Well, well, well. How the turn tables. It is a new year, so that means we’re getting the opportunity to predict how things will shake up throughout the new year in the WWE. If you would like to read how things turned out in my 2022 predictions, CLICK HERE. The WWE has a new feel and the product has been refreshed. It is always fun to see how things unfold, but to make things really interesting, I like to predict how the upcoming year will fare. It isn't about being right or proving something, it is about having fun and seeing how things can change throughout the course of a 12-month span. In case you have forgotten or haven’t seen any of my predictions articles before here is what I do. I start off by giving my general opinion of the company in its current state. This gives me a basis of how I feel about the product or anything overall. After that, I give 5 talking points that I think could pop up at any given moment throughout the year. One of those talking points is always a breakout superstar portion for example. I finish the article off by giving 10 bold predictions for the year. I love this section. It allows me to be creative and really think up of wild scenarios that could happen. I’ll not waste any more time though, let’s dive in.

Current State of WWE

Every year it seems like I switch from pessimism to optimism with the WWE. This is an optimistic year. Things are going wonderfully. I hate to say it, but Vince McMahon’s “retirement” has been the best thing for the company and the product. Triple H is doing a fantastic job with creative and it feels like we are getting a great product each and every time we see the WWE on TV. The Royal Rumble is coming up and I know fans are amped up for that every year, but this year seems like it can be a special one. I feel like Triple H has brought wrestling back to the WWE and I’m going to enjoy it while it lasts.

Is Anyone Going to Stop The Bloodline in 2023?

The Bloodline has been the best part of the WWE for 2 years and each and every week, they get stronger. Their reign grows and grows, and the list of worthy opponents continue to shrink. Roman Reigns has been Universal Champion for 851 days and counting and has been the Undisputed WWE Champion for 270 days and counting. The Usos have been SmackDown Tag Champs for 529 days and counting and Undisputed Tag Champs for 223 days and counting. Solo Sikoa and Sami Zayn have joined the faction and the group has dominated everything and everyone. I am enjoying this storyline, but there are fans that are tired of seeing the group hold the belts hostage. We will likely see new champs in the singles and tag division in 2023, but when? That is a good question that I think we are wondering for the upcoming year.

Another great question is who? Who will take them down? I think the popular answer is Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania and honestly, that is probably the best guess that I have. I can't imagine that The Rock will return to the ring, but if he does, he likely will not defeat Roman Reigns. The Rock has no reason to return. He has done everything that you can possibly achieve in the WWE and other than creating a moment, coming back wouldn't do anything for his career. He is bigger than the WWE. Other than that, my best guess is Seth Rollins. If you remember correctly, he defeated Roman Reigns by DQ at Royal Rumble in 2022. It wasn’t a decisive match. Rollins definitely will get back with Roman Reigns somehow and I think Rollins will win, but I don’t know if it will be this year. As for the Usos, my theory is that Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens will end back up together and they will take down The Usos. Sami Zayn currently has the second highest odds to win the Royal Rumble. I definitely would’ve never imagined a world where Sami Zayn is highly favored to win the Rumble, but here we are. He will turn against The Bloodline and I think it will be just in time for WrestleMania. Sami Zayn will be the cog in the machine and I think he will get the ball rolling for a collapse of The Bloodline. It’s a matter of when and not if.

A New Heavyweight Belt?

There have been rumors that they’re looking to add another belt to the fold on RAW. Since Roman Reigns’ primary show is SmackDown, he is obviously on it more, but he holds both of the belts. The biggest glaring need for RAW is that the champion isn't on the show. It isn't Roman’s fault, it is creative’s fault. Bringing in a new belt may seem a little unnecessary, but it may not be. If Roman Reigns retains his titles past WrestleMania, then I think we have a problem. If he doesn’t, then I think there will be no issue. Considering the amount of years between the redesigns of the major championships, we’re getting due for another redesign. We may see some new belt designs with a new champion perhaps. We have been through this. The belts get unified, the champs pass around the two belts for a little while, or in this case hold onto them for a while. Then there is a big match where we “settle the score”. We get a redesigned WWE belt and potentially a new belt on another show. That is likely what will happen, but who knows? Roman Reigns may be champ forever.

Breakout Stars of 2023

My recurring talking point of who I think will either breakout or dominate is continuing this year and I feel like I’m not really stepping too far out with my picks. In the past, I have practically combined the two divisions, but ultimately chose a man each year. This year, I’m going to make things a little tougher on myself and choose one from both the men’s and women’s divisions. On the men’s side, I was a little disappointed with Riddle’s performance in 2022 and I need to redeem myself. My first choice was going to be Gunther, but I think he will be huge in 2024 and I don’t want to jump the gun on him. There is only one choice at this point and it has to be Cody Rhodes. Cody definitely will not let me down, well, I hope he won’t. I know I’m not going to be bold with this pick, but I think it is difficult to argue against him at this point. 2023 will be the year of Cody Rhodes if he stays healthy.

In the women’s division, I can go one of two ways. I can go with a proven superstar who I think will have a dominant year or I can lean towards someone who hasn’t been on the main roster for as long. I am ultimately going with Raquel Rodriguez. She ended 2022 with a loss, but it was a great loss. She pushed the limit of Ronda Rousey and I think she will be champion by the end of 2023. I think she is a Triple H handpicked favorite as well, so I think Raquel will shine in 2023. My other choice was going to be Rhea Ripley. I think she will have a big year, but I wanted to go a little bolder with Raquel.

NXT and the Main Roster in 2023

I feel like I have some sort of talking point about NXT each year and a couple of those years have had to deal with their involvement with the main roster. After NXT moved to Tuesday nights, the image of the product has been changed and things aren't what they used to be. Not to say the product has been bad, it has just been different. Now that Triple H is in charge and he used to be the main creative mind of NXT, will we see them interacting with the main roster again? I think so. I think some of the seasoned NXT vets will be seen on RAW and SmackDown throughout the year to show everyone that they do exist, and they will be big main roster names in the near future. Bron Breakker is currently the NXT Champ and I would be surprised if he doesn’t appear on the SmackDown or RAW at least once this year. As for others, I think some will be called up obviously, but I think most of them will be retained.

More Celebrities in WWE?

2022 was a big year for celebrities in the WWE. Celebrities have always been a part of the WWE, but I can't remember the last time we had two people with the notoriety of Logan Paul and Bad Bunny stepping in the ring and actually doing well. OK, Bad Bunny was more of a 2021 thing even though he did appear in the 2022 Royal Rumble, but you get my point. Logan Paul headlined a PPV with Roman Reigns and not only did he do well, but you could argue that he carried that match. I expect to see more of Logan Paul in 2023 and we may even see him with championship gold in 2023. With that being said, will there be any more celebrities that make the jump to WWE? You never know. I don’t have any wild guesses, but I think it’s a possibility that we see more celebrities getting in the ring.

Bold Predictions

- Roman Reigns will surpass 1,000 days as Universal Champion

- Cody Rhodes will leave SummerSlam with the WWE Championship

- Despite the rumors, Sasha Banks will be back in the WWE

- Bron Breakker will become the longest reigning NXT Champion of all-time

- Rhea Ripley will end the year with Championship gold

- Raquel Rodriguez will win the MITB and successfully cash-in by the end of the year

- Bray Wyatt will not receive a major title shot this year

- Big E will return to the ring

- Bianca Belair will remain RAW Women’s Champion beyond WrestleMania 39

- Gunther will break the Honky Tonk Man’s Intercontinental Championship record

reign of 454 days

Yacs

WWE Predictions for 2023