Has it been a full year already? It seems like only a couple week ago when I wrote this, but yes. A full 12 months has passed, and the WWE is wrapping up their year. These articles are the most fun that I have all year long and I always look forward to coming up with new predictions and reflecting on the articles that I wrote a full year prior. You can follow along with what I predicted if you click this link RIGHT HERE. Like I said in my intro last year, this isn't about proving something, it is about having fun and looking back at where my head was at, as a fan, at the start of the year. I know that I am not going to be perfect in what I predict, but it is always fun to try and guess what could happen in the new year. Especially with wrestling. It is so unpredictable. Well, I won’t waste any more time here. Follow along with me and we’ll break down my full-year predictions from January 2nd, 2023.

Current State of WWE

There was a lot to be optimistic about at the start of the year and I would say that my optimism was just. The WWE had a fantastic year. There was a bit of drama to start the year, but in reality, it wasn’t anything of concern. Vince McMahon “retired” last year just before SummerSlam and returned to the company at the start of the new year, but it was quickly discovered that he was only returning to sell the company. I never, in a million years, thought that Vince would sell the WWE, but it happened. UFC and WWE merged to create TKO and are a global powerhouse. This has been huge for the WWE and each show seems to have a bigger feel to it, since the merger. There are a lot more global PPVs and I don’t think that will change any time soon. Business is great in the WWE and that means business is good for all wrestling companies. Although some fans refuse to see it that way. The creative has been better than ever and we’ll see how it goes in 2024, but I don’t think they will trend down for quite a while.

Is Anyone Going to Stop The Bloodline?

My first talking point was concerning The Bloodline. Well, the group has weakened, but is still intact. Jey Uso has left as well as Sami Zayn, but Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa are still in the super group. Roman Reigns has added a full year of days to the title reign and is now up to 1,216 days. I never imagine a wrestler surpassing 1,000 days again, but here we are. Some fans are tired of it, but I like it. I feel like Roman, or maybe Brock Lesnar, are the only two guys that could do this with at the moment. Maybe Gunther in the future, but we’ll see where that goes. The Usos lost their belts to Zayn and Owens at WrestleMania 39, just as I predicted. It always felt like the writing was on the wall with that one. As for Roman’s reign, I think most people thought that Cody was going to win the belts, but nope. It didn’t happen. Looking back, I was shocked that it didn’t, but as the days went on, it made more and more sense that it didn’t happen. He only had 5 (televised) title defenses in 2023, but that isn't to say that they weren’t meaningful. Each match felt like a big deal and that is what Roman brings to the table. So, for the topic, The Bloodline were slowed down a bit, but not enough. They’re still moving forward, and we shall see what their 2024 will be like.

A New Heavyweight Belt?

I hit the nail on the head with this one. There were rumblings of a potential new belt and we got one. We also got a redesign of the Universal Championship. Not only that, but the Women’s belts got a shared, new look as well and I like that. While the Heavyweight belt is a new belt, and many didn’t like the fact that technically this diminished the value of it. I understand it, but Seth Rollins has done a tremendous job of building credibility for it. This takes me back to the days when the new WWE Heavyweight belt was introduced. Fans didn’t love it and the belt never really gained the credibility of the WWE Championship. Hopefully that won’t be the case, but we’ll see.

Breakout Stars of 2023

I chose Cody Rhodes for my breakout star of the year and I would say that it was the correct prediction. I didn’t really go out on a limb, but I didn’t have to. In many outlets, he is considered to be the wrestler of the year for 2023. Cody not only returned to the Royal Rumble after a devastating pectoral tear, but he won the match, entering at number 30. He went on to face Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania. He lost, but credibility was gained. He went on to have a big feud with Brock Lesnar and gained even more credibility He feuded with Judgement Day and won the Tag belts with Jey Uso. Yeet! Now, he is ending the year with a heated rivalry with Shinsuke Nakamura. Cody Rhodes was the choice for breakout star, and looking back, there were really no other options.

As for my women’s choice, I swung and missed, but I still feel like there is a lot of potential with her. I can’t say that it was a total miss though. She didn’t have a terrible year, but still, I expected her to have a title reign this year. She did have a feud with Rhea Ripley, but I don’t think it lived up to what it could’ve been. I threw in Rhea Ripley’s name at the end as my alternate choice, but that was pretty much a given that she was going to have a good year. I still think Raquel has a ton of potential and maybe I was just a year off with my prediction.

NXT and the Main Roster in 2023

The main roster and NXT collaborated extremely well in 2023. Especially in the Women’s division. Becky Lynch held the NXT Women’s belt for a little bit and was a fighting champion. That was great for the women of NXT and it helped them gain credibility with the RAW and SmackDown audiences. Also, Dominik Mysterio holding the North American belt was a big deal as well. Not only did it help him, but it helped Trick Williams and Dragon Lee quite a bit. I don’t anticipate things changing with NXT and the main roster, and that is a great thing.

More Celebrities in WWE?

There weren’t any more, but there were some fantastic matches from celebrities this year. WWE doesn’t really brand Logan Paul as a celebrity, but I do. He has been fantastic in every match he has been in. After I saw his first match, I immediately said that if he is serious about this, he could be a champion one day. Well, that happened. He is currently the US champion and is doing a great job with it, despite not defending it yet. As for the other big celebrity Bad Bunny was phenomenal in his match with Damian Priest in Puerto Rico. Take away the match itself, which was fantastic, his entrance was all you needed to see with him in front of his home crowd in Puerto Rico. That crowd was hyped and I haven’t seen anything like it. If need an example of what being “over” looks like, type in “Bad Bunny Backlash Entrance”. You will have all of the evidence you need.

Bold Predictions

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

Yes, he did! Many thought that Cody Rhodes would take him down, but his reign is 1,216 days and counting. (1/1)

- Cody Rhodes will leave SummerSlam with the WWE Championship

Cody Rhodes didn’t have a singles title reign in 2023. In fact, he didn’t get a shot at one after WrestleMania 39. I think that will likely change in 2024, though. (1/2)

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

Only 2 days after my prediction article went up, she showed up to NJPW and announced her signing at Wrestle Kingdom 17. Swing and a miss. (1/3)

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

He was a little more than a month away from the record set by Adam Cole, bay bay. Cole’s record was 396, Bron’s reign was 362. (1/4)

- Rhea Ripley will end the year with Championship gold

Your Women’s World Champion to end 2023 is Rhea Ripley. She had a dominant year and I would say she was the best female competitor in all of wrestling in 2023. (2/5)

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

Nope, this didn’t come true. She wasn’t even in the match. She and Liv Morgan were tag champs at the Money in the Bank show. (2/6)

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

I took a look at this last month and I was in disbelief. It is so hard to believe that Bray Wyatt is no longer with us. It is crazy to think that at the start of the year, he was an active performer. I was right with this prediction, but obviously not in the way that I wanted to be right. His passing was such a shock and none of us knew that he wasn’t well. His legacy does live on though. He was one of the best characters in WWE history. RIP Bray Wyatt. (3/7)

- Big E will return to the ring

This didn’t happen, but hopefully he can return. I miss seeing Big E on TV. (3/8)

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

Bianca did remain RAW Women’s Champion after WrestleMania, but not too long afterwards. Asuka defeated her for the belt in Saudi Arabia at the end of May. Her reign lasted 420 days. (4/9)

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

reign of 454 days

Gunther has surpassed the Honky Tonk Man by over 100 days. He is the longest reigning champion in WWF/E history and is at 566 days and counting. (5/10)

Yacs

A Look Back at "WWE Predictions for 2023"