WWE is full of talented men and women that are forever striving to get to the top of their profession. It's an understandable desire, given the money and joy that comes with that honour, but above all else, it's about the moment.
Whilst we can't exactly speak from experience, many Superstars have stated that lifting the World Championship up high was the pinnacle of their career.
So in a way, we're in a relatively privileged position as wrestling fans. With so much quality on both Raw and SmackDown, we're almost always guaranteed some fascinating bouts for the world titles, in addition to plenty of dramatic moments. However, as we all know, not all of our favourites are going to reach the mountain top.
Which begs the question - who will do it? Who will take that next step into the upper echelons of wrestling history by capturing either the WWE, Universal or Women's Championship? For a question as stacked as that, we need a lot of potential answers. So without further ado, here are ten Superstars that we think will be World Champion in WWE by 2020.
#10 Kenny Omega
We'll start off as we mean to go on - controversially. Now everyone obviously knows that the rumours have been spreading like wildfire regarding the future of Kenny Omega. Following his rather delightful main event match at Wrestle Kingdom 11, Omega stated that he'd be stepping away from New Japan in order to re-evaluate his future.
In the minds of the WWE Universe, of course, that meant that we'll be seeing him in the Royal Rumble at the Alamodome. Now whilst it seems unlikely the company would be able to pull that off in such a short space of time, it does raise some interesting points. Just how good could The Cleaner be on the main roster?
Either way, it seems that all signs are pointing towards Omega coming over in the near future and when he does, you can bet he'll be a future World Champion. Three years may not be considered enough time by some, but when you look at the rise of AJ Styles it becomes increasingly obvious that anything is possible.
Onto a former TNA star, that's done well to make his mark so far.
#9 Samoa Joe
We all know that Samoa Joe is a beast, and if you aren't familiar with his work then it's high time you watched some NXT. The former TNA stand-out has been rumoured to be coming up to the main roster for a long time now, and given that he's done all he could possibly do down in developmental it feels like it'll be sooner rather than later.
You would assume that SmackDown will be the destination for Joe, but either way, he will cause mass destruction and that's the only thing that really matters. Despite his age, it seems likely that he'll capture the WWE Championship at some stage during his main roster run because he truly is one of the most talented guys in the entire company.
Joe could go on a monster heel run similar to Lesnar's rise in 2014, but this time we'd have a Champion that would be here week in and week out. That isn't a knock either, it'll just be interesting to see how the storyline develops with someone who is exposed to the audience more. Either way, there are some exciting times ahead.
From the male roster to the females, where there are some top talents waiting to burst through.
#8 Nia Jax
The odds are that if you're related to The Rock, you're naturally gifted enough to find success in WWE. As it turns out, Nia Jax fits that category perfectly and has been thoroughly impressive since debuting on NXT television.
Despite still being a tad green in the ring, her main roster call up allowed for a breath of fresh air in the Raw Women's division, and given the lack of depth in that department, it seems like Nia will be lifting the title up high sometime soon.
Her path of destruction almost mirrors what WWE was trying to accomplish with Awesome Kong, meaning that this will allow for them to finally pull the trigger on an unstoppable beast on the female side of the roster. Jax is improving with every passing week and the exposure she's getting on Raw will continue to allow for her character to grow.
Whilst many people would rather see the likes of Charlotte, Sasha Banks or Bayley be the Champion, there's plenty of time for that. All three of those women have huge futures in the business, and whichever one of them manages to successfully dethrone Nia will receive a huge push as a result. So really, everybody wins.
Back to the men now, with one of the most anticipated debuts in the history of WWE.
#7 Shinsuke Nakamura
In less than a year, Shinsuke Nakamura has successfully captured the hearts and imagination of the WWE Universe. Hell, he did it in one night at NXT Takeover: Dallas. The King of Strong Style is one of the most charismatic Superstars ever to walk through the doors of WWE, and despite still needing a bit of character development, his stance in the company is already pretty solid.
So many people have been curious as to when Nakamura will actually make the move up to the main roster, with different theories being presented by a range of different fanbases. Whatever the case may be, it seems pretty clear that upon moving to Raw or SmackDown, the guy will be thrust straight into a featured position.
You really can't do things any other way with Shinsuke. He isn't someone you'd typically associate with being an underdog, and his star has already begun to shine brighter than anyone could have possibly imagined. His place atop the card, probably as Universal Champion, is more a case of when and not if.
Now onto someone who has had plenty of time to make an impact, but hasn't quite got there yet.
#6 Rusev
The Bulgarian Brute has become one of the most popular superstars on Monday Night Raw in recent months. His amusing work, both in the ring and on social media, has received a lot of attention, and rightly so.
His position within the company isn't nearly as strong as it was a few years ago, and fans are eager to see him reach the heights that everyone knows he's capable of.
It seems likely given the talent pool on Raw that Rusev will become Universal Champion at some point within the next few years. He has the look, the mic skills and the natural talent to succeed and if you continue his partnership with Lana then that can only mean good things.
