Smark Out Moment

Welcome to another edition of Triple Threat from Smark Out Moment, where three of us get together to discuss three questions based on one big topic going down in the week of professional wrestling.

This week, Dallas Allsopp, Ben Williams and Ethan Neufeld will be giving their opinions and predictions for WWE in 2020.

2020 is upon us, and for WWE, the challenge is to put on a better product than they gave us in 2019. WrestleMania 36 is only a few months away, which raises the question of who may make a return or main event the show. 2020 could also crown a first time world champion, but who do we feel is most likely to achieve this feat?


ALLSOPP: I believe it will be The Fiend vs Roman Reigns headlining WrestleMania, with the WWE Universal Championship on the line. Bray Wyatt has been outstanding in his new dual role, and The Fiend’s entrance at WrestleMania would be extremely memorable. I feel Reigns is one of the few wrestlers who could believably defeat The Fiend, such is his standing within the company. He will certainly have paid his dues, as he endured a torrid 2019 being paired with King Corbin in a truly atrocious storyline. A WWE Universal Championship victory would undoubtedly act as the springboard for him to dominate WWE in 2020.

WILLIAMS: I can see WWE trying, and probably failing, to make The Fiend more heelish by having him continually destroy popular babyfaces like Daniel Bryan and The Miz in the lead up to WrestleMania. This would culminate in an epic main event match, preferably in normal lighting, against Roman Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship. This match will either be an utter disaster, or be a massive moment for both performers.

NEUFELD: There are a couple of options that I see as realistic, but most likely, it will be The Fiend vs Roman Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship. Vince McMahon is probably having panic attacks that Reigns hasn’t been in the main event scene for quite some time, so I think his presence in the main event is a sure thing. The Fiend is the most compelling thing in WWE for some time, even if they have totally botched it. This is the match they could build a story around that could have a true main event feel. Another, less likely scenario, would be a one on one match between Becky Lynch and Ronda Rousey, as a redemption match from last year's event. I don’t think they’ll do this as it’s too similar to last year’s main event, and multiple pay-per-view main events with the ladies have been botch heavy, including last year’s main event finish. Also, Rousey’s status appears to be a big unknown at the moment.


WILLIAMS: In an ideal world, I think Andrade has all the tools to be an excellent world champion in WWE in 2020. The guy has a tonne of charisma, the right look, fantastic in ring ability and a certain it factor that a lot of newer guys haven’t really tapped into yet. Andrade is starting the decade as United States Champion, and I’d love to see him move up the ranks as the year progresses.

NEUFELD: There are a lot of wrestlers who have not won a non-NXT championship who feel on the cusp of winning a title, but not many wrestlers who I think can break into the world title picture. If Roman Reigns defeats The Fiend for the WWE Universal Championship, I could see King Corbin taking the title from him down the line through nefarious means, and having a solid run as a heel champion in the vein of JBL. If The Fiend wins, it might be the time to finally give Braun Strowman the title, as this would be a realistic build of needing a monster to defeat a monster. As far as the WWE Championship goes, the only wrestlers on the Raw roster who have not held a world title and can be built up enough to dethrone Brock Lesnar, would be Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley. I lean towards McIntyre as they’ve been sitting on him for too long at this point, and it’s time to poop or get off the pot. Lashley would be a realistic possibility as Lesnar vs Lashley is a match that I think they’ve wanted for a while, but his credibility has been so fractured by the Rusev and Lana storyline that I don’t see it as recoverable by WrestleMania. If they pull the trigger on McIntyre, I think they would go all in as he has all the tools to be a figurehead to build Raw around. Or knowing WWE, he’d lose it back to Lesner the next night on Raw.

ALLSOPP: For me, WWE missed the ideal opportunity to put the WWE Universal Championship on Braun Strowman this year, therefore I cannot see him ever winning a world title. Drew McIntyre often acts as the passing fancy for the month, so he would not be a long term investment to become a world champion, and this problem is also experienced by Ricochet. This leads me to confidently state that Andrade will indeed become a world champion in 2020, and I believe he will be the wrestler to defeat Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship. WWE needs a long term Hispanic star, and considering he is a talented and young superstar, it makes perfect sense for him to be elevated to the main event scene. The only caveat for this however, is that Zelina Vega remains his mouthpiece as he is unproven on the microphone, especially with his somewhat limited grasp of English.


NEUFELD: This is tough as I could see both or neither returning, and I could see either happening in a non-match capacity. I think it’s highly unlikely CM Punk will wrestle a match, but money talks. I think it is more likely we will see CM Punk as part of the build for Seth Rollins’ WrestleMania match. I can see Punk being at ringside for Rollins’ match against Kevin Owens, or perhaps being a special guest referee. If either happens, you better believe Rollins is eating a Go To Sleep for a huge pop. Ronda Rousey is less predictable, as her status is not as much linked to a financial incentive as it is a personal one, because she has been trying to start a family. For all we know, WWE have big plans for Rousey, but it’s touch and go as she could be out of the picture at any time.

ALLSOPP: The wrestling fan in me wishes CM Punk would return as a surprise entrant at the Royal Rumble, eliminate Seth Rollins and progress to a match between the pair at WrestleMania. CM Punk is still a household name in wrestling despite being away for 6 years, and that fact alone should ensure lapsed and frustrated fans tune in to see how he gets on. His thinly veiled insults towards Rollins on WWE Backstage are proof enough for me that this match is being set up. For me, Ronda Rousey wouldn't move the needle anywhere near as much as CM Punk inevitably will.

WILLIAMS: Whilst I can quite feasibly see both Ronda Rousey and CM Punk return for Wrestlemania, I believe the only definite return of the two is Rousey. WWE almost certainly have the impression that Rousey does wonders for the women’s division, so I’m pretty convinced they won’t want to put on a match at WrestleMania without her. The return of the baddest woman on the planet would give a massive boost to viewing figures, presumably on Raw. The real question is what damage could come to the rest of the women’s division surrounding her?