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Top 5 Wrestlers Who Could Become WWE Champion For The First Time In 2018 - Part 1
5 Andrade “Cien” Almas: Truth be told, up until quite recently, there’s no way Andrade “Cien” Almas would have made his way to this list. While significantly talented in the ring, it was a huge shock to wrestling fans everywhere when Almas won the NXT Championship at TakeOver: War Games.
Obviously, it would be just as surprising if not more so were Almas to suddenly get called up to the main roster to nab an even more prestigious title less than a year after his breakthrough moment. On the other hand, whenever a wrestler wins the NXT Championship, it’s a clear-cut sign that WWE management in general sees something special in their work.
Past NXT Champs like Shinsuke Nakamura, Bobby Roode, and Samoa Joe instantly started challenging for top gold when they were called up, and there’s no reason to expect differently from Almas.
The one thing that might keep this prediction from coming true is if he chooses to stick around NXT for the entire year, a scenario that feels equally likely to him getting called up and becoming champion.
4 Kevin Owens: Having already reigned as WWE Universal Champion for several months, essentially setting the tone for what that belt stands for, it could be argued Kevin Owens doesn’t need to be on this list.
However, despite his considerable accolade, the Prizefighter has never won the WWE Championship, and since he’s been moved from Raw to SmackDown, that’s the one title he should be concerned with. Given his history with gold, it’s almost surprising Owens hasn’t had a serious shot at the belt since moving from one roster to the other.
Contrary to WWE’s efforts, it’s also notable that Owens is now more popular now than he ever was holding the big red belt, a common byproduct of feuds against the company authority.
Throw in a renewed friendship with Sami Zayn, meaning he always has someone to watch his back and help out when times are tough, and Owens could definitely make his way to the top of SmackDown very soon, just like he did on Raw.
3 Fínn Balor: As the first ever WWE Universal Champion, Fínn Balor is in a very similar position to Kevin Owens when it comes to whether or not he actually belongs on this list.
Then again, Balor held it for all of a single day before being forced to vacate the gold due to injury. Rather than stick around on Raw and continue offering fans diminishing returns with questionable feuds, maybe it’s time he jumped over to SmackDown and started challenging for the blue brand’s top title.
Balor would fit in better with the more athletic roster, and could easily shoot up the card considering there are less readymade main event superstars over on SmackDown.
In the very least, Balor would get back to championship contention by switching brands, with the stink of his one day reign marring his chances are recapturing the Universal belt anytime soon. This isn’t fair to a man of his talents, unless he manages to redeem himself with a certain other shiny gold belt.
2 Cesaro: Unfortunately, the time is fast approaching when fans of Cesaro should just give up on WWE finally recognizing he’s one of the most talented wrestlers on their roster.
It was three years ago that Vince McMahon publically stated he believed Cesaro lacked the “it factor” necessary to “grab the brass ring,” something the Swiss Sensation and his many fans have long disagreed with, to say the least.
On the other hand, Cesaro has used the time since then to keep improving upon his already considerable skills, and thanks to his tag team with Sheamus, he’s been receiving the most spotlight he’s had in a very long time.
Considering Sheamus is a past WWE Championship himself, one can only hope this will eventually force McMahon and company to get the picture and reward Cesaro with the singles title he’s deserved all along.
1 Matt Hardy: At 43 years of age, Matt Hardy is the oldest wrestler on this list, and therefore perhaps the least like to become WWE Champion any time soon, let alone ever. That said, fans of the elder Hardy boy shouldn’t necessarily abandon all hope just yet, as his recent WWE return brought him back with a higher profile than ever before.
In his time off, Hardy rebranded himself as a Broken/Woken madman, making him one of the most talked about sports entertainers on the Internet. He also won a TNA Championship or two, which isn’t necessarily something that Vince McMahon cares about, but it does prove he has the necessary skills to reign over a major promotion.
There’s also the fact his brother Jeff is a former WWE Champion, a reality that does indeed prove McMahon has had his eyes on the Hardyz for a long time.
With Jeff injured and Matt firing on all cylinders lately, maybe it’s time he got a shiny gold belt of his own.