WrestleMania is right in our face and we're going to enjoy every second of it, whether it's a mad mess of a spectacle or a wrestling nirvana where all our favorites win and everything is right with the world. But once it's in the books we're lucky enough that there's no off-season for the wrestlers and we'll immediately begin the new WWE year with the always nutty Post-WrestleMania Raw and SmackDown Live, then we're off to the races all over again. With that new year comes rumors by the truckload and we've got the most intriguing scuttlebutt doing the rounds about WWE and it's superstars once they leave New Orleans.

There's rumors of returning superstars, roster movement, new championships, some high profile wrestlers moving on, heel turns, face turns, promotions from mid-card to main eventer, future World and Universal championship challengers, it's all on the table. This is the time of year when WWE is looking to retain that elusive audience who only shows up for Mania season and with that in mind they're going to be throwing a lot at the wall to see who sticks and what works, and that is good news for fans who like their wrestling less predictable and more fun. All of these have had varying levels of momentum behind them, and some are near certainties while others are outside chances, but they're all potentially around the corner.

15 Samoa Joe Challenges Roman Reigns

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This is dependent on Roman Reigns winning the Universal Championship in New Orleans and keeping it for a few months, but since that has been reportedly locked in for more than a year we're fairly confident. We can assume that not only is Roman going to be needing challengers, he's got one in his Samoan non-family in Samoa Joe.

Joe, who isn't even advertised for WrestleMania for the second unlucky year in a row, seems to be being held off so as to illicit shock as well as awe when he confronts Roman Reigns and attempts to steal the red belt off of him right after WrestleMania. The chances of Samoa Joe winning said championship is far less than we'd like given his injury history and Vince's quest for a Roman Empire, but the good news is that the matches will be excellent and violent. Joe is among the most believable tough guys in WWE today and with Roman finally getting his mouth up to the standards of his matches, it could be on par with the ultra-good AJ Styles Vs Roman Reigns feud from a couple of years back.

14 Superstar Shakeup

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This one is a critical one because it flows over into so many of the other rumors as a lynchpin aspect to their legitimacy. Reports are that Vince himself is very likely to instigate the shake-up onscreen in place of any full draft so he can once again siphon off Smackdown's best talent and give certain Raw acts the chance to shine slightly out of the congested Raw spotlight.

While some of us believe a more even brand split is conducive to better overall WWE television, the announcement that separately branded PPVs are coming to an end means that WWE is putting a lot of their eggs in fewer baskets to maximize promotional opportunities. This means that bigger stars from both shows will be present whether they get moved to the other show or not, and if that means we get 12 PPVs featuring AJ Styles per year rather than eight or nine, it's got that going for it.

13 AJ Styles To Raw

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The most expected move of them all despite SmackDown Live being the 'house that AJ Styles built' sees The Phenomenal One heading to the red brand. Like fans have known for years, Vince sees the undeniable talent and marketability of AJ Styles as a must for his main show. He resisted the urge to move AJ last year, but it's now time to showcase him front and center. With Daniel Bryan returning to active duty this might also be a ploy to keep the two apart as long as possible so that a dream match at SummerSlam or even WrestleMania 35 is possible, and no one is going to say that that is a bad idea.

This will also allow Shinsuke Nakamura to not be caught up in a constant feud with AJ after WrestleMania assuming he wins the WWE Championship, and that will also keep that match's value high. It will also mean that another superstar on the move will be kept in the back pocket for future huge matchups...

12 Seth Rollins Jumps To SmackDown Live

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That superstar is Seth Rollins. After a wobbly start to his faceturn he has gained momentum weekly, and coming out of Wrestlemania there is every chance he will not only win the Intercontinental Championship (incidentally completing the Grand Slam like his Shield brothers before him) but he will take it to the blue brand in a championship swap with likely US Champion, Jinder Mahal. Vince can have Jinder over on Raw because Seth on SmackDown is a perfect fit to replace AJ Styles and his still-evolving good side is catching on and needs room to grow.

