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It's only March, but three WWE Superstars have already held the WWE Championship this year. Drew McIntyre, The Miz and Bobby Lashley have all held the prestigious title so far.
Lashley 's title reign is less than one day old, but many members of the WWE Universe are already looking to the future. Many fans wonder which member of the roster will "step up" to the main event level and capture their first world title.
Meanwhile, it's also worth considering some of the company's veterans who will hope to win the gold this year.
From former titleholders to rising stars, here's a closer look at five wrestlers who could win the WWE Championship in 2021.
#5 Former WWE Champion Sheamus
Since his debut on the WWE main roster in 2009, Sheamus has practically done it all.
The Celtic Warrior has won World Heavyweight Championships, United States Titles, the 2012 Royal Rumble, the 2010 King of the Ring, and the 2015 Money in the Bank Ladder Match. This impressive list of accolades also includes three WWE Championship reigns.
But Sheamus last held the world title in 2015, as he had a brief run after he cashed in the Money in the Bank briefcase on Roman Reigns. He then dropped the gold to the Big Dog 22 days later on an episode of Monday Night RAW.
Since then, Sheamus has rarely been in the main event scene. He had been a member of factions and tag teams, but in 2021, Sheamus has returned to the WWE Championship picture.
After his real-life friendship with then-champion Drew McIntyre was presented on screen, Sheamus eventually turned his back on the Scottish star. The beginning of this rivalry led many fans to believe that Sheamus was once again destined to compete for the WWE Championship.
Sheamus earned the chance to fight for McIntyre's WWE Championship in an Elimination Chamber Match in February, but he failed to regain the gold. McIntyre won the match before The Miz cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase and became the WWE Champion for the second time in his career.
Nevertheless, many pundits and fans alike predict that whenever McIntyre recaptures the title, Sheamus might be his first challenger. In that case, the Celtic Warrior might have one more WWE Championship reign left in his career.
#4 Former WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar has been synonymous with the WWE Championship picture in recent years.
Since his dominant WWE World Heavyweight Championship victory against John Cena at SummerSlam in 2014, Lesnar has held a WWE World Championship in five of the six subsequent calendar years.
But since he lost the WWE Championship to Drew McIntyre in the main event of WrestleMania 36, Lesnar has not been seen on WWE television. It was reported in 2020 that The Beast's WWE contract had expired, so Lesnar entered free agency.
Many fans believe that it's only a matter of time before Lesnar signs a new contract and returns to WWE programming in 2021.
During the early stages of the pandemic, it didn't make a lot of financial sense for WWE to keep pursuing a new contract with Lesnar. The lack of live events and fans in attendance may have discouraged the company from throwing money at Lesnar.
But with live fans set to return at WrestleMania 37. it seems inevitable that The Beast will return sooner rather than later.
With that in mind, it seems only natural that Lesnar will try to win his title back at The Showcase of the Immortals or shortly thereafter.
#3 Former WWE Universal Champion Braun Strowman
2020 was a marquee year for Braun Strowman's WWE career.
The Monster Among Men captured his first singles title in January when he defeated Shinsuke Nakamura for the Intercontinental Championship. He topped this feat when he defeated Goldberg at WrestleMania 36 to win the Universal Championship.
This victory gave Strowman his first world title run.
But due to the chaos and confusion of the global pandemic, many fans and critics panned Strowman's Universal Championship reign on SmackDown. Labeled as "boring" and "uneventful," the reign ended when Strowman lost the WWE Universal Championship to "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt at SummerSlam.
After this loss, Stroman was drafted to Monday Night RAW, and he is on the cusp of the WWE Championship picture.
It was reported in late 2020 that WWE had plans for Strowman to challenge for the WWE Championship in December. But the former Universal Champion was forced to undergo minor surgery for a reported knee injury. This obstacle prevented WWE from executing these supposed storyline plans.
Strowman was kayfabe "suspended" for attacking WWE official Adam Pearce, and he missed a few weeks while he recovered from the injury.
Since his return to WWE television in 2021, Strowman has been vocal the fact that he wants a WWE Championship opportunity. But WWE official Adam Pearce didn't let Strowman compete for the title at Elimination Chamber because he had never held the WWE Championship.
To many viewers, this development indicated that those in power are aware that Strowman has never won the WWE Championship. It's possible that the company plans to give Strowman a run with the title at some point soon.
#2 WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg
Since Goldberg returned to WWE in 2016, he has held a world championship on two separate occasions.
The WWE Hall of Famer defeated Kevin Owens for the gold in 2017, and he also beat "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt in 2020. Previously, Goldberg held the World Heavyweight Championship in 2003, so he is a former three-time world champion.
But even with these incredible achievements during his Hall of Fame career, Goldberg is missing one major feat. He has never won the WWE Championship, and the Hall of Famer clearly wants to change that.
The icon recently challenged then-WWE Champion Drew McIntyre for the title at the 2021 Royal Rumble pay-per-view. But McIntyre defeated the legendary star to retain the gold.
One could argue that this match against McIntyre was Goldberg's last chance to win the WWE Championship, but there is still time for the former WCW star to achieve his goal.
Goldberg revealed in 2020 that his current WWE contract requires him to compete in two matches per year until 2023. In theory, that means he has five chances to potentially challenge for the WWE Championship until his contract expires in 2023.
After his match against McIntyre, Goldberg is contracted to wrestle in one more match in 2021. This bout could end with the legend winning the WWE Championship for the first time.
#1 Former NXT Champion Karrion Kross could join the WWE main roster soon
Karrion Kross' rise in WWE NXT has been nothing short of metoric. The former IMPACT Wrestling star signed with WWE in February 2020, and he made his NXT in-ring debut in April.
After only six matches inside an NXT ring, Kross captured the NXT Championship by defeating Keith Lee for the gold at NXT TakeOver XXX in August.
This rapid rise left no doubt that WWE had major plans for Kross and Scarlett.
But the new champion suffered a serious shoulder injury during the match, so he was forced to relinquish the title on the following episode of WWE NXT.
Kross returned during the NXT New Year's Evil special in January. After his recent dominant victories over Damian Priest and Santos Escobar, it's fair to wonder whether a WWE Championship reign could be in Kross' near future.
It has been widely reported that Kross' time in WWE NXT will be limited. His run in on the black-and-gold brand is to supposedy meant to familiarize Kross with the WWE style. Once that process is complee, Kross is expected to get moved to RAW or SmackDown.
Such a short tenure in NXT is rare for any Superstar, so it seems like WWE plans to heavily push Kross upon his move to the main roster.
If he gets a monster push, he could win the WWE Championship reign during his first year on the main roster. He only needed a few short months to win the NXT Championship, so Kross could become the WWE Champion much sooner than fans might expect.
