The WWE Universal Championship and the WWE Championship are arguably the two biggest prizes in the pro-wrestling world at present. Since the brand split between Raw and SmackDown took place a few months back, the red brand has been home to the Universal title whereas the WWE title (previously known as the WWE World Championship) has been owned by the blue brand.
Kevin Owens is the current WWE Universal Champion and has been holding the title since winning it in a Fatal Four-Way Elimination match against Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Big Cass on the 29 August episode of Raw. Since then, Rollins and Reigns are the only ones against whom Owens has defended his title, with his present feud being against ‘The Big Dog’.
WWE Champion AJ Styles, meanwhile, claimed his title at the Backlash pay-per-view against Dean Ambrose and feuded primarily against ‘The Lunatic Fringe’ ever since. However, after beating Ambrose at TLC thanks to James Ellsworth’s interference, Styles put his championship on the line against Ellsworth and beat him easily.
On the latest episode of SmackDown Live, he successfully defended it in a triple-threat match against Dolph Ziggler and Baron Corbin. Earlier in the night, a returning John Cena had vowed to pursue the title, irrespective of who wins the match, and so ‘The Phenomenal One’ will be facing Cena at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view.
There are a number of superstars on either show who have largely been out of the title frame for most of 2016 but will be hoping to make up for it in 2017. This includes former champions, long-time performers who are yet to win the ultimate prize and impressive newcomers who have looked championship material from the very outset.
Here are 5 WWE superstars who should be involved in the title picture over the next 12 months:
#5 Cesaro
Despite possessing all the skill sets to be a ‘top of the card’ athlete, Cesaro has spent most of his WWE career being a mid-carder with just one U.S. title and a couple of Tag Team championship reigns to his name.
‘The Swiss Superman’ was sidelined for the first few months of 2016 due to a shoulder injury he had suffered towards the end of last year. He returned to Raw during the post-Wrestlemania episode of the show and found himself in a fatal four-way match to decide the #1 contender for the WWE World Heavyweight title, which AJ Styles eventually won.
The only other occasion this year when Cesaro vied for a shot at the top prize in the WWE was his involvement in the Money In The Bank match at the eponymous pay-per-view. However, he could not get the win once again as Dean Ambrose grabbed the briefcase with the contract for a championship match.
There are already rumours that a major push may be around the corner for one-half of the current Raw Tag Team Champions. So, it may not come as a surprise if Cesaro becomes a more prominent face in the title picture for the year 2017 and also ends up conquering one of the two major championships in the WWE.
#4 Sami Zayn
Sami Zayn is undoubtedly one of the most talented superstars in the WWE at present. With a rich history of work for other promotions and a successful NXT run behind him, Zayn became part of the WWE main roster early this year and was drafted to Raw after the brand split.
‘The Underdog From The Underground’ has never directly been in the frame for either of the major WWE titles so far. Although he did have a chance to compete in a fatal four-way match to decide the #1 contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in April, a backstage attack by longtime rival Kevin Owens ensured that he was replaced by Cesaro.
In recent times, Sami Zayn has been engaged in a feud with Braun Strowman in a bid to prove that he can overcome the big man. However, we can expect this rivalry to end soon as it has been going on since the post-Survivor Series episode of Raw.
Considering the immense talent that he possesses and his popularity among the fans, the former NXT Champion is likely to receive a major push in the near future and we may see him in the picture for the WWE Universal Championship or the WWE championship at some point in 2017.
#3 Bray Wyatt
Bray Wyatt has easily been among the most popular superstars in the WWE over the past couple of years. However, it is quite unfortunate that his role in the WWE so far has been restricted to non-title feuds with other superstars or tag team matches alongside his faction, The Wyatt Family.
Although ‘The Eater Of The Worlds’ has been associated with the WWE and is a third generation superstar in the business, he surprisingly has tasted championship success only once when he and Randy Orton recently became SmackDown Tag Team Champions before losing their titles to American Alpha on the latest episode of the show.
It is certainly high time that Wyatt comes into contention for either of the WWE’s two most prestigious titles. We can hope that 2017 turns out to be the year when Bray Wyatt is finally paid his due and he becomes a regular feature in the title picture.
#2 Chris Jericho
The first ever Undisputed Champion in WWE history, Chris Jericho, is still among the top draws in the business. However, it has surely been a very long time since we saw a major WWE championship belt adorning the waist of the iconic superstar.
In the year 2016, Jericho has primarily played the role of an entertainer for the WWE Universe, particularly due to his antics in the ‘best friends’ gimmick alongside WWE Universal Champion, Kevin Owens. However, he hasn’t had too many chances at adding yet another title to his kitty.
He has competed in two fatal four-way matches to decide the #1 contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and WWE Universal Championship respectively but won neither of them. Y2J was also unsuccessful in winning the Money In The Bank match at the pay-per-view of the same name.
Since his association with Owens on Raw, Jericho has been out of the title frame but things could change in 2017 if he happens to have a feud with the ‘Prizefighter’ while he is still the WWE Universal Champion. Moreover, the 6-time world champion in the WWE still has the wherewithal to occupy the top spot in the company.
#1 Randy Orton
Randy Orton has been among the top performers in the WWE for a number of years now and continues to prove why he is one of the company’s best ever. But the one thing that has been eluding him for quite a while now is his 13th reign as a WWE world champion.
Although ‘The Apex Predator’ was forced to miss more than half of 2016 due to a serious shoulder injury, he has not been in the title picture at all ever since his return. First, he was involved in a brief feud with Brock Lesnar leading up to their match at SummerSlam, where Lesnar won by technical knockout.
The focus then shifted to a rivalry between Orton and Bray Wyatt which culminated in the former eventually joining forces with ‘The New Face of Fear’ as part of The Wyatt Family. ‘The Viper’ teamed up with Wyatt to claim the SmackDown Tag Team titles, which they ended up conceding to American Alpha recently.
There is little doubt about the fact that Randy Orton will be back in the title frame sooner rather than later in 2017. After all, he is the only WWE superstar apart from John Cena who has a genuine chance of breaking Ric Flair’s record of 16 world titles.
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