Feuds await with the likes of Rusev, Shinsuke Nakamura, Big E, Bobby Roode, Baron Corbin, and we can all assume that another match between him and Randy Orton will satisfy like the last one did at WrestleMania 31. A big move that has several positive benefits seems more likely every day. It also separates The Shield again, hopefully so the next reunion goes better.

11 The Usos To Raw

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The Usos were dead in the water when they left Raw a couple of years back in the initial draft, floundering under non-personas of smiling and enthusiasm like many others have and still do. That is no longer the case. The Usos found that missing ingredient that separated them from true greatness as a tag team and they have displayed it to near perfection their entire Smackdown run. If you can tell them apart, Jimmy, in particular, has excelled on the mic and in the ring, delivering scintillating promos with Jey also upping his game so that this duo has become unavoidably good and now necessary to be moved to Raw where they can be highlighted.

The Uso Penitentiary sells merchandise, delivers on the mic and in the ring, and brings not only those aspects but outright attitude to the tag team division. Their success against every team on SmackDown Live means they are now required to do the same on Raw, as per Vince himself.

10 The Bar To SmackDown Live

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No slouches as an improved tag team themselves, The Bar has gone through every tandem on Raw (at least those that have stayed healthy) and now require a new set of teams to go up against. Sheamus and Cesaro pulled themselves out of the doldrums when their feud turned them into a team and although Sheamus continues to work under an injury cloud (or even perhaps because of it) they are the likely and expected swap in place of the imminent Usos arrival.

Not only that, the pair are much more established in singles matches than The Usos, so they can fill Smackdown's sometimes threadbare upper-midcard with solid matches and even occasional championship attempts. Besides all that, who doesn't want to see The Bar Vs The Bludgeon Brothers?

9 Bobby Lashley To Debut/Return

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Exit Brock Lesnar, enter Bobby Lashley. Whether we get a match between the two depends on Brock's willingness to play ball, but either way, the impending return of Bobby Lashley is excellent timing for WWE. Bobby has legitimized himself in MMA (albeit not to the same degree of fame as Lesnar) while also drastically improving his persona and promo ability while in Impact Wrestling.

He can essentially be inserted into the Brock Lesnar role as a fresh matchup for dozens of superstars without the baggage Brock carries, meaning competitive matches and storylines across the board. It's been a solid decade since Lashley last graced a WWE ring but if his recent efforts continue he'll be multiple times over a better act then he was the first time and a likely Universal Champion on Raw.

8 Dean Ambrose To Return As A Heel

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This one could be the most important incoming change of the entire new year. Dean Ambrose has essentially been a face his entire time since The Shield turned as a unit almost five years ago and his heelish excellence is what established the group in the first place. Now with an injury, an in-built story of betrayal and abandonment from his shield brothers as they went on their separate paths, he can return and finally show that heel brilliance he's been keeping in reserve this whole time.

He and Rollins already had a lengthy feud before, so with Rollins SmackDown bound it falls to Roman Reigns for Dean to unleash his wrath upon. The Lunatic Fringe has a lengthy indie history of vicious acts that WWE hasn't even tapped into yet, and with Ambrose top tier promo ability he could be the WWE's primary antagonist for years to come.

7 Main Event Miz

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You can't say this wouldn't be well deserved after The Miz's last two years. Everyone he comes into contact with has been elevated during that time, from Dolph Ziggler over the Intercontinental Championship, to The Miztourage as henchmen acts, to the Intercontinental Title itself. He's even been able to keep a potential WrestleMania worthy match against Daniel Bryan simmering with persistent hatred for the Smackdown Live GM that can now be paid off due to Bryan's return to action. All of these factors add to the likelihood of this rumor, but it's not just a return to prominence alone.

Not only is The Miz expected to return to the top of the card he is forecast to be rewarded with either a Universal or WWE championship reign sometime in the next calendar year, marking a triumphant resurgence and surely a renewal of his utterly contemptible heel work that makes him WWE's current best bad guy. It's gonna be awesome.

