Gunther to lose his title to 45-year-old legend; historic moment at WrestleMania? 5 stars who can be the next WWE World Heavyweight Champion
The World Heavyweight Championship was first introduced in WWE last year. This version has no official shared lineage with the prior World Heavyweight Title that was retired around a decade ago.
The first champion was Seth Rollins. The Visionary went on to lose the belt to Drew McIntyre who then quickly lost the gold to Damian Priest. The Archer of Infamy was then dethroned at SummerSlam by Gunther.
The Ring General has held onto the gold for the past two months and has two successful title defenses under his belt. His first win was over Randy Orton at Bash in Berlin. His second victory came over Sami Zayn on RAW last night.
While Gunther could have a long reign as the World Heavyweight Champion, even The Ring General will lose the title eventually. This article will take a look at five stars who could be next to win the gold.
Below are five stars who can become the next WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
#5. CM Punk vs. Gunther is a dream match
CM Punk is a WWE legend. He is a multi-time world champion after first finding major success in Ring of Honor. He left the company under controversial circumstances in 2014 but returned last year.
The Straight Edge Superstar has been engaged in a brutal feud with Drew McIntyre. This led to the two clashing inside Hell in a Cell at WWE Bad Blood where both men bled buckets. It was intense.
The 45-year-old legend could be next to challenge The Ring General. While Gunther first has to deal with Cody, Punk vs. Gunther at Survivor Series would be quite fitting after his return last year. Plus, many see this bout as a dream match. What will happen when two of the best go at it?
#4. Seth Rollins is always a top guy
Seth Rollins is one of the greatest superstars of the modern era. He is a multi-time WWE Champion and a WrestleMania headliner. Beyond that, fans adore him and he has been one of the more beloved stars throughout much of the past decade.
The Visionary is causing a lot of ruckus on WWE Monday Night RAW. He returned last week and hit the stomp on Bronson Reed. On RAW this week, he called out Reed, mocked CM Punk and even mentioned the ongoing Bloodline drama.
Still, that probably isn't enough for The Visionary. He is always a top guy and surely wants to regain the World Heavyweight Championship since he was the one to put it on the map. Could Seth be the one to dethrone The Ring General and become a two-time champion?
#3. Ilja Dragunov could be the one to eventually dethrone The Ring General
Ilja Dragunov is an intense WWE star. He is hard-hitting and never says die despite his smaller build. His style, albeit dangerous to himself and others, has led to him becoming both an NXT United Kingdom Champion and NXT Champion in the past.
Unfortunately, The Mad Dragon is currently out of action due to an injury. In theory, this would put him out of contention as to who could dethrone Gunther. However, given how long The Ring General's title reigns have been in WWE, that might not be accurate.
Ilja could return to television in six months or more and Gunther may still hold gold. If that's the case, Dragunov could be the man to dethrone The Ring General given their history. Ilja is one of just three men to defeat Gunther since joining the promotion with the other two being Sami Zayn and Bron Breakker. Could Ilja do it again?
#2. Goldberg could challenge Gunther following his WWE return
Goldberg is a wrestling legend and a WWE Hall of Famer. He rose to fame in World Championship Wrestling, but later joined World Wrestling Entertainment where he had two major runs, capturing world titles in both eras.
Despite seemingly sharing some hard feelings for WWE after not getting the retirement match he was seeking, Goldberg made his return at Bad Blood. He was sitting and watching the show with his family before Gunther stirred up trouble.
The Ring General took some shots at the former WCW Champion and it led to Goldberg jumping the rail. If it wasn't for security, the two would have likely fought. Given Goldberg's championship success in the past, perhaps he will wrestle and lay out Gunther in his last-ever match, thus retiring as world champion.
#1. John Cena could have a WrestleMania moment
John Cena is one of the most recognizable pro wrestlers of all time. Not only is he a 16-time world champion in WWE, but John has also found a lot of success in Hollywood, making him one of the biggest crossover stars in the world. Still, he will always be known as a superstar.
Unfortunately, Big Match John is saying goodbye to WWE. He revealed that 2025 will be his final year as a competitor before he hangs up his sneakers once and for all. Cena expects to compete numerous times throughout the year before finishing up in December.
Many fans are hoping that Cena will get one last world title reign during his upcoming retirement tour. The best place for Cena to win the big one is at WrestleMania. Additionally, many hope Gunther and John will clash. The company could kill two birds with one stone and have them meet at WrestleMania where Cena wins the world title.