The potential for his feuds are endless and it's a shame that his character took a bit of a knock following feuds with John Cena and Roman Reigns respectively.
But with WWE continuing to drum into us that the new era is all about giving people opportunities, we must realise that Rusev's time will come. Hard work, dedication and a strong fan reaction tend to shine through above all else and Rusev, certainly, ticks all the boxes. Rusev machka indeed.
We move from the extremely big to the slightly small.
#5 Sami Zayn
The underdog from the underground. Much like Daniel Bryan, Sami Zayn is the guy everyone loves to get behind and it's been that way since day one. You could argue that he's had more expectations on his shoulders than the leader of the Yes Movement did, but either way, the smartest thing WWE could do would be to replicate DB's rise to the top of the company.
Zayn has already sort of begun that climb with the feud against Braun Strowman, but sooner or later, it will be kicked into the next gear. Sami becoming Champion would be a glorious story and whilst many people think it may never come to fruition, WWE is usually able to tell when they've got a golden storyline on their hands.
Barring injury, Zayn could win the title at WrestleMania before defending it against a number of Stephanie's minions. He could hold onto the belt until SummerSlam at least, and from that point onwards Zayn would be a bonafide main eventer. This really does write itself, and all Vince needs to do is put it out there for the world to see and appreciate.
From good to oh so evil.
#4 Bray Wyatt
The Eater of Worlds is once again on the rise in WWE, and it's taken a while to get us back to this point. For a long time, it seemed as if Wyatt's potential would never quite be realised on the main roster, with some odd booking choices seeming to limit his progress in the company. Now, however, the gift of SmackDown Live has turned him around.
The cult leader has managed to successfully recruit Randy Orton, and in the last six weeks or so, the new Wyatt Family have been tearing it up on the blue brand. If Wyatt can continue to build upon this momentum and morph it into a singles run, there's no reason he can't be WWE Champion by the end of 2017, let alone 2020.
A Wyatt vs. Harper storyline could be worked into the title picture at some stage, too. The great thing about Bray Wyatt is that there's no limit to the creative ideas that can be constructed on screen. His character is so diverse that it could be utilised in 5,000 different ways, making him an ideal choice for Champion.
Onto a former Wyatt Family member turned destructive machine.
#3 Braun Strowman
Well well well. Twelve months ago, including Braun Strowman on this list would've been a baffling prospect, but in the present day, the guy is one of the most interesting parts of Monday Night Raw. Strowman is quickly learning how to become a true monster heel, and his path of carnage looks set to take him all the way to the Universal Championship.
Now when it eventually happens, it's going to be a big moment. We haven't seen this kind of character take possession of a world title belt for quite some time, so you'd have to imagine that WWE will send him on quite a run with the strap.
Regardless, it seems like only a matter of time now, whereas before, Strowman looked more likely to end up on the indies than at the top.
There are many top babyfaces you can match him with, but the odds are that Roman Reigns will prove to be his biggest foe. Whether the WWE Universe will accept that as a big time match remains to be seen, but you can't deny that the company has shown great interest in that possibility.
As we're on a run of heels, let's carry on with one of SmackDown's finest.
#2 Baron Corbin
The Lone Wolf. Despite a lot of initial reservations among fans, Baron Corbin has made quite the impression since making the jump up to the main roster. The hard-hitting ex-NFL star has been running through SmackDown Live, managing to land a WWE Championship opportunity in the process.
So now, as we enter 2017, it seems only logical that Corbin will finally capture the world title within the next few years. The guy has been improving with each passing week and if you don't reward him for that, he seems like the kind of guy who will go elsewhere in order to find the success he deserves.
It'd be great to see him defeat Cena for the belt, but in reality, there are numerous other ways in which you could book this moment to make Baron look great. After all, his finisher is one of the best in WWE right now and if you protect it, you've got a money-making moment down the line.
Onto a nicer, softer and generally more fun choice to end the list.
#1 Bayley
Hey, we want some Bayley. One of the most loveable WWE Superstars of all time hasn't quite made the desired impact she would've wanted to on the main roster, but a lot of that can be put down to her booking.
Having mastered the ultimate babyface role, her NXT Women's Championship victory at Takeover: Brooklyn is still talked about to this day as one of the greatest moments in recent wrestling history.
So naturally, fans want to see her replicate that feat on a bigger stage. Unfortunately, it seems likely that Charlotte will hold onto the belt at the Royal Rumble when the two meet, but that doesn't mean we won't see Bayley's crowning moment come soon.
In fact, WrestleMania 33 is right around the corner, and a Bayley victory would certainly send the fans home happy.
In years to come, Bayley can go side by side with Sami Zayn as two of the biggest underdogs in the history of the company. The potential matches are there for WWE if the promotion wants to take them, and there's a lot of money to be made in Bayley's chase for the strap.
With such little depth in the division on Raw, it genuinely feels like this moment is coming - and it's coming very soon.
Send us news tips at [email protected]
