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As is true with any WWE fan, it is always fun to predict what could or will happen in the future. This is what we are going to do today, and in future installments of "Predicting the Next 5". Currently, we have a major fan favorite in AJ Styles as the WWE Champion. Most people do not want the championship to change hands at all in the near future. However, if it did change, who would become WWE Champion and when would it happen? Would "The Phenomenal One' even lose the championship this year? Would it be a Rusev Day or even a New Day for the WWE Championship? Could someone from NXT become champion? Let's predict the next five WWE Champions, starting with the most seemingly obvious:
#5 Shinsuke Nakamura, WrestleMania 34
Shinsuke Nakamura is the best example of what a Royal Rumble winner should be. He is a former NXT Champion but has yet to taste gold on the main roster. Winning the Royal Rumble has boosted Nakamura's stock in WWE, while also gifting us with a dream match under the bright lights. It can almost be guaranteed that after a well placed Kinshasa knee strike to the face of Styles that we will be seeing 'The Artist' with his hand raised as the new WWE Champion. This will probably not be a short reign either but will be ended by a very familiar face...
#4 John Cena, SummerSlam 2018
'The Face that Runs the Place', John Cena would be the challenger that would finally take down 'The Rockstar'. John Cena's place as the record holder for the most championship reigns in WWE is not only deserved, but also well overdue. He is arguably the best WWE superstar of all time, and his record-breaking win would have to come at a big stage like SummerSlam. This would be a war between two big superstars, and it would go down in a 60-minute Ironman match. Nakamura would get out early to a 3-1 lead, leaving Cena to have to overcome the odds. After an Avalanche AA in the final 30 seconds, Cena would take the win and the record. John would not be holding on to this title for long though...
#3 Finn Balor, SmackDown Live 9/18/18
Having just come off of Extreme Rules the Sunday before in a loss to the WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, Finn Balor finds himself on SmackDown Live looking to make an impact. Balor had gone full heel earlier in the Summer with Gallows and Anderson as the Balor Club and in a true effort to shake things up, had been traded to SmackDown Live. This would be a completely surprising move that the general managers pull off, with Kurt Angle sending the entire Balor Club to SmackDown Live and in return getting Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, and Rusev. The Raw roster was invaded by Owens, Zayn, and Rusev the night before and knew that there was a trade made, but neither roster knew who SmackDown Live got in return. John Cena, being the fighting champion that he is, issued a WWE Championship Open Challenge that was accepted by none other than Finn Balor. Finn would go on to win the match and the WWE Championship and would hold the belt all the way until WrestleMania 35, where he would meet the winner of the Royal Rumble...
#2 Aleister Black, WrestleMania 35
Aleister Black had a strong showing at NXT Takeover: New Orleans where he became the NXT Champion. He was defeated by Adam Cole at the following Takeover, and then kept off television for some time. He was a surprise entrant in the 2019 Royal Rumble, eliminating Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and Shinsuke Nakamura in the final four, earning his right to battle for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 35. Finn Balor knew the threat that Black was to his championship, so he had Gallows and Anderson assault him backstage. After weeks of Black playing mind games with Balor, the WWE Champion knew he had to bring out his alternate persona to keep his gold. It was Aleister Black vs 'The Demon' Finn Balor at WrestleMania 35, with Black coming out on top after a hard-fought battle. He would hold on to that title for mere minutes until this man stole his crown...
#1 Seth Rollins, WrestleMania 35
June 17, 2018, marks the day that Seth Rollins will win his second Money in the Bank contract. This will be the first time since the brand split that the Money in the Bank show will be a dual-branded show, with both Raw and SmackDown Live being represented. In the main event match, there will be an 8 man Money in the Bank ladder match with four members of Raw and four members of SmackDown Live competing to win a Money in the Bank contract that can be used on any championship. This leads to the surprise of the year at WrestleMania 35, where after a hard-fought title victory, Aleister Black hears the music of the Raw superstar Seth Rollins and out comes 'The Architect' to cash in and win his third WWE Championship.
Predicting the next five WWE Champions is not easy. The direction of the belt could go many different ways. These champions do not just feel like the right ones, but also the most fun and realistic direction that the company could go with the belt. Remember, these are just predictions.
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