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The year has just begun and we are already anticipating some very exciting things to happen on all three top brands of WWE in 2019.
With the Royal Rumble on the way and the road to WrestleMania on the horizon, the WWE Universe is all hyped up and hoping for new things to happen on the biggest wrestling promotion.
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As new matches, new rivalries, and new events keep coming our way, fans are also waiting to see some new champions who can take their chance and make each brand even more refreshing for the viewers.
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New Champs in WWE! More RIGHT HERE
Many big names exist on the main roster of WWE who are yet to win their first major title with their respective brands. These include Sami Zayn, Samoa Joe, and The Revival, among others.
On the other hand, there are many good wrestlers who haven't won a title at all in the WWE both on the developmental brand and the main roster.
Here we take a look at five wrestlers who have done exceptionally well in 2018 and deserve to win their first WWE championship this year to help make their careers light up.
#5 Apollo Crews
Apollo may not be the tallest man in the locker room, but he is definitely one of the strongest men in the WWE. There aren't many high-flying strongmen in the WWE which makes Apollo a special talent.
He was stuck in a gimmick with Titus O'Neil and Dana Brooke as part of Titus Worldwide, but since the trio disbanded, Apollo has received a steady push on the main roster, which is a welcome move.
Apollo did not find much success in NXT before his main roster debut (as he was simply called up too early), but it seems like he has finally been noticed by the top officials backstage.
This could prove to be the year of Apollo as he tries to make waves across the Raw brand as a babyface, and he could finally win his first championship in WWE on either the Raw or the SmackDown brand where the field for the mid-card title is open.
#4 Elia
It's hard to believe at this point that a wrestler as popular as Elias has not won a championship in WWE yet. But if you look back at his NXT career, it wasn't all that great after all.
Elias was used mainly as enhancement talent to put other wrestlers over back in NXT. However, after his switch to the main roster and debut on Raw, Elias slowly gained popularity and became a much better prospect.
This was mainly due to more screen time for the Drifter and the fact that he's a great live act His confidence and heel work helped him get noticed which has greatly increased his value on the red brand.
Elias has received a handful of championship matches, mainly for the Intercontinental Championship on Raw, but hasn't been very successful as yet. He has managed to get some good matches with top players such as John Cena, Finn Balor, Bobby Lashley, and Dean Ambrose.
With his second year on the main roster fast approaching, we can expect Elias to win his first championship on the main roster this year as the competition for the Intercontinental Title remains red-hot.
#3 Ruby Riott/The Riott Squad
Ruby Riott is one of the most talented women in WWE who has at least nine years of wrestling experience. That's incredible for the superstar as she was born in 1991 and has been wrestling since 2010.
Ruby has won numerous championships in different promotions outside WWE. Since most promotions have only a single championship for the women competing on their roster, it shows that she has been one of the best in all the promotions she has worked on.
She made her way into WWE in December 2016 on NXT and soon made her main roster debut on SmackDown less than a year later alongside Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan. The trio currently features on Raw as The Riott Squad.
Ruby can surely become a future Raw Women's Champion, but since the championship is held by Ronda Rousey and there seems to be a long line of successors waiting for their chance, it seems like 2019 may not be her year as a singles champion.
However, with the Women's Tag Team titles on their way, The Riott Squad could be front-runners for the title and the three women can easily win the championships in 2019 before Ruby goes on to become the Women's Champion herself.
#2 Mandy Rose
God's Greatest Creation Mandy Rose is finally getting the recognition she deserves in the WWE. Formerly a part of Absolution with Paige and Sonya DeVille, Mandy Rose can be found competing on Tuesday Nights alongside Sonya DeVille after the retirement of Paige.
Rose had never worked for any promotion before joining the WWE and took part in the company's Tough Enough competition in 2015. She lost the competition, but signed a five-year contract with the company and started competing on the developmental brand NXT.
Since the latter half of 2018, Rose has received quite a few singles matches and feuds which are signaling towards her rise as a single's competitor without Sonya Deville.
She is in the midst of a push, and could very well get in contention for the SmackDown Women's Championship by the latter part of the year 2019.
2019 could prove to be her year and we can expect Mandy Rose to wither win a singles championship, or the Women's Tag Team titles with Sonya Deville.
#1 Mustafa Ali
How has a man of his caliber not won the cruiserweight championship yet? Mustafa Ali was not selected by the WWE when he tried out for the company the first time. However, the called him with an offer once the Cruiserweight Classics were rolled out and he did well as a "backup" wrestler.
Since then, Mustafa Ali has risen to prominence in the cruiserweight department of WWE. His work on 205 Live is at par with the best, and he can perform some moves others can't even think of.
His recent introduction on the SmackDown brand and big push have cemented him as one of the best performers in the company, and he is destined for greater things.
Already looming around the WWE Championship picture, it seems like he won't win the championship this soon but could get in contention for the United States Championship as soon as he is done competing with the big players in 2019.
