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WWE's World Heavyweight Championship has already changed hands twice in 2024. During Night Two of WrestleMania XL, three different wrestlers could say that they were the reigning World Heavyweight Champion at various stages.
Drew McIntyre defeated Seth Rollins for the gold in the opening match of the night, but he'd only been champion for five minutes and 46 seconds before Damian Priest successfully cashed in his Money in the Bank contract after CM Punk's involvement in the matter.
The red brand's big gold belt is currently in the camp of The Judgment Day. The Archer of Infamy's next opponent is scheduled to be Main Event Jey Uso, who won a fatal four-way match on the April 8, 2024, episode of RAW to qualify for a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship.
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Seth Rollins is the longest-reigning World Heavyweight Champion in the title's history, including the 2002-2013 version of the championship. Rollins most recently reigned as champion for 316 days, from WWE Night of Champions in May 2023 to Night Two of WrestleMania 40 on April 7, 2024.
This year has a long way to go before it's over, meaning that there's plenty of time for new champions to be crowned in the months to follow. Without further ado, let's look at five wrestlers who could surprise the fans with a World Heavyweight Championship win in 2024.
#5. WWE RAW Tag Team Champion R-Truth could excite fans with a main-event push
Awesome Truth won the RAW Tag Team Championship during the Six-Pack Ladder Match on Night One of WrestleMania XL. However, R-Truth's business with The Judgment Day seems far from over. The villainous faction will want their tag titles back from Truth and The Miz, as evidenced by Finn Balor's words on the most recent episode of RAW.
R-Truth is one of the most popular in-ring performers in WWE today. He's going strong even at 52 years. Ron Killings is in incredible shape and is still on top of his game when it comes to working the live crowd on the microphone and playing with their emotions during wrestling matches.
R-Truth could find his way to the world title picture through the Men's Money In The Bank ladder match. However, there are multiple potential ways for Truth to finally get his shot at the championship. He could realistically annoy Damian Priest to the extent that the latter eventually gives Truth a title shot.
Fans would predictably be very invested in a World Heavyweight Championship match between Priest and Truth. The rivalry between the two can lead to a series of title and non-title matches between the two on Monday Night RAW and at premium live events.
#4. The inaugural WWE Universal Champion Finn Balor
It's been almost eight years since Finn Balor was Universal Champion, which was the top male singles title of Monday Night RAW at the time. Since then, Balor has dipped up and down from the mid-card to the main event stage. Balor's time at the top was not long, as an injury made him the shortest reigning Universal Champion of all time, with a reign that lasted just a day.
What if The Demon King became envious of Damian Priest's ascension to the top of the pecking order on WWE RAW? The Archer of Infamy's reign as World Heavyweight Champion could cause a rift between the two Judgment Day members, leading to both men looking to tear each other apart for a slice of gold and glory.
It's long been speculated that Damian Priest will eventually be removed and replaced from The Judgment Day, resulting in Priest turning babyface. In 2024, will we see Balor stage a coup against The Archer of Infamy?
#3. Three-time World Heavyweight Champion and two-time WWE Champion CM Punk
CM Punk has wrestled in legendary matches that will live on forever in the minds of wrestling fans worldwide. However, as a man in his mid-40s, Punk has seemingly become injury-prone. It's not a good sign when he gets injured on his first night back in an official capacity as a WWE wrestler.
The Second City Saint appears to be fragile in his middle age and seemingly any match could lead to him being on the shelf again. He tore his right triceps during the Men's Royal Rumble Match earlier this year, effectively canceling any potential plans for WrestleMania XL.
During his time in All Elite Wrestling, Punk injured his foot early into his first title reign, and he tore his left triceps during the match where he won the AEW World Championship for the second time.
Considering the belief that CM Punk has become injury-prone, it would be surprising to see him win the World Heavyweight Championship when he returns to the ring this year. However, Punk's star power suggests that a world title win isn't out of the realm of possibility for him.
It's also possible the company could be saving Punk's next big title win for WrestleMania 41 in 2025 where he could also achieve his dream of headlining The Showcase of the Immortals.
#2. WWE United States Champion Logan Paul
The reigning United States Champion Logan Paul was a viral sensation years before stepping into a WWE ring. The cocky 29-year-old is massively entertaining both in the ring and on the microphone. He's also put on top-caliber performances against some of the top WWE Superstars. Most recently, Paul retained his title in a Triple Threat Match against Kevin Owens and Randy Orton at WrestleMania 40.
When his reign as WWE United States Champion comes to an end, what's next for Logan Paul? Paul could go viral once again, this time by winning the World Heavyweight Championship.
While it's easy to predict that one day Logan will be a world champion in WWE, that day could come earlier than expected. WWE could find a way to shock fans with a surprise title win for The Maverick in 2024. This year, Paul may be in line for a championship upgrade.
#1. The number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship, 'Main Event' Jey Uso
'Main Event' Jey Uso is currently the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship after defeating Drew McIntyre, Bronson Reed, and Ricochet in a Fatal Four-way Match in the latest edition of RAW.
It would be extremely surprising for Priest to lose his strap to Jey this early in his reign. However, stranger things have happened in WWE before. The multi-time former WWE Tag Team Champion has proved his worth as a singles competitor, during his battles with real-life relative Roman Reigns, which resulted in Jey earning the 'Main Event' nickname. He is also coming off a major win against his brother Jimmy at this year's 'Mania.
Priest promises to "beat the Yeet" out of Jey during their upcoming title match. It's also possible that wrestlers like Drew McIntyre, Jimmy Uso, and Solo Sikoa could potentially interfere in the match. While it doesn't seem likely Jey will win the World Heavyweight Championship this early in Priest's reign, it's still possible it could go down. If not, there's also the possibility of Jey winning the championship some other time this year.
