What will The WWE landscape look like when 2018 comes to an end?

Will Roman Reigns still be Universal Champion? How long will The Shield last? What else will Ronda Rousey achieve when all is said and done in 2018. Not only are these questions interesting to pose as a fan, it is also very fun to try to follow WWE’s logic and think about what the sports entertainment giant will do next.

The WWE still has quite a few events before the year is up. In addition to their regular PPV lineup, the WWE added two big events in the fall, one being their Super Slam Showdown in Australia and their all women's event Evolution in October. Then of course, the WWE will have their last of their big four lineup with Survivor Series taking place in November. That still leaves a lot of time for WWE to plant some seeds on their road to WrestleMania.

While it’s impossible to know exactly what’s next, especially since WWE has changed things on a dime before, it is at least worth following WWE’s booking logic over the last couple months and translating that into predictions for the future. Before we know it, we'll be gearing up for the Royal Rumble and we should get a good idea of what that will look like by the time 2018 is over. With that being said and half of 2018 now over, here are 20 things that will happen by the end of the year.

20 Wyatt Family Reforms

There's no other way to put it; Bray Wyatt has been lost over the past year. He seems to come up on the short end in every feud and now that Matt Hardy's future with WWE is up in the air, Bray Wyatt needs something else to do. The WWE has gone to this well several times before, but one way for Wyatt to get his groove back would be to reform the Wyatt Family, either taking Rowan and Harper back in, or finding a new group to form and expand the family to some extent. They can't just have Wyatt dwindling in the lower mid card.

19 Another Superstar Shakeup

It’s time once again to shake things up around here and what better way to do that then yet another edition of WWE’s controversial superstar shakeup. While some might not see the point in doing so, especially since WWE already did one after WrestleMania 34, having another shakeup allows for WWE to refresh multiple title pictures, introduce new matchups and bring new teams together.

If nothing else, SmackDown Live and Monday Night Raw have become kind of bland when it comes to new and interesting storytelling, which means that a shakeup would be a needed change for both rosters.

In fact, with underutilized stars on both brands, it makes sense for WWE to switch these stars around and create something new!

18 Women’s Tag Team Titles Introduced

WWE has hinted at having a women’s tag team division multiple times over the past couple of months and it seems like it’s becoming more and more of a possibility by the day. Not only is that evident by the multiple women tag teams on both Raw and SmackDown Live, but also by the frequent influx of rumors that this is the direction that WWE wants to go in

With that being said and the Evolution pay per view taking place in October it absolutely makes sense for WWE to crown the first ever champions there. WWE could even run a tournament to determine the best women tag teams on both rosters and have the winners battle it out for the titles at The Evolution pay per view.

17 Asuka Has A Run With The SmackDown Women's Title

Believe it or not a run with the title seems imminent for Asuka after how long she has been bogged down on SmackDown Live and with Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch likely ending their feud at Evolution, or the very latest Survivor Series.

Of course that means Becky Lynch will most likely not be getting an extended title reign, but if a Superstar Shakeup were to take place, sending Charlotte Flair to RAW, that makes Asuka the ideal challenger for a tweener Becky Lynch. In fact, having Becky versus Asuka at a pay per view like Survivor Series could be a blockbuster match and serve to set the title picture for The Road to WrestleMania 34.

16 The New Day Breaks Up

While The New Day may have won The tag team titles for the fifth time in their career the night after SummerSlam, but that doesn’t mean the power of positivity is meant to last forever. In fact, with all the mileage the company has already gotten out of The New Day over the past couple of years and the characters seemingly going as far as they possibly can, one has to wonder how much longer it can last.

With that being said, there are also rumors of a singles push for Big E, which would make a lot more sense if he was alone and not a part of a three person group.

In the end, a singles push for Langston is never going to be taken seriously with The New day around and that will be the chief reason why the group breaks up before the end of the year.

15 Woken Matt Hardy Leaves WWE

Woken Matt Hardy has been leaving cryptic messages on Twitter regarding his future with WWE and it could mean that a split is on the horizon. With that being said and The Woken Warriors having a lackluster run with the tag team titles on Raw, expect that Hardy to leave sooner rather than later and maybe even after a brutal beat down from Bray Wyatt

In the end, this move makes sense, especially if Hardy is actually on his way out the door and at least gives Bray Wyatt something to do moving forward. Of course that’s probably not the ending the Woken Warriors wanted for The Deleters of worlds, but its better then WWE continuously bogging down Hardy with their 50/50 booking and restricting from what made the character originally shine. Hardy will likely be retiring soon and may want to host an event outside WWE, a la Cody's All In.

