5 Superstars who should win their first title in WWE in 2018

Depending who you talk to, title reigns in WWE either mean everything for a Superstar or they mean nothing.

The likes of Ric Flair and John Cena thrived on championship victories and their statistics will be lauded for years to come, while other famous performers from down the years were able to taste success in the business without holding a single title.

In modern-day WWE, we’ve seen Enzo Amore, Baron Corbin, Akira Tozawa, Bray Wyatt, Jinder Mahal and Naomi win their first titles in 2017 – but which up-and-coming Superstars will rise to the top of their division to claim gold in 2018?

In this article, we look at five people who have never been a champion in WWE (or NXT, so we’re discounting Shinsuke Nakamura and Samoa Joe) and predict who will have been a first-time champion by this time next year.

Former WWE writer buries Judgment Day HERE

#1 Nia Jax

For somebody who has been booked to seem like an unstoppable force in every women’s division she’s been in, it’s remarkable that Nia Jax hasn’t held a championship during her time in NXT or WWE.

It’s less surprising that she didn’t win the NXT Women’s title – she was still new and Bayley and Asuka were the stars at the time – but it seems like a missed opportunity that Nia hasn’t held the Raw Women’s title since she joined the main roster in July 2016.

In that time, the championship has changed hands 10 times and been held by four different women, yet the one person who is continually protected in the division hasn’t had a run with the title.

With Asuka now on Raw, it surely won’t be long before “The Empress of Tomorrow” becomes the brand’s Women’s champion. If that does happen, Nia may have to switch to SmackDown Live in 2018 if she’s to hold her first title in WWE.

#2 Hideo Itami

Hideo Itami hasn’t had much luck since signing for WWE in 2014. His time in NXT was hindered by injuries and only now, after three-and-a-half years of waiting, is he finally being advertised for his full-time call-up to the main roster.

The former Ring of Honor star failed to win the NXT Championship from Bobby Roode at TakeOver: Chicago in May 2017 and didn’t hold a single championship during his injury-dogged spell in NXT.

Now that he’s set to join WWE’s cruiserweight division, it would be a sports entertainment miracle if he doesn’t win the Cruiserweight Championship in his first few weeks on the 205 Live roster, especially if Enzo Amore is still champion by that point.

Going by the rate of title changes that we’ve seen in WWE in 2017, don’t be surprised if Hideo is already a multiple-time champion by the end of 2018.

#3 Braun Strowman

Braun Strowman, the undisputed present and future of WWE, has been on the main roster since August 2015 but he is yet to hold a championship.

The only times he came close to winning gold came earlier in 2017 when he challenged for the Universal Championship at SummerSlam and No Mercy, but Brock Lesnar was able to retain on both occasions.

With Lesnar expected to leave WWE in 2018, and another Superstar Shake-Up surely on the way sometime after WrestleMania 34, Strowman is bound to win his first title at some point in the next 12 months.

The real question is whether WWE will have him win a secondary title or whether they’ll catapult him straight to the top and have him win the Universal or WWE Championship. Either way, it’s a matter of when, not if, “The Monster Among Men” is given the responsibility of a title reign.

#4 Big Cass

Big Cass failed to win the Tag Team titles with Enzo Amore

Of all the high-profile tag teams that have come through the NXT ranks, Enzo Amore & Big Cass were the only ones who didn’t hold the Tag Team titles during their time with the brand.

There was a general feeling when they were in NXT, as well as during their first year in WWE, that it was only a matter of time before they became Tag Team champions, but it just never happened.

While Enzo has gone on to become a two-time Cruiserweight Champion since their split, Cass suffered a torn ACL in August 2017 and is expected to be sidelined until midway through 2018.

The 7ft bad guy was getting more and more hostile reactions from crowds as the weeks went on before his injury and WWE clearly had big plans for him. When he returns next year, expect him to be challenging for the secondary title on whichever show he’s on.

#5 Carmella

Carmella will surely cash in her contract soon

Forgive us for an inclusion that could potentially be invalid by the time 2018 comes around, but there’s no way Carmella is going to mess up her Money In The Bank cash-in, is there?

Baron Corbin failed with his WWE Championship cash-in on Jinder Mahal in August and there has never been a year in WWE history where two Money In The Bank winners unsuccessfully cashed in their contracts.

Carmella, the first-ever Ms Money In The Bank, has not been involved in many major storylines since she won the contract in June, with the exception of her segments with the recently released James Ellsworth.

Still, “The Princess of Staten Island” has stayed relevant by remaining on the fringes of any storylines that have involved the SmackDown Live Women’s Championship, which she will surely win at some point in the next few months.

Send us news tips at [email protected]

Edited by anirudh.b