NFL
By Keith Richards
Now that WWE Backlash is over, the WWE Draft picks head to their respective brands (old and new) to start their new journeys. Do you know what that means? It means the WWE World Heavyweight Championship Tournament can start in earnest! As mentioned previously, the WWE World Heavyweight Championship will be exclusive to the Raw brand.
So, Smackdown and Raw will both have participants in the tournament. Before discussing the top contenders and the implications if they win, here’s the field competing for the new WWE World Heavyweight Championship:
• Cody Rhodes (Raw)
• Damian Priest (Raw)
• AJ Styles (Smackdown)
• Austin Theory (Smackdown)
• Bobby Lashley (Smackdown)
• Finn Balor (Raw)
• Seth “Freakin’” Rollins (Raw)
• Shinsuke Nakamura (Raw)
• Edge (Smackdown)
• Rey Mysterio (Smackdown)
• The Miz (Raw)
• Sheamus (Smackdown)
Seth “Freakin’” Rollins
OOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! WHOAOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! He is the visionary! He is the revolutionary! His name is Seth “Freakin’” Rollins! With Gunther not included in the WWE World Heavyweight Championship tournament, Rollins is the heavy fan favorite to win. Not only is he the fan favorite, but Seth is also the odds-on-betting favorite as well. The Visionary is currently -200 to win the title. The next closet is Cody Rhodes at +160. It’s expected Seth will win.
Honestly, there are not any implications of Rollins winning. He would stay on Raw since he was drafted there. The only implication is that many feel it’s The Revolutionary’s time once more. He’s incredibly over with the fans and his in-ring performances support Seth getting his flowers. If Rollins is not in the finals of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship tournament, it would be a major upset!
Shinsuke Nakamura
The King of Strongstyle has to be among the top contenders to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. After taking some time off from the WWE and a victory against the Great Muta, Nakamura is ready and focused to be a contender once again. Though Shinsuke has moderately had success in the WWE, it’s also clear he’s neither reached his ceiling nor been utilized fully.
The WWE World Heavyweight Championship would make The King of Strongstyle a grand slam champion. While not as over as Rollins, Nakamura is still very over with the fans. Many, like myself, feel he’s long overdue to hold that top title. At +1400, he’s a long-shot bet but one that has great potential to pay off. As Shinsuke was drafted to Raw, it’s an easy logistical transition as well.
Bobby Lashley
The Almighty Bobby Lashley is the most interesting contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. First, Lashley is a former two-time WWE Champion. The Almighty’s reigns as champion straddled the WWE Thunderdome Era and the time shortly after it. So, Bobby really did not have a lot of time to be the people’s champion. Since then, and with the Hurt Business dissolving, Lashley endeared himself to fans and would make a great inaugural WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
There are implications though. Bobby Lashley was drafted to Smackdown. On the surface, one would think he’s the top contender for Roman Reigns. I’m not holding my breath, but the WWE could have made a genius move with the draft. If Lashley wins, he would have to be traded to Raw. So, who does Raw trade for the WWE World Heavyweight Champion? Cody Rhodes.
This checks a lot of boxes. It fulfills the promise that the new title lives with Raw, it pulls the rug from under a lot of people (like myself) questioning why Rhodes was drafted to Raw with Roman still with Smackdown, and allows Cody to finish his story and take the titles from the Tribal Chief. Will it happen? We’ll have to wait and see.
AJ Styles
The Phenomenal One. A! J! Styles! Styles is the dark horse of these contenders. You don’t expect him to win, but you can also understand if he did win. Styles is a polarizing WWE Superstar who can work as either a babyface or a heel. The Phenomenal One’s long title reign as a babyface was very successful. The same could be said, though, of his inaugural reign as a heel. So, AJ is like a Swiss army knife in what you can do with him in the ring and with a storyline.
Styles and the O.C. were also drafted to Smackdown. Assuming they’d want a like-for-like trade, it’s tough to see who Smackdown would want in return for the OC if Styles were to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. That’s what makes the Phenomenal One the dark horse. It’s logical to see him with the strap, but it’s more of a logistical hassle than the other contenders.
The WWE World Heavyweight Championship Tournament kicks off tonight on Raw. Team NBS will have you covered on coverage! I will be live tweeting Raw as well with all the updates. Don’t miss out!
