company regaining trust with their fans in the process.

#3 Becky Lynch versus Ronda Rousey doesn't happen

What if Becky Lynch never gets her dream match with Ronda Rousey?

It's not going to happen.

As impossible as it might sound, there are too many variables at play that could prevent Becky Lynch from stepping in the ring with Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania 35. In fact, between Lynch losing the championship at TLC, officials seemingly giving up on her and Charlotte in the picture, it's very likely that Lynch gets passed up once again.

Beyond all that, even if she does end up getting the match against Rousey, there is no way that it will happen one on one. Unfortunately for Becky Lynch, that idea most likely went out the window the second WWE decided to get Charlotte Flair into the feud, which could mean that Lynch will either play a minor role or not even be in the match.

Either way, its depressing for The WWE Universe and anyone else that was mesmerised by Becky Lynch's rise to the top, but she doesn't seem to have the star power to justify the match anymore. Not only is that evident by her already becoming an afterthought to Asuka, but also by Charlotte Flair now getting involved in storyline with Rousey.

#2 Ronda Rousey loses the Raw Women's title

Are Ronda Rousey's days as Raw Women's champion numbered?

It's no secret that rumours are going around about Fox Sports wanting Ronda Rousey on Smackdown Live in 2019, and while WWE could always just end the brand split, it is far more likely that she becomes Smackdown Live exclusive. Unfortunately for Rousey, that means she will have to drop the Raw women's title on her way out

Of course, that probably won't happen without some kind of insane amount of shenanigans throughout the title much, but Rousey will not be the Raw women's champion much longer. In fact, with more women's stars coming up from NXT and the already stacked roster on Raw, WWE could even make the move sooner rather than later.

In the end, it's obvious that this is going to happen and fans should probably start to prepare themselves for it now. Furthermore, they need to prepare themselves for the fact that Rousey will likely lose in some kind of screw job fashion and even to someone that they don't think she should lose to. Whether fans like it or not, however, it will ultimately be best for business.

#1 Finn Balor wins the Universal title

Finn Balor!

That's the man The WWE Universe wants to see win The Universal Championship and while the company has stiffed fans in the past in regards to this, it finally looks like they will be forced to do this. In fact, with support for Balor at an all time high and multiple promises of change from WWE, its almost as if they have booked themselves in a corner.

Of course WWE could always choose to not go through with giving Balor a run with the Universal title, but that would only anger the fan base further and maybe even get some of them to leave in disgust. If nothing else, WWE is stuck between a rock and a hard place, which makes it almost certain that the company has to do this somehow.

Maybe it won't happen at WrestleMania and maybe it won't even happy at SummerSlam, but somewhere down the line in 2019, Finn Balor will be your new Universal champion. Whether Balor ultimately succeeds in that role is up to him and The WWE's booking of him with the title, but they need to at least give him a chance to show what he can do.