5 Bold predictions for 2016

Will Lana wrestle a match in 2016??Weed out the old and bring in the new – WWE is about to embark on a whole new year of story lines in 2016.While the new year doesn’t officially begin till after Wrestlemania, it is never too early to speculate as to what all might happen in 2016. Will Kevin Owens vs Brock Lesnar happen? Or will Sting finally step into the ring with the Undertaker for that dream match?Will former stars like Kurt Angle and the Hardys return? Will John Cena ever turn heel? Will Lana finally step into the ring? Lots of expectations for the new year!!!!While a John Cena heel turn might require 10-year-old kids burning Cena effigies, all other scenarios can possibly happen. However, this list includes all those as honourable mentions as the current storylines and trends are taken into account to list the top 5 bold predictions for the new year in no particular order.Make your comments known after going through the upcoming list.

#1 Sasha Banks to step in to the Divas title picture

The Divas revolution has at least brought three talented Divas to the WWE main roster.

Charlotte, Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks have raised the bar as far as pure wrestling is concerned and with ‘Baby Flair’ winning the title from Nikki Bella, the new era has officially been ushered in.

Charlotte has already had feuds with Paige and is currently in an angle with Lynch. While she is expected to hold on to her title at least till Wrestlemania, there is not doubt as to who would ultimately step up to challenge her.

Sasha Banks is the most cheered for Diva in the company right now, despite her heel status and the god awful attempts of Team BAD to be the female version of the New Day. ‘The Boss’ has something that can only be referred to as the ‘IT factor’ and she is easily the most charismatic female competitor since AJ Lee.

Fans have been chanting for Sasha – even in the matches involving other Divas – for quite a while now. It is inevitable that Banks would soon rise to challenge the Champion for the Divas title.

It might be at Wrestlemania if the WWE Creative grows some grey cells. But the bottom line is – Sasha just cannot be ignored any longer. Expect her to be a consistent part of the Divas Championship picture in 2016

#2 The Dudley Boyz to win the Tag team titles

The New Day may be the hottest property in the WWE right now, but the company is running a serious risk of over exposing the trio with too much mic time. The jokes which were hilarious a few months ago have already started turning a little stale and it might be just a matter of time before the concept runs its course.

Who can take the mantle off the New Day? Look no further than the record-setting tag team themselves – the Dudley Boyz. Bubba Ray and Devon may have failed to win the titles from the New Day on multiple occasions, but they do carry that nostalgia factor that the WWE is very high on.

Also, the WWE has the track record of delaying, but never denying the redemption song for a returning tag team of this magnitude – remember how the Hardy Boyz repeatedly lost to Paul London and Brian Kendrick before finally becoming champs again?

Expect the Dudleys to play the waiting game too.

It might not happen at Wrestlemania, but the whole of 2016 is too long a time for the Dudleys not to become the champs once again.

#3 Seth Rollins to turn face

A layoff is exactly what a hated heel needs to have a character shift. Triple H, Kurt Angle and Chris Jericho are just three names of the past decade or so who left the WWE as heels, who were booed at with ferocity by the fans and came back as lovable baby faces.

The underlying fact is – however passionately people might hate you, they start missing you with the same passion when you are not gracing their TV screens day in and day out.

There is only one guy in the WWE in such a situation right now. No, it is not John Cena or even Randy Orton – it is the 2015 Superstar of the year, Seth Rollins.

And just like the Angles and the Jerichos, another thing working for him is the fact that he has already been accepted as a great in-ring performer. The fans were not averse to cheering for Rollins during some of the amazing spots in his matches and this absence is only going to make the fans yearn for his return even more.

Expect Rollins to return as a babyface as he needs such a run to establish himself as a truly versatile performer. Knowing Rollins’ track record, you wouldn’t bet against him.

#4 Finn Balor to join the main roster

There have been only seven NXT Champions in history and no one has ever had multiple runs. All seven went on to make their main roster debuts and all expect Sami Zayn – who has been out with an injury – has become permanent residents of Raw.

The point that I am trying to prove – Once you become NXT Champion, the next step is to progress to the main roster.

This means that Fergal Devitt aka Finn Balor is going to be the next one to scale that ladder.

Balor has been NXT Champion for nearly 200 days and he has outgrown the brand. Come on – Have you seen this guy’s entrance???? It might just be the best one in Pro wrestling history.

2016 has to be the year that Balor takes his body paint and jumps ship to Monday nights. Expect it to happen on the Raw after Wrestlemania where the new story lines for the next year are usually planted.

#5 Reigns vs Ambrose

Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose have played the ‘best buds’ schtick for quite some time now.

While it has been a smart idea to retain a portion of the charm that the Shield possessed, you can rest assured that the WWE Creative hasn’t kept the duo together for just the good old memories. A break up is coming and it is coming fast.

Betrayal by best friends has long been the theme on which Vince McMahon built his company and it is not going to change now.

Reigns’ run as WWE World Heavyweight Champion has received good support from the fans and he is trying really hard to make it work. But the loud cheer that invariably greets Ambrose every time he walks into the ring might make the Creative wonder why they didn’t pick the Intercontinental Champion to go over instead.

Both Reigns and Ambrose are excellent in the ring. It seems ironic that Reigns used to be the most cheered for member of the Shield before the split, whereas Ambrose was the most hated.

Despite Reigns’ support base, the reverse is the case now.

The fundamental problem with Reigns’ gimmick is Vince Mcmahon’s insistence on him becoming a wise cracking smart ass rather than the quiet destroyer that had won over the fans in the first place. Reigns doesn’t seem natural in the role and he cannot hope to have long term success unless he chooses a persona that he is closer to in real life.

If his World title reign does not reach the expected success levels, brace yourselves for a Reigns heel turn and a feud with Ambrose.

More realistic might be a scenario where Ambrose turns heel and costs Reigns the Championship to start a program with the two. Either way, the two final pieces of the Shield are going to break apart with an intriguing tale of betrayal and jealousy in 2016.