Who are the current champions in WWE?
Who do I think will beat them for the title?
Who do I think will beat them for the title?
WWE CHAMPIONSHIP
Current WWE Champion: Kofi Kingston
Prediction for Next Champion: Brock Lesnar
Explanation: Lesnar will win the title on the October 4th debut of SmackDown on Fox. Guaranteed. Then, I assume he just keeps the title until WrestleMania 36, when he loses it to either Roman Reigns or maybe Kevin Owens.
WWE UNIVERSAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Current Universal Champion: Seth Rollins
Prediction for Next Champion: Bray Wyatt maybe
Explanation: The easy pick is Bray Wyatt...but I'm not entirely feeling like that's a guarantee, especially with Lesnar as WWE champion for Survivor Series. But good lord is that frustrating that they could do Lesnar vs. Rollins AGAIN on that event.
RAW WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP
Current Raw Women's Champion: Becky Lynch
Prediction for Next Champion: Sasha Banks or Shayna Baszler
Explanation: Either Sasha Banks wins at Hell in a Cell or Shayna Baszler wins the title after coming up to the main roster, possibly around WrestleMania. I can't see anything else happening and I'm leaning more toward Banks.
SMACKDOWN WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP
Current SmackDown Women's Champion: Bayley
Prediction for Next Champion: Becky Lynch
Explanation: This all depends on the draft. If The Man goes over to the blue brand, she wins the title. If not, Flair wins it somewhere down the line (TLC?)
INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Current Intercontinental Champion: Shinsuke Nakamura
Prediction for Next Champion: The Miz
Explanation: I still think The Miz is winning the title on the Fox debut of SmackDown, or at Hell in a Cell at the latest.
UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP
Current United States Champion: AJ Styles
Prediction for Next Champion: Cedric Alexander or Braun Strowman
Explanation: This is a convoluted pretzel of a title reign switch back and forth all over the place. Maybe Strowman wins? Maybe it just goes to someone like Cedric Alexander down the line? Or The Miz? Or Rey Mysterio? What about the draft? I have no idea.
RAW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS
Current Raw Tag Team Champions: Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode
Prediction for Next Champions: The Viking Raiders
Explanation: It may happen sooner than later. I wouldn't be shocked if they were the champions before Survivor Series.
SMACKDOWN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS
Current SmackDown Tag Team Champions: The Revival
Prediction for Next Champions: I don't think WWE knows.
Explanation: I'm imagining that WWE doesn't have any clue what to do with these belts and the draft will have something to do with who the next champions are more so than any actual plans. It wouldn't shock me if The Usos won the titles even after all the bad will.
WWE WOMEN'S TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS
Current Women's Tag Team Champions: Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross
Prediction for Next Champions: The Kabuki Warriors
Explanation: Hell of a run for The IIconics, right? They won the belts after WWE neglected Sasha Banks and Bayley. Then, Peyton Royce and Billie Kay got to do jack shit with the titles, and couldn't even drop them to The Kabuki Warriors like their one and only story indicated. I guarantee WWE put the belts on Bliss and Cross entirely because they just kept focusing on them on television, rather than that they have any true ideas in mind for how to run this championship in the next bunch of months, so I don't in the slightest bit expect them to have any plan for the next champions until probably some random whim a few months from now (prediction as of August 5th). The Wild Card rule and lack of attention to this belt means it could be any pairing, including Kabuki Warriors.
CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Current Cruiserweight Champion: Drew Gulak
Prediction for Next Champion: Someone from NXT
Explanation: We have no idea if 205 Live is even going to exist soon. It could be merged with NXT or SmackDown. The rosters will undergo a new draft. There's no way of knowing who is even a possible option for this belt in the next month, let alone narrow them down to one option. We could get Kushida winning the belt on NXT or we could get Ali winning the belt on SmackDown or literally a hundred variations. However, I'll take a shot in the dark and say I no longer think Chad Gable is the next in line (but I'd want him to be) and someone who is on NXT will be the next champion. Isaiah Scott, Kushida, Jordan Myles, Tyler Breeze, etc. I have no idea.
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.
NXT CHAMPIONSHIP
Current NXT Champion: Adam Cole
Prediction for Next Champions: Matt Riddle
Explanation: There's always a chance Johnny Gargano wins this, or even Tommaso Ciampa (if he gets cleared to compete in time), but I think I'll be going with Matt Riddle as my next pick, as they have to give him some sort of belt somewhere down the line, right?
NXT WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP
Current NXT Women's Champion: Shayna Baszler
Prediction for Next Champion: Candice LeRae
Explanation: Belair lost twice. Shirai had her shot and came up short, too. Meanwhile, LeRae is getting a push again, so maybe she's the next in line for something like WarGames?
NXT TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS
Current NXT Tag Team Champions: The Undisputed ERA
Prediction for Next Champions: Breezango or #DIY
Explanation: At the time of the title change to The Undisputed ERA, I don't feel confident about any babyface team taking the belts next. The only real team is Breezango, as Lorcan/Burch are pretty split between 205 Live and sometimes NXT UK. But maybe they tag up two random people like Jordan Myles and Joaquin Wilde (Wyldes..) or put Gargano and Ciampa back together as DIY.
NXT NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP
Current North American Champion: Roderick Strong
Prediction for Next Champion: Keith Lee or Pete Dunne
Explanation: Shot in the dark. It could be Bronson Reed, Isaiah "Swerve" Scott, Joaquin Wilde (probably not), Jordan Myles, Keith Lee, Kushida, Matt Riddle, Pete Dunne or even go back to Velveteen Dream. It's not going to Gargano or Ciampa. I think Riddle and Dream are main event players and won't fight for the midcard belt. Reed, Scott and Wilde aren't as high up as Myles, so I'd give him the advantage. Kushida strikes me as a potential cruiserweight champion first. Basically, I'm debating between Keith Lee and Pete Dunne, and while Dunne seems like an easier pick based on his track record, I think he might also fit into the "guy who can fight Adam Cole" territory and Lee is still not on that level, so he'd be a better fit for the midcard title.
UNITED KINGDOM CHAMPIONSHIP
Current United Kingdom Champion: WALTER
Prediction for Next Champion: Ilja Dragunov
Explanation: I have no idea.
NXT UNITED KINGDOM WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP
Current United Kingdom Women's Champion: Kay Lee Ray
Prediction for Next Champion: Tegan Nox
Explanation: If Tegan Nox isn't the next champion, I assume either Toni Storm wins it back, Piper Niven wins the belt or they boost Xia Brookside, but I'll go with Nox.
NXT UNITED KINGDOM TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS
Current United Kingdom Tag Team Champions: Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews
Prediction for Next Champions: Imperium or Gallus
Explanation: If they don't drop the belts to Gallus or Imperium (if WWE wants to make Imperium a mega powerful stable), then MAYBE The Hunt has a chance, but I'm leaning more toward the two heel stables.
