'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
It's a new year and WWE will look to kick off the new year off, hot on the very first day as the road to the Royal Rumble begins.
WWE Day 1 will take place on the NBC Peacock app from the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. The event will take place on Saturday, January 1st, 2022.
On the WWE RAW side of the show, RK-Bro will defend the WWE RAW Tag Team Championships against The Street Profits. Becky Lynch will defend the WWE RAW Women's Championship against Liv Morgan. Edge will take on The Miz. In the main event for the red brand, Big E will defend the WWE Championship against Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, and Bobby Lashley in a Fatal 4 Way Match.
On the WWE SmackDown side of the event, The Usos will defend the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships against The New Day. Shinsuke Nakamura will defend the WWE Intercontinental Championship against Sami Zayn. Drew McIntyre will take on Madcap Moss. In the main event for the blue brand, Roman Reigns will defend the WWE Universal Championship against Brock Lesnar.
Without further ado, here are five things that could happen at this Saturday's WWE Day 1 PPV.
5. Liv Morgan will win the WWE RAW Women's Championship
At WWE Day 1, Becky Lynch will once again defend her WWE RAW Women's Championship against Liv Morgan. This is a rematch from a few weeks ago on RAW, which Lynch won by holding onto the ropes and pinning Liv.
While this match may seem predictable to some, it may not be as clear-cut as it appears. WWE has finally begun to push Liv, which is something fans have been waiting a long time for. It feels like the Daniel Bryan WrestleMania 30 push, where fans were fully behind Bryan but WWE had no plans of pushing him hard until the fans forced their hand. While Liv doesn't have as much backing as Bryan did, she does have a big fanbase that wants to see her get her moment.
Day 1 will be the second match between Liv and Becky. If Liv loses here, it will be the third match between the two, most likely at WrestleMania 38. By then, the match wouldn't feel WrestleMania worthy, and Liv's moment won't feel as big.
If Becky defeats Liv at Day 1, then there are no challengers left on RAW for her going forward. Rhea Ripley recently lost to Queen Zelina in 49 seconds. Nikki A.S.H. is a comedy character at this point and feels like more of a sidekick to Rhea than a former RAW Women's Champion. Bianca Belair is a credible challenger, but we have seen her and Becky many times and WrestleMania is for first-time matches and ending feuds. So, unless Ronda Rousey returns to WWE soon, the RAW Women's division lacks serious depth at the moment.
The outcome for this match will see Liv Morgan finally win the WWE RAW Women's Championship. With a serious lack of challengers for Becky Lynch after Liv Morgan and the timing being right at the moment. Liv will pull off a major upset and beat Becky at her own game. If the rumors of WWE wanting Day 1 to be a staple on the PPV calendar going forward, what better way to affirm that than by having a major upset that fans will be happy with?
4. Maryse will help The Miz defeat Edge
After his stellar feud with Seth Rollins, Edge made his return to RAW in late November. He ran off a list of wrestlers he wanted to face on the red brand. He was interrupted by a man that was not on that list, The Miz. After a war of words on the mic, the two are now set for a clash at WWE Day 1.
Not many had Miz being Edge's first feud on the show. However, it is beneficial for both men at this point. Edge needed a feud with a credible wrestler to get his feet wet on RAW. Miz had been booked as a comedy character during his pairing with John Morrison. But now that Morrison is gone, it appears WWE is turning Miz back into his more serious character from a few years ago.
The outcome for this match will see The Miz pick up a victory over Edge with help from Maryse. The story of this feud has shifted from Miz being upset about being overlooked by Edge to him and Maryse constantly getting the upper hand on him.
It is also interesting to note that Beth Phoenix, the wife of Edge, recently left commentary on NXT 2.0. This seems like an unseeded move unless WWE plans on cutting ties with her, which seems unlikely. Is it possible that she is training for an in-ring return and a mixed tag team match with her husband? It wouldn't be the first time she has gotten involved in Edge's feuds since his return as well.
3. Kevin Owens will win the WWE Title
Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins, Big E, and Bobby Lashley will all be competing for the WWE Title in a fatal four-way match. After what was supposed to be a predictable match between Rollins and Big E, both Owens and Lashley used alternative means to get their chance at the title.
The outcome of this match will see Kevin Owens become the new WWE Champion at Day 1. With Big E having a mediocre reign as champion, WWE may try a reboot with a heel as champion. It would also be odd for Owens to re-sign with WWE only to take the pin in this match. Seth Rollins is also a possibility, but Rollins can afford to lose at Day 1 and still come out being fine. Rollins and Owens also seem to be having a frenemy-ship going on, so those two can feud over the title going forward.
Even after losing the WWE Championship, Lashley has been booked strongly. He is still picking up wins and his run in the gauntlet match made him feel more like a babyface than a heel.
If Big E does drop the WWE Championship, he would also have a great shot at winning the Royal Rumble Match, working his way back to the WWE Championship for him to go after Roman Reigns again would make for a great story as we head into WrestleMania season.
2. Sami Zayn will win the WWE Intercontinental Championship
On the Christmas Eve episode of SmackDown, Sami Zayn won the "12 Days of Christmas" 12 Man Battle Royal Match to earn a WWE Intercontinental Championship Match against Shinsuke Nakamura at WWE Day 1.
It's going under the radar, but Zayn is on the best run on the WWE main roster run to date. It began with him winning the Black Friday Battle Royal to become the #1 contender for the Universal Championship. While he was squashed by Roman Reigns, it came after he was beaten down by Brock Lesnar. Lesnar and Zayn have had hilarious segments together. Now, he will be challenging for the Intercontinental Championship.
Meanwhile, Nakamura has had yet another lackluster title reign. It seems like every time WWE puts the United States or Intercontinental Championship on him, they forget that that title exists. The best part of his reign has been his entrance with Rick Boogs and Pat McAfee dancing on the announcers table. It is sad because Nakamura could be used so much better than he is
The outcome for the match will see Sami Zayn reclaim the Intercontinental Championship. With Zayn's current momentum and Nakamura's lackluster run as champion, a title change at Day 1 will bring a nice change of pace to SmackDown's mid-card scene. With Zayn as champion, the IC title will hopefully get more television time and feel more important again.
1. Paul Heyman will rejoin WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns and cost Brock Lesnar
In what is arguably the most interesting feud in wrestling at the moment, Roman Reigns will once again defend the WWE Universal Championship against Brock Lesnar. This comes off the heels of their match at Crown Jewel last year, where Reigns won after a tug of war with the belt and interference from the Usos.
Since his return at SummerSlam last August, Lesnar has been at the top of his game. From his new ponytail, a bearded look to him finally talking more on the mic. Lesnar has been a breath of fresh air from his heel character.
The feud has taken on yet another interesting feud as Reigns has fired Reigns as his advisor after Heyman said he is protecting Reigns from Lesnar. The following week, Heyman teased that his career may be over. However, this is the world of professional wrestling and everyone knows that retirements are never permanent.
The outcome of this match will see Heyman make his return and assist Reigns in retaining the Universal Championship. It seems as though WWE is set to extend Reigns v. Lesnar until WrestleMania 38 and this will be the next step in doing so.
As mentioned before, retirements in WWE are never permanent and this feels like Reigns and Heyman pulling the wool over everyone's eyes. What will likely happen is that there will be a referee bump. Both Lesnar and Reigns will be down when Heyman makes his way to ringside. It will look like he is about to help Lesnar win the title when he swerves everyone and helps Reigns instead.
