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WWE is only a week into 2020 and already a lot has happened. Lana and Bobby Lashley got married, Liv Morgan, Sheamus, John Morrison, The Big Show, and The Usos all returned and Brock Lesnar is entering the Royal Rumble despite already being WWE Champion.
But, there are still 51 weeks of 2020 to go and I'm sure WWE has many, many more surprises up their sleeves before we start reigning in the new year again. This is especially the case with WWE's big moves to FOX and USA in the United States and BT Sports in the UK and the extra money that has brought them.
But what could be the biggest surprises WWE has planned this year? Well, I'm not usually a betting man, but I'd like to offer my suggestions for major surprises and shocks that could happen in 2020. I'll even go as far as to say that I'd be majorly surprised and shocked if at least half of these don't happen this year!
#9. Edge to wrestle again
Ever since Edge hit that fateful Spear on Elias at SummerSlam in 2019 the rumor mill has been churning regarding a return to the ring for the 'Rated-R Superstar,' and it certainly hasn't shown any signs of letting up in 2020.
Not only has Edge pulled out of doing his podcast with fellow former WWE Superstar Christian, which could be an attempt to free up time for wrestling again, but Edge has also said in an interview that he felt like he could 'wrestle again tomorrow' and has been working out.
Then there's the fact that he has been spotted visiting WWE doctors recently and the even more recent news that Edge has been backstage at several WWE events and the on-off rumors that suggest he's been cleared to the return to the ring that he's been forced to publicly deny twice.
With all of the signs pointing towards it, despite Edge's own protestations that he isn't returning to the ring, I fully expect the former World Champion to wrestle at least one match before 2020 is over. If I had to guess, I'd say either at WrestleMania or one of the two Saudi Arabia shows.
#8. CM Punk/AJ Lee to return to the ring
It was obvious the moment CM Punk walked out and revealed he was part of the WWE Backstage panel show that people would start fantasy booking his return to a WWE ring as an active wrestler.
While he has previously been vehemently opposed to the idea of ever working for WWE again as a wrestler, his stance has recently softened and with each passing week it becomes more of a possibility.
Recently Punk gave an interview expressing his regret that he never got to wrestle Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania, which could be laying breadcrumbs for a potentially huge marquee match on WWE's biggest show of the year. Seth Rollins also took to social media to lay the groundwork for a program and match with CM Punk.
But if we're talking about Punk returning, we should also be talking about his wife AJ Lee returning as well. For WWE's all-female PPV Evolution, AJ Lee resoundingly won an audience poll on who they wanted to see return for the show and it was rumored that Vince McMahon had personally reached out to her.
With the animosity between WWE and CM Punk now put to the side, it's possible that this could open the door for Lee to return and shake up the Women's Division once more. It's certainly something that Stephanie McMahon wants.
#7. Matt Riddle finally gets to wrestle Goldberg/Brock Lesnar
NXT's Matt Riddle has been slowly building his own feuds with Brock Lesnar and Goldberg through sheer force of will and liberal use of social media, 'calling out' and even using Goldberg's moves in the ring. For Lesnar, Riddle has simply stated that he wants to wrestle 'The Beast Incarnate' at WrestleMania and wants to 'retire him.'
The thing is, it looks like it's working as Riddle and Goldberg did, in fact, come face-to-face backstage fairly recently in a documented confrontation that WWE released in one of their backstage documentaries.
That's why I boldly predict that Riddle will get to wrestle one of these two big men in a WWE ring this year. The more likely scenario is a match against Goldberg at WrestleMania, but with Brock Lesnar entering the Rumble there's now a chance that Riddle can come face-to-face with him there and begin a feud leading up to Mania.
#6. The Undertaker's actual last match
There's been a lot of talk about The Undertaker actually retiring and the WWE Superstar has certainly had his fair share of chances to do so. However, his last match in a WWE ring was in a Tag Team Match with Roman Reigns against Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre, which is certainly not a final match befitting of 'The Deadman.'
So, with that in mind, every new year increases in chances of being the year that The Undertaker wrestles his actual last match and there's every chance that 2020 is going to be the year that it finally happens.
I'm not sure who 'Taker's last could be against, but Sting has talked about wanting to give it a go recently, Hulk Hogan is apparently training for something, and the prospect of a supernatural clash between 'Taker and The Fiend is right there for the taking as well.