6 Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship

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With Triple H taking over the 205 Live division and television show it's shown immediate and pronounced improvement. Furthering that trend past the Cruiserweight Championship he's looking to involve the rest of the division in more venues of competition and so the Cruiserweight Tag Team Championships are going to be introduced. You can already see the signs of the burgeoning division with the Lucha House Party and Hideo Itami and Akira Tozawa coming together.

If The Brian Kendrick was healthy you can presume he and Jack Gallagher would also be figuring in the early formative process. This is all but confirmed with a leaked design for the belts getting released, and with the obscene talent WWE has on hand this could not only be a useful division but a massive highlight if they let the wrestlers show all their repertoire in pursuit of these new belts. A massive upside here.

5 Hulk Hogan May Return After All

via bleacherreport.com

He may truly be 'Immortal' because where other personalities would never be able to show their faces again Hulk Hogan is in preliminary talks with WWE en route to a re-introduction into WWE and its fans good graces. The Hulkster still has a ways to go, with soon-to-be Hall Of Famer Mark Henry issuing Hogan the challenge to adequately repent and earn his return to prominence, but the fact that WWE is considering this move at all speaks volumes.

Hulk Hogan's reputation is sullied and won't be forgotten, but he can perhaps become a beacon for some as he makes his efforts to repay his fans for his behavior. WWE will surely like to again have Hulk Hogan among their family, as would Hogan love to return, and with time softening the blow and WWE seeming to forgive almost everyone eventually, this looks to be gaining momentum right as Wrestlemania looms large.

4 John Cena Will Take An Extended Hiatus

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There's no easy way for Cena fans to take this, but he's going to be around less and less for the foreseeable future. John Cena has finally gotten over the hump with Hollywood after a few successful comedy cameos and is now getting full feature offers. He recently signed on to play Duke Nukem, which if he succeeds could be his true star-making vehicle. All of this along with his continued acting work and lesser in-ring efforts signals that John is expecting not to be around WWE much longer. He is not advertised for events heading into the middle of the year and doesn't appear on posters where he usually would either. Cena can properly be described as a part-timer now, his former rhetoric against The Rock more of a portent than his fans would have liked.

3 Women's Tag Team Championship

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Alongside the Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship, rumors sprung up of a Women's Tag Team Championship as well. Less concrete as no design for the belt has leaked yet, the introduction of several teams on Raw and Smackdown, as well as the incoming Iconic Duo from NXT, spells at least the beginnings of a division. Moreover, a tag division for the women would shore up the numbers when the Women's Royal Rumble comes around next year.

WWE cannot rely on former female stars to provide more than a third of the field every time January rolls around. It also provides opportunities that elevate the women competing for the single's championships as women like Ronda Rousey and Asuka will naturally exceed the tagging competitors and create true hierarchies of competition. Another step in the women's revolution.

2 Big Push For Big Cass... On SmackDown Live

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Big Cass' injury last year probably saved him a lot of pain when you consider what went down with Enzo. Cass instead has had time to separate himself from that quagmire of bad press, further work on his sometimes criticized physique, and to forget his weaker heel run as he becomes a sort of mirror to Baron Corbin's heel on SmackDown. Big Cass got plenty of practice on the mic in his former tag team and so has an advantage in parlaying that residual goodwill when he returns, likely on SmackDown Live. On Raw the position of popular monster is spoken for by Braun Strowman. Cass' only black mark on his scorecard is that injury so if he can regain his stride Vince could have another big man excelling for his blue brand.

1 Paul Heyman To Acquire A New Client

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While it is a near certainty that Brock Lesnar is gone to UFC and that won't be compatible with a WWE run again due to his previous PED violation, Paul Heyman is a different prospect. Whether they team him with Ronda Rousey, the returning Bobby Lashley (who probably doesn't need him now) or another wrestler, the rumor is that Paul will be kept on with WWE as long as he's willing. Paul is still the premier talker in WWE amid some stiff competition from Miz, Ambrose, and a few others, but his presence adds gravity to situations that others simply can't accomplish. This won't be a pairing like his failed times with Ryback or Cesaro but a genuine role to promote someone to the top tier. If/when Brock loses the belt at WrestleMania and exits the company, expect Paul to return after a short hiatus with the new client.