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WWE is stomping into the New Year with a ton of momentum. The company continues to sell out arenas and stadiums worldwide, thanks primarily to the elite talent on all three rosters.
From top to bottom, RAW, SmackDown, and NXT are homes to some of the best stars on the planet.
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Each roster is led by a small group of superstars, all wearing championship gold. Roman Reigns leads SmackDown and the entire promotion as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion and the company's biggest star. RAW has Seth 'Freakin' Rollins as the World Heavyweight Champion. We cannot forget Ilja Dragunov with the NXT Title.
In the midcard, we have Gunther, who is currently the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion, and social media star Logan Paul as the United States Champion. NXT has Dragon Lee with the North American Championship. Meanwhile, in the tag team division, Finn Balor and Damian Priest are the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions on the main roster. Tony D'Angelo and Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo hold the NXT Tag Team Championship.
The women's division has also been dominant over the past few years. Rhea Ripley currently holds the Women's World Championship on RAW, and IYO SKY is the WWE Women's Championship on the blue brand. Lyra Valkyria took over the developmental brand's women's division by winning the NXT Women's Championship from Becky Lynch in October 2023.
Now that we have entered a new year, WWE is prepared to kick off the WrestleMania Season soon, which includes new opportunities. Some of these new opportunities will likely include new champions. Today, we take a closer look at the title picture with our list of predictions for the next WWE Champions.
#7. WWE Women's Championship: Bayley
Former WWE Women's Champion Bayley tore her ACL during a training session in the summer of 2021. This injury put The Role Model on the shelf for over a year.
She returned at the 2022 SummerSlam event and formed the stable known as Damage CTRL with Dakota Kai and IYO SKY. The faction recently added two new members, Asuka and Kairi Sane. Currently, SKY is the WWE Women's Champion.
In recent months, there have been hints of dissension amongst the members of Damage CTRL. Bayley has shown some envy towards IYO and her title. With that said, this could set up an intriguing turn of events if The Role Model goes after her stablemate to capture her title.
#6. Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship: The Creed Brothers
The Creed Brothers are the newest tag team to hit the main roster, and according to Sportskeeda's own Bill Apter, they have a bright future. Apter even compared The Creed Brothers to the WWE Hall of Fame tag team, The Steiner Brothers.
During a recent episode of The Wrestling Time Machine, the veteran journalist stated that The Creed Brothers are "like a young Steiner Brothers."
Brutus and Julius are real-life brothers who have an extensive amateur wrestling background, winning multiple collegiate All-American honors. They have carried their amateur skills into the pro wrestling ring, helping them elevate to one of the top tag teams in the company.
Finn Balor and Damian Priest are the current tag team champions. Both are members of The Judgment Day and have huge alpha egos, which has oftentimes created tension between the two.
The Creed Brothers could use this to their advantage en route to defeating The Judgment Day for the titles.
#5. WWE United States Championship: Carmelo Hayes
One of the most entertaining current angles in the developmental brand is Carmelo Hayes' "Him" era. Hayes has been one of the most exciting and successful NXT Superstars in recent years. Melo has held the NXT Championship and the NXT North American Championship during his time with the company.
The current United States Champion is Logan Paul on SmackDown. The Maverick defeated Rey Mysterio at Crown Jewel to become the new US Champion. Paul has shown his ability to perform at an elite level despite being very inexperienced in the ring. He has the skills both in the ring and on the mic to become a huge star.
Despite technically still being on the NXT roster, Carmelo Hayes recently made his SmackDown in-ring debut as a participant in the United States Championship number one contender tournament. Unfortunately, Hayes lost in the semifinals of the tourney to Kevin Owens. However, he is still very much a prime candidate for a future shot at the title.
#4. Women's World Championship: Becky Lynch
One of the most dominant superstars on any roster just so happens to be a female, and her name is Rhea Ripley. For the past couple of years, Ripley has owned the women's division, defeating anyone and everyone who steps in her path.
Rhea defeated Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 39 to become the new Women's World Champion.
There are not many people who can dethrone Rhea Ripley. However, Becky Lynch is one of those who could not only challenge Ripley for her title, but Lynch could very well be the one who takes the title from her.
#3. WWE Intercontinental Championship: Jey Uso
On the June 10, 2022, episode of SmackDown, Gunther's Intercontinental Title reign began. Little did anyone know that he would go on to become the longest-reigning IC Champion in WWE history, surpassing the record set by The Honky Tonk Man back in the late 1980s.
Gunther's historic title reign has brought back the relevance to the Intercontinental Title that fans were accustomed to once upon a time when legends such as Ricky Steamboat and Macho Man Randy Savage held the belt. With The Ring General's reign nearing 600 days, it's only a matter of time until someone defeats him and starts a new legacy.
Since leaving The Bloodline, Jey Uso has been on a quest to legitimize himself as a respectable singles star. Over the past few weeks on RAW, the former tag team champion has been feuding with Imperium. With Gunther currently on hiatus, Uso could take on Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci in the coming weeks to get an opportunity at The Ring General's title on the Road to WrestleMania.
Having Jey in the Intercontinental Championship scene would be a great way to see how far Main Event Jey Uso can go on his own.
#2. World Heavyweight Championship: CM Punk
In mid-2023, Triple H announced the return of the World Heavyweight Championship. The title was brought back following the Draft so that RAW would have a world title, as SmackDown has Roman Reigns and his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.
To name an inaugural champion for the newly redesigned title, a tournament was held. Seth Rollins ultimately won, becoming the first World Heavyweight Champion at Night of Champions in May 2023.
When CM Punk made his electric return at Survivor Series in November 2023, the whole world was excited to see the return of the Straight Edge Superstar...except for one person, Seth Rollins.
The friction between Punk and Rollins is deep and needs to be settled. The only proper way to settle this score is in the ring for the World Heavyweight Championship.
#1. Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Randy Orton
During a recent episode of RAW, The Rock electrified the WWE Universe with his return, laying waste to Jinder Mahal after Mahal made disparaging remarks about the United States.
The Rock would conclude the segment by hinting at a showdown with Roman Reigns when he mentioned "sitting at the Head of the Table." There is no question that the world would love to see a WrestleMania clash between The Great One and The Tribal Chief, but would this match end with the Hollywood star taking the title?
With Randy Orton now on SmackDown, he is clearly a frontrunner to challenge Roman for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. However, it appears The Rock might get the first crack at The Tribal Chief.
Randy Orton is set to take on AJ Styles and LA Knight in a Triple Threat match this Friday on the New Year's Revolution edition of SmackDown. The winner of the bout will take on Reigns at Royal Rumble for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.
With that said the company may not go with Reigns dropping the title to The Rock. However, Randy Orton would be the better candidate, considering he is a full-time superstar.
