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Current WWE Champion Bobby Lashley is set to defend the WWE Championship at WrestleMania Backlash later this month.
The All Mighty WWE Champion will defend his prestigious WWE Championship gold against opponents Drew McIntyre and Braun Strowman in a huge triple threat championship match.
Regardless of the outcome of WrestleMania Backlash's WWE Championship match, many in the WWE Universe are already casting their minds to who could be next to challenge for the Championship during 2021.
There are certainly several worthy superstars currently on the Monday Night RAW roster who could challenge for the WWE Championship at some point within the next seven months.
From former WWE Champions to WWE Superstars who have never challenged for the gold before in their career, let's take a closer look at three WWE Superstars who might get a shot at the WWE Championship this year and two who might not.
#5 Might: Former WWE Universal Champion "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt
Bray Wyatt has certainly had an interesting past 12 months on television to say the least.
The former Universal Champion has feuded with the likes of Goldberg, John Cena, Braun Strowman and Randy Orton on both Monday Night RAW and Friday Night SmackDown.
The Fiend's feud with The Viper culminated at WrestleMania 37 Night Two in which Bray Wyatt was defeated by Randy Orton after Alexa Bliss shockingly turned on The Fiend.
Since then Randy Orton has seemingly moved on, forming a tag team with Riddle on Monday Night RAW, whereas The Fiend is yet to resurface on the red brand.
As is usually the case with Bray Wyatt's dark alter ego, The Fiend is likely lurking for the perfect time to re-emerge in front of the WWE Universe. Could the perfect time and place for The Fiend's return be after the WWE Championship triple threat match at WrestleMania Backlash?
Bray Wyatt is a former World Champion, winning the WWE Championship in 2017. However, The Fiend on the other hand is yet to have held the WWE Championship.
Regardless of who wins the WWE Championship match at WrestleMania Backlash, the victor should be very aware that The Fiend could have his dark eyes set on the WWE Championship in the near future.
#4 Might not: Former WWE NXT Champion Keith Lee
WWE Monday Night RAW superstar Keith Lee has experienced mixed success on the main roster since switching from WWE NXT last summer.
Many within the WWE Universe had very high hopes for The Limitless One when it was announced at SummerSlam 2020 that Keith Lee was moving to Monday Night RAW. Lee had been a stand out member of the NXT roster, becoming the first superstar in NXT history to hold the North American and NXT Championship at the same time.
However, once Keith Lee made his debut on RAW it was obvious that this wasn't the same Keith Lee presentation we were used to seeing on the black and gold brand. The former NXT Champion's entrance music was altered in addition to his distinctive ring gear.
It would later be reported that Keith Lee was also requested to attend training classes at the WWE Performance Center in the infamous "Big Men" workshops.
While Lee does own clean victories over WWE Superstars such as Randy Orton and has challenged for the WWE Championship earlier this year against Drew McIntyre, his career so far on the main roster has left a lot to be desired.
Currently Keith Lee is absent from WWE television, having been forced to remain on the sidelines for undisclosed reasons. However, due to the poor booking of his character so far on RAW, it doesn't look like he'll receive another WWE Championship opportunity once he eventually returns.
#3 Might: Former WWE United States Champion Riddle
WWE Superstar Riddle is quickly establishing himself as a prominent member of the Monday Night RAW roster.
Since moving to Monday nights, Riddle's character has evolved from a laid back, mixed martial artist into a more comedic, annoying and off-the-wall scooter riding character.
Riddle's character change has certainly been a polarizing topic amongst the WWE Universe. While some find Riddle to be a funny and lovable babyface, others find the former WWE United States Champion to be incredibly annoying and stupid.
Nevertheless, it has been widely reported that while Vince McMahon doesn't "get" Riddle's character, the WWE Chairman finds The Original Bro hilarious and is a big reason behind his recent surge of television time.
Riddle has formed an unlikely tag team partnership with Randy Orton in recent weeks. Known as "R-K-Bro," many within the WWE Universe have enjoyed the Riddle and Orton segments, comparing their chemistry to the likes of Kane and Daniel Bryan with Team Hell No.
This has led some to suggest that the success of R-K-Bro could lead to Riddle achieving a similar amount of success as Daniel Bryan did post-Team Hell No in 2013. After splitting from Kane during that year, Daniel Bryan captured the WWE Championship for the first time at SummerSlam.
Could Riddle be destined for the same WWE Championship opportunities later this year in 2021?
#2 Might not: Former WWE Champion Randy Orton
Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton has achieved it all throughout his WWE career.
The Viper is an astounding 14-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion, meaning Randy Orton is only two World Championship reigns away from tying John Cena and "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair's record of 16 World Heavyweight Championship reigns.
So, could Randy Orton achieve his 15th and possibly his 16th World Championship reign in 2021? Signs indicate that it is unlikely.
Randy Orton was heavily involved in the WWE Championship picture for a large portion of 2020, feuding with then-WWE Champion Drew McIntyre over the famous championship.
This eventually led to Randy Orton defeating Drew McIntyre and capturing the WWE Championship for the fourteenth time at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view. However, The Apex Predator's WWE Championship reign was shortlived as Orton dropped the WWE Championship back to Drew McIntyre just a few short weeks later on Monday Night RAW.
At this stage in his career, Randy Orton doesn't need the WWE Championship for his character to have substance and appear in the main event. Orton is already a first ballot Hall of Famer and has nothing left to prove.
Instead, Randy Orton looks more likely to help elevate up-and-coming talent on the Monday Night RAW roster, such as his unlikely tag team partner Riddle in the R-K-Bro tag team.
#1 Might: Former WWE Champion Brock Lesnar
Former WWE Champion Brock Lesnar is one of the most recognizable names in WWE history.
The Beast is a former eight-time World Heavyweight Champion, holding the record for the sixth longest World Championship reign in WWE history with his Universal Championship reign in 2017-2018 on Monday Night RAW.
However, Brock Lesnar is not currently under contract. Lesnar hasn't been seen on television since he lost the WWE Championship to Drew McIntyre in the main event of WrestleMania 36 Night Two in 2020.
After WrestleMania 36, it was widely reported that Brock Lesnar's contract had subsequently expired with no agreement yet to be reached, thus making Lesnar a free agent.
However, many within the WWE Universe fully expect Brock Lesnar to eventually re-sign once live fans return to television and the effects of the global pandemic largely subside.
With rumors that WWE are looking for live fans to once again to return to programming at the SummerSlam pay-per-view in August, could The Beast be set for a return soon?
Should Brock Lesnar return in the near future, a dream match against the current WWE Champion Bobby Lashley would certainly be on the wishlist of many members of the WWE Universe.
Both the All Mighty WWE Champion and fans have clamored for a Lashley vs Lesnar match for several years. Perhaps 2021 will finally pit the two former MMA stars against each other for the WWE Championship.
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