#5. Rock to appear at WrestleMania
WWE is set to have its first WrestleMania under the new television deals with FOX and USA this year and will, of course, be going all out to impress their new business partners with the biggest show of the year.
Plus they've received a bunch of money, both from the Saudi Arabia deals and the television deals and will be looking to splash that cash to make WrestleMania 2020 as memorable as they possibly can.
For those reasons I believe that we'll be graced by the presence of the 'Great One' himself. Hollywood's own Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson will return to WWE at 'Mania and may even wrestle.
I also partly want this to happen because The Rock's last WWE match shouldn't be against Erick Rowan. Not that there's anything wrong with Erick Rowan, obviously. It's just that The Rock is arguably the biggest name to ever be a sports entertainer and his legendary status deserves a legendary final match to go along with it.
#4. Paige to return to wrestling
Edge might not be the only WWE Superstar who had to retire because of career-ending injury that could return to the ring in 2020, if recent rumors are to be believed. That's right, Paige is another Superstar whose in-ring career was cut short that might get another lease of life.
Okay, so first thing's first. The rumors that Paige might return to the ring were spurred on by speculation from one wrestling journalist based on Paige's own protestations that her career is certainly not over yet. While Paige did indeed hint at exciting developments in her career, they don't necessarily mean a return to the ring.
But Paige did tease something and she has signed a new five year deal with WWE, so you've got to imagine that she won't spend those fives years just doing WWE Backstage every now and then.
Plus, medical practices are advancing all the time and others, like Daniel Bryan, have returned from similar, if not worse, injuries. While it doesn't seem likely in the immediate future there is every chance that Paige could return to the ring before 2020 comes to an end.
#3. John Cena to have one last run
John Cena broke a 17-year record in 2019 by not wrestling at a pay-per-view for the entire year, mostly because he was busy in Hollywood making films like Bumblebee, Blockers, and Playing with Fire.
It's particularly troubling because Cena is one world-title win away from surpassing the legendary Ric Flair as the Superstar with the most world title wins in WWE history. The unfortunate thing is that he hasn't really had a fair shot at surpassing Flair's reign due to his film career keeping him away.
But, with 2020 set to be a big year for WWE, there's every chance the company could entice Cena back into the ring, especially for WrestleMania with the Superstar himself stating he'd love to get more involved than he did last year.
WrestleVotes are usually quite accurate with their reports, so it seems likely that Cena is at the very least going to wrestle again at least once in 2020, but I truly believe he'll be sticking around for a short while afterwards, if he does.
#2. Fiend to go unbeaten for 2020
I'm hedging my bets with these last two entries because I feel that if one doesn't happen then the other one absolutely will. So we'll start off with The Fiend who went through the entirety of 2019 without losing a match.
Bray Wyatt's demonic persona triumphed over the likes of Finn Balor, Seth Rollins, Daniel Bryan, and The Miz and looks set to spend most of 2020 doing the same thing with his next match a rematch against Daniel Bryan at the Royal Rumble.
If The Fiend triumphs over Bryan at the Rumble, and let's be honest, he absolutely should, then I fully expect him to go on and successfully remain unbeaten for the rest of the year. I mean, realistically who can beat him?
Well, there might be one person who could believably take on The Fiend and live to tell the tale, which brings me to the next scenario.
#1. Roman Reigns to become a World Champion again
If The Fiend loses at all in 2020, it will be in a match against Roman Reigns. All signs point towards 'The Big Dog' being the one to confront The Fiend at WrestleMania and all signs suggest that maybe 'The Big Dog' will win.
Reigns has been deliberately kept out of the main event picture, title matches, and away from The Fiend since his return. Even when The Fiend was tormenting Seth Rollins, Reigns didn't get involved. I feel this is because they are on an inevitable collision course that will see Reigns and his 'real-life superhero' character take on and triumph over the ultimate monstrous villain.
They have even made it more likely that this happens by adding WWE Champion Brock Lesnar to the Royal Rumble match, making it likely that Brock will face whoever eliminates him at WrestleMania and that Roman Reigns will go on to win and face The Fiend.
Nevertheless, if WWE was to not do this match, I still think there's a chance this prediction will come true, as I fully expect Reigns to become a World Champion again in 2020. Even if it isn't at WrestleMania and even if it isn't by winning the title from The Fiend, Reigns should hold a World Championship by the time the year comes to a close.
Teddy Long snaps when Swerve Strickland's race is brought up HERE
