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We're a few months into 2018 and, for the most part, the status quo remains the same when it comes to the world title scene on Raw and SmackDown Live.
Brock Lesnar is ruling over Monday nights with an iron fist, whereas AJ Styles continues to reign supreme as the WWE champion. Still, there's always room for change, and as we look ahead to the future of the year it's interesting to consider who else could hold onto these prestigious belts.
Throughout the remainder of the year we'll likely see established main eventers challenge for the titles, but beyond that, there are actually a handful of superstars currently competing in the tag team division that we believe have what it takes to make some waves higher up the card. It won't happen overnight, but the potential is certainly there for some new faces leading the way on both brands.
With that being said, here are five tag team wrestlers who we believe could become WWE or Universal Champion.
#1 Woken Matt Hardy
This may sound a little bit ridiculous, but we honestly believe that Woken Matt Hardy has the potential to become WWE or Universal Champion before he hangs up his boots. His character may not be translating quite as well as many had hoped but as time goes on, it feels like he'll continue to gain more and more support - especially with Bray Wyatt by his side.
It doesn't need to be a long run with the strap and he could even lose it pretty quickly, but if he's able to build up a 'cult' following on-screen, it could be quite amusing to see what kind of antics he gets up to with the world title. It'd be a complete change of pace from having someone like Lesnar as champion, and it could freshen things up in a pretty unique way.
#2 Cesaro
On the face of it, you could argue that Cesaro's time as a main event singles star has come and gone. For whatever reason, the company never fully got behind the Swiss Superman, and instead of being featured in main event matches he's tearing up the tag team scene with Sheamus. That isn't exactly a bad thing, but a part of us just wants to see what else he can do.
As an unstoppable juggernaut, he could mirror someone like Bruno Sammartino, in that his overwhelming power and simple character is enough to get him over with the fans. We've seen it work for him before and as the years have gone on, he's only continued to grow as both an in-ring performer and a talker. Some will choose to see it as a risk, but it feels more like a reward for all of his hard work since joining WWE.
#3 Big E
Back in his NXT days, there were very few people who could hold a candle to Big E. His athleticism, size and intimidating persona helped to elevate him to the very top down in developmental, and he even managed to have a brief run of success on the main roster with the Intercontinental Championship. For the most part, however, his main source of success has been with The New Day.
The group have been changing the game for the last few years in more ways than one, with their skits often being seen as one of the highlights of any given show. Alas, while we've thoroughly enjoyed his work with the group, it's time for him to spread his wings and show the world just how good he is on his own. It won't happen overnight, but it'll be worth the wait.
#4 Harper
As a 'big man' wrestler, there are few better than Harper aka Luke Harper. Since arriving in WWE alongside Bray Wyatt, he has put on some of the most extraordinary matches for someone of his stature. The things that he can do in the ring defy logic, and beyond that, his character work is up there with some of the best workers in the entire company.
If the company decided to really get behind him and push him as a top star, then they could have a future world champion on their hands. As both a babyface and a heel he feels like someone who could really do some great things at the top of the card, and all he needs is a chance. We saw a snippet of that in early 2017, but now, we want more.
#5 Kofi Kingston
Rounding off the list is the second member of The New Day to appear, as well as the most tenured veteran aside from Woken Matt Hardy.
We are, of course, referring to the one and only Kofi Kingston, who has been waiting for the chance to vault into the upper echelons of WWE for almost a decade now. That isn't an exaggeration, either - just go back and watch his feud with Randy Orton back in 2009.
Kofi felt like a superstar back then and he still feels like one to this day, which begs the question: why hasn't he been given a shot yet?
The simple answer would be because The New Day has been so successful, but you could always keep them together whilst still positioning Kofi as the main event leader. It could take the group in an entirely new direction, and we're all for it.
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