5 Bold Predictions for WWE for the rest of 2022: Roman Reigns dethroned, 6-time champion returns, Massive face turn after five years
We are halfway through 2022 and it has been a mixed bag for WWE. The company had a record-breaking WrestleMania 38 as well as a lot of mainstream attractions. But at the same time, there have been several issues in the form of ratings, releases, and some major controversies.
To say the least, the company will want to improve on a lot of fronts and bounce back in a big way. The desire to do so could lead to some interesting booking decisions being made in the next six months.
Let's take a look at five bold predictions for WWE for the rest of 2022. Be sure to comment down and let us know which of these you would like to see the most.
#5. Sami Zayn finally turns face
Sami Zayn wants to win MITB so he can protect Roman Reigns from being cashed in on. This is fantastic.
#SmackDown https://t.co/gzeGzO7ade
One of the most underrated stars on WWE's current roster is Sami Zayn. A former NXT Champion, Zayn has been a heel on the main roster for the last few years. While it was great to see him show his versatility, it might be in the company's best interest to turn him back into a babyface after five long years - a role he excelled in during his time in NXT.
Zayn has been in an interesting storyline with The Bloodline over the last couple of months, trying his best to join the faction. However, he hasn't been able to do so successfully and has even cost the trio on a few occasions, adding to the tension.
This could be an ideal opportunity to have The Bloodline beat up Sami Zayn, ultimately turning him babyface as he goes after Roman Reigns' title.
#4. WWE brings back the Mixed Match Challenge
WWE should 100% bring back the Mixed Match Challenge. It was really fun. https://t.co/GCROImL2Mg
A few years back, WWE experimented with a very interesting concept known as the Mixed Match Challenge. In this stipulation, a female star and a male star used to team up together to face another team in a tournament format.
The first edition of the Mixed Match Challenge was a huge success, thanks to some amazing teams like Alexa Bliss and Braun Strowman, The Miz and Asuka, etc. However, the second season failed to replicate this hype and the company ended up scrapping the tournament.
The concept in general is pretty entertaining and fans have been wanting to see WWE bring back the Mixed Match Challenge with some entertaining new teams. To further improve their digital presence, WWE could renew the Mixed Match Challenge for a third season this year.
#3. Elias and Ezekiel wrestle in the same match
Ezekiel and Elias.
Together again.
#WWERaw https://t.co/lNMxrK1Fxw
The storyline between Kevin Owens and Ezekiel has been completely bizarre yet entertaining. After being away from WWE television for several months, the company repackaged Elias and brought him back as Ezekiel - the brother of Elias.
This bizarre concept turned into comedy gold as Kevin Owens refused to believe it, adamant about the fact that Elias and Ezekiel are the same person. This past week on Monday Night RAW, things became even more interesting with Elias and Ezekiel appearing in the same video thanks to the production team.
WWE could take all of this to a whole new level if they figure out a way to have both Elias and Ezekiel wrestle in the same match. This would have been rather easy to do in a pre-recorded cinematic-styled match. However, with some creativity, WWE could still achieve this.
Imagine a Gauntlet match where Elias enters first and gets defeated, only for Ezekiel to enter the match later to take revenge.
#2. Bayley returns and takes out Ronda Rousey
Bayley teases MITB return with throwback photo 📸 https://t.co/UitPgyXcAi
Former SmackDown Women's Champion Bayley has been out of action for a long time now, and fans have been eagerly awaiting her return. However, despite several rumors and reports, she hasn't come back yet.
Many have theorized that whenever Bayley returns, she will go after the current RAW Women's Champion Bianca Belair. After all, Bayley was scheduled to face Belair at Money in the Bank 2021 before her unfortunate injury. However, looking at the state of both the rosters, SmackDown needs Bayley a lot more than RAW.
Bayley returning and taking out the current SmackDown Women's Champion Ronda Rousey would immediately get fans excited about the title picture, which currently doesn't seem to be very interesting.
#1. Roman Reigns loses the WWE Championship
Run of a Lifetime. https://t.co/0CxLF8xVlX
The biggest star in the entire company currently is Roman Reigns. The Undisputed WWE Universal Champion has been nearly unstoppable over the last couple of years and has made the fans respect him (and acknowledge him!).
Several top stars have tried and failed to dethrone him. Now that he holds both the company's world titles, fans have been wondering whether anyone is capable of defeating him.
With Reigns vs. The Rock rumored for WrestleMania 39, the chances of Roman dropping both the world titles looks extremely low. However, the company could give everyone a major shock by letting Reigns drop the WWE Championship to another star.
This would solve the problem of only having a single champion while also letting Reigns continue his record-breaking run with the Universal Championship.
There are quite a few candidates who could realistically dethrone Reigns. The likes of Brock Lesnar, Drew McIntyre, and whoever wins the Money in the Bank briefcase would be the frontrunners on this list.