10 things we want to see in 2016
From Ronda Rousey staring down Stephanie McMahon to Sting competing on Raw, 2015 brought the WWE Universe a lot of moments we never expected to see. Somehow, the Superstars and Divas will top it in 2016.
What’s the next step for NXT? Which intrepid Superstars will take the brass ring? And what long-standing records and droughts will fall? We have some ideas.
How well did we predict 2015? | Best photos of 2015
Triple H wins the new Grand Slam by winning the U.S. Championship
Triple H’s résumé boasts 13 WWE World Heavyweight Championships, five Intercontinental Championships and a WWE Tag Team Title reign alongside Shawn Michaels, in addition to Royal Rumble Match and King of the Ring victories. The Game has done it all in his 20-year WWE career — except win the United States Championship.
Winners of the new grand slam | Watch: Winners of every active title
From Harley Race to Ricky Steamboat, some of sports-entertainment’s greatest Superstars have carried the star-spangled title. The Cerebral Assassin has never even challenged for the prize, though.
Only six Superstars have won all four titles currently offered in WWE. It’s time for Triple H to make it seven.
A Diva wins a male championship
They don’t call Sasha Banks “The Boss” because she’s known for her micromanagement skills. With her flashy style and in-ring technique, she specializes in disrupting the status quo. After main-eventing NXT TakeOver and competing in NXT’s first women-only Iron Man Match, she’s off to a great start.
Watch the NXT Iron Man Match | Divas who won men’s titles
It has been more than 10 years since a Diva challenged for — yet alone won — a male championship in WWE. Past Divas did it with power moves and frying pans, but Banks’ high-risk style affords her the ability to take down much larger opponents. Plus, the classic Intercontinental Championship would look perfect around Sasha Banks’ waist.
A Superstar wins the Royal Rumble Match in his Rumble debut
The Royal Rumble Match can jumpstart a Superstar’s career. But lately, Superstars have come up just short in their first outing. In Roman Reigns’ 2014 Rumble debut, broke records by tossing out 12 competitors before finishing as the runner-up. A similar fate fell on Ryback in his Rumble Match debut in 2013, as he finished second to John Cena.
Watch Reigns dominate 2014 Rumble Match | Owens opens up in Q&A
But it’s time for a Superstar to channel his inner Ric Flair, Brock Lesnar or Alberto Del Rio and win the Rumble Match in his first appearance in the bout. The roster boasts plenty of interesting candidates, like Kevin Owens, Neville, Braun Strowman and myriad options from NXT. Someone needs to rise to the occasion.
Dean Ambrose breaks an Intercontinental Championship drought
Dean Ambrose wants his time with the Intercontinental Championship to resemble the great reigns of long ago. It’s a tall task, considering how many Superstars are chasing after the title. No Superstar has been the Intercontinental Champion for longer than 300 days since The Honky Tonk Man’s legendary 1987 reign.
Ambrose wins US Title | Photos: Lunatic Fringe’s workout
Ambrose is the perfect Superstar to break the drought, considering he’s one of the five Superstars to hold the United States Championship for more than 300 days in its 40-year history. His tactics may be unusual, but Ambrose knows how to keep a title.
A Hall of Fame Diva returns to the ring
The Divas division is more competitive than it’s ever been. Six Divas on the roster have held the Divas Championship, while the likes of Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks stand on the cusp of contendership. It’s a stacked locker room of competitors.
Classic Alundra Blayze photos | Watch Lita join the WWE Hall of Fame
2015 featured the invasion of the NXT newcomers (Lynch, Charlotte and Banks) in the Divas division. This year, let’s see the return of the old guard.
The young Divas have ignited a revolution. We want to see where a returning WWE Hall of Famer like Trish Stratus, Lita or Alundra Blayze could take things if they rejoined active competition, themselves.
The Undertaker competes in a Casket Match
After a seven-year hiatus, the Casket Match returned to WWE in 2015. But it was missing its originator, The Undertaker. The stipulation made for the perfect playground for The Deadman, and even when he lost, he managed to emerge more terrifying than ever.
Casket Match at WrestleMania 22 | Unseen photos of The Deadman
Undertaker stepped back inside Hell in a Cell against Brock Lesnar and reunited The Brothers of Destruction against The Wyatt Family in 2015. But there are few things more synonymous with him than a Casket Match. So who should rest in peace? Leave that to him to figure out.
A woman joins The Wyatt Family
Bray Wyatt has hinted and teased about Sister Abigail’s effect for more than two years. This mysterious woman set Wyatt and his followers on their destructive path and meant so much to The Eater of Worlds that he named his signature move after her.
7 dream WWE video games | Watch: Wyatts abduct The Undertaker
The addition of Braun Strowman made the gigantic group even stronger. Wyatt, Strowman, Luke Harper and Erick Rowan have terrorized the singles and tag team divisions, so all that’s left to conquer is the Divas locker room. It’s time for Wyatt to recruit a woman into his ranks, and maybe introduce the world to Sister Abigail.
WWE World Heavyweight Champion vs. NXT Champion
NXT graduated from WWE’s best kept secret to an entire movement this year. People used to say it represented the future, but by the end of 2015, it represented the present. As the brand grew, the NXT Championship’s prestige followed suit. The title was defended all the way from California to New York to the United Kingdom.
Watch NXT on WWE Network | Full NXT coverage
As NXT’s hype continues to grow, fans also compare its competitors to those on WWE’s main roster. The NXT Champion needs to take a calculated risk and challenge the reigning WWE World Heavyweight Champion. The future is now for NXT, and it’s time to prove it.
Roman Reigns teams with The Rock
Roman Reigns regularly preaches the importance of family, so why not give a call to his famous cousin, 10-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion The Rock?
The Great One is easily the busiest man in Hollywood. In a single day, he’ll travel the world, film scenes for one of his blockbuster movies or hit HBO series “Ballers,” and make Instagram explode.
Watch Rock and Reigns at Royal Rumble 2015 | The Great One unites with Ronda Rousey
Rock came to his cousin Reigns’ aid at the 2015 Royal Rumble, and if he was to return to the squared circle, it’s only fitting that it would be alongside WWE’s hottest star and reigning WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
John Cena clinches his 16th World Championship
“The Champ is here,” has become as much part of John Cena’s legacy as the Attitude Adjustment. With 15 WWE World Heavyweight Championship reigns to his name across 10 years, Cena is nearing Ric Flair’s 16 World Championships, an accomplishment most thought would never be matched.
5 things John Cena hasn’t accomplished | SummerSlam 2015 on WWE Network
Cena almost tied The Nature Boy’s record at SummerSlam until Jon Stewart interfered in his title match against Seth Rollins. Since Cena first won the title in 2005, we have only seen three years when he didn’t hold it at all: 2009, 2012 and 2015. It’s hard to think he won’t win it in two consecutive years.
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