Who are the current champions in WWE?
Who do I think will beat them for the title?
WWE CHAMPIONSHIP
Current WWE Champion: Drew McIntyre
Prediction for Next Champion: Randy Orton
Explanation: While I don't necessarily feel like it's a given, I think tossing any other name out there other than Orton is a fool's game. However, once Hell in a Cell passes by, if McIntyre is still the champion, we need to talk about AJ Styles, Bray Wyatt and Sheamus as his biggest threats, likely for WrestleMania 37. If Randy Orton wins the title at HIAC, then this defaults to Edge being the next in line to take it from The Legend Killer.
WWE UNIVERSAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Current Universal Champion: Roman Reigns
Prediction for Next Champion: Nobody until at least WrestleMania, if not well past that point.
Explanation: I doubt Otis is winning this. Frankly, I don't think WWE has any plans to take the title off Reigns until at least WrestleMania 37, but even that may be a stretch. Brock Lesnar is a possibility. The Rock could do it, if he's up for wrestling. Goldberg could win the title, but I think he'd likely just lose the match, instead.
RAW WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP
Current Raw Women's Champion: Asuka
Prediction for Next Champion: Charlotte Flair
Explanation: Please give the belt to Shayna and not Nia Jax or Charlotte Flair. Please? It's probably going to be Flair. I should change this to Flair, shouldn't I? Okay. I changed it. If that does happen and Flair wins it from Asuka, I hope the game plan is to have Rhea Ripley win the Royal Rumble and beat Flair for the belt at WrestleMania to offset her loss from 36.
SMACKDOWN WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP
Current SmackDown Women's Champion: Bayley
Prediction for Next Champion: Sasha Banks
Explanation: They keep putting this on the back burner for 2+ years. I just want this to end.
WWE INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Current Intercontinental Champion: Sami Zayn
Prediction for Next Champion: Big E
Explanation: Part of me wants to say Dominik Mysterio, but I'll go with Big E as the most logical choice right now. Kevin Owens is a strooooooooooooooooooooooong contender for this spot, though, and I might have to change this Big E prediction.
WWE UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP
Current United States Champion: Bobby Lashley
Prediction for Next Champion: Keith Lee
Explanation: There's a chance Matt Riddle or Jeff Hardy wins it, but I'm leaning toward Lee and I hope he takes the belt instead.
RAW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
Current Raw Tag Team Champions: The New Day
Prediction for Next Champions: The Hurt Business
Explanation: It's either them, or RETRIBUTION. I know which group I like better and will root for.
SMACKDOWN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
Current SmackDown Tag Team Champions: The Street Profits
Prediction for Next Champions: The Forgotten Sons
Explanation: I don't know. I don't think WWE does, either. SmackDown doesn't have a lot of options. The Forgotten Sons aren't even on the brand, officially, but I'll toss their name out there for the hell of it.
WWE WOMEN'S TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
Current Women's Tag Team Champions: Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler
Prediction for Next Champions: I don't think WWE knows
Explanation: I doubt WWE had it in mind that Jax and Baszler would be the ones to take out Banks and Bayley when they gave The Golden Role Models the titles. Just the same, I don't think there are any plans in mind to have any team win the belts next. I could see a scenario where Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir win after Baszler turns on Jax, though.
WWE 24/7 CHAMPIONSHIP
Current 24/7 Champion: R-Truth
Prediction for Next Champion: n/a
Explanation: By its sheer nature, WWE will literally do completely random things with this title at completely random moments and none of it will mean absolutely anything. That means there's ZERO point in trying to predict who the next champion will be. The general rule of thumb, though, is that if it's not currently on R-Truth, he'll probably be the next champion or the one after that.
NXT CHAMPIONSHIP
Current NXT Champion: Finn Balor
Prediction for Next Champions: Karrion Kross
Explanation: I'd assume the current game plan is to have Balor hold the title until Karrion Kross is back from injury and can win it and resume the title reign he never had a chance to run with.
NXT WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP
Current NXT Women's Champion: Io Shirai
Prediction for Next Champion: Ember Moon or Toni Storm
Explanation: I'd lean more toward Toni Storm than Ember Moon.
NXT TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
Current NXT Tag Team Champions: Brit-Am Brawlers
Prediction for Next Champions: The Undisputed ERA
Explanation: Wow. I didn't think Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan would turn heel and win these belts. Good for them. There goes my Legado del Fantasma pick. Now, we're in the need for a babyface team to beat Lorcan and Burch. That could be The Undisputed ERA and it wouldn't be shocking, so I'll go with them. However, maybe this is the direction Drake Maverick and Killian Dain go down.
NXT NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP
Current North American Champion: Damian Priest
Prediction for Next Champion: Austin Theory
Explanation: I had thought Ridge Holland stood a strong chance to win this until he got injured. Cameron Grimes is a possibility. Austin Theory is my guy for right now, but there are a lot of avenues this could go. Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa, Velveteen Dream, Roderick Strong....
NXT CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Current Cruiserweight Champion: Jordan Devlin / Santos Escobar (interim)
Prediction for Next Champion: Kushida
Explanation: Is Fantasma the champion or the interim champion? What's up with Devlin? I don't know how they'll address that, but they could just keep it on Escobar and have him drop it to someone like Kushida down the line.
NXT UNITED KINGDOM CHAMPIONSHIP
Current United Kingdom Champion: WALTER
Prediction for Next Champion: Ilja Dragunov
Explanation: I don't entirely have faith Dragunov will be the one to dethrone WALTER, but he's the best bet at the moment, at least.
NXT UNITED KINGDOM WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP
Current United Kingdom Women's Champion: Kay Lee Ray
Prediction for Next Champion: Piper Niven
Explanation: Piper Niven is the only worthy challenger at the moment, but we don't even know when that will happen.
NXT UNITED KINGDOM TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
Current United Kingdom Tag Team Champions: Gallus
Prediction for Next Champions: Moustache Mountain
Explanation: It's not going to be The Hunt, that's for sure.
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