14 Shinsuke Nakamura Loses The U.S. Title To Randy Orton

As awesome as it is watching Shinsuke Nakamura as a heel, even that can’t compare to this new level of heel that Randy Orton seems to have right now. In fact, from Orton’s vicious attack on Hardy on Smackdown Live in August to his relentless mind games with Nakamura, it should come as no surprise that this is the direction WWE wants to go in.

Unfortunately for Nakamura, he just doesn’t have the momentum going for him that Orton does right now and makes perfect sense for WWE to strike while the iron's hot. Now that’s not to say that Nakamura is a undeserving champion or isn’t doing well with the belt himself, it’s just a barrage of near perfect factors that makes it seem like Orton as champion is a good move. With Orton being a heel, a Nakamura loss would likely involve a triple threat match.

13 Shinsuke Nakamura Leaves WWE

Speaking of Shinsuke Nakamura, there has been a lot of rumors going around about him leaving WWE and with how poorly The Artist is being booked right now, it seems like they might be true. Think about it! Nakamura came to WWE In hopes of finally joining the big leagues and competition for the WWE title, not to be a midcard heel champion that is about to be outdone by a better heel in Randy Orton.

Between that and how much better Nakamura would do back in New Japan, it seems pretty obvious that he will leave when his contract is up.

Unfortunately for the WWE Universe, this means that Nakamura will likely leave without realizing his true potential in The WWE, but it feels like that would have never happened anyway due to how they booked him.

12 Bobby Roode Finally Turns Heel

It’s a move that fans have been waiting for ever since Bobby Rhoode came to the main roster and its one that will definitely turn him into the champion he was meant to be. Of course he might lose some fans in the process, but those familiar with his original NXT run with rejoice in The Glorious One going back to what made him popular in the first place

In the end, Roode is a much better heel and has been known for heel tactics that rival that of Elias. It’s all a matter of pulling the trigger on the move though and with the year heading into the fall months, it seems like there is no better time to pull off a move like this then right now. In fact, Roode could probably serve as a good stop gap opponent for the Universal title, which would be cool to see storyline wise.

11 The WWE Attempts To Sign Cody

Word was WWE was very concerned with the execution of Cody's All In event and given that the show was a huge success financially and in terms of quality, it has to have raised some eyebrows in WWE. While now might be an inopportune time for Cody, considering all the success he's had outside of WWE, Cody should probably keep doing what he's doing. Still, McMahon is always wary of competition and we can't rule out the possibility of Vince reaching out personally to Cody and offering him a big role in WWE. Whether Cody would accept is another story.

10 Jeff Hardy Leaves WWE

Going back to superstars that will most likely be leaving WWE before the end of the year, Jeff Hardy is another possibility. Of course some are hoping that he would stick around, his string of injuries and age seems to point to The Enigma hanging up his boots for good.

It was already rumored that Hardy would be taking time off after SummerSlam and with The Hardys' Twitter repeatedly posting cryptic messages about retirement from WWE, this might ultimately be what Jeff decides to do.

In the end, the two brothers had a great run in WWE that featured multiple title runs, a few dream matches and some of the best performances the brothers have ever had.

There’s just nothing left for Hardy to prove and that’s why this move seems so obvious when you look at all the factors.

9 Daniel Bryan Defeats The Miz In A PPV Match

We've already seen Daniel Bryan and The Miz face off in two separate PPV matches, with Miz getting the upper hand in each encounter, first in their singles bout then in the mixed tag involving Maryse and Brie Bella.

While the mixed tag team match served as an interesting stop gap for the feud, the priority for WWE needs to eventually be to declare a winner between the two.

With that being said and The Miz winning thanks to a foreign object at Summerslam, these two need a rubber match to settle things for good. Not only so Daniel Bryan or The Miz can then move on to face whoever has the WWE Title at the time, it also gives WWE time a chance to give the WWE Universe a satisfying conclusion for the feud.

8 Stephanie McMahon Vs. Ronda Rousey For The Raw Women’s Title

Maybe it doesn’t happen right away but it seems very likely that Stephanie McMahon and Ronda Rousey will be locking up one more time before the end of the year. Furthermore, it seems like the overlying theme of the feud is going to be who is a better representative for WWE, which is a great way to keep Rousey working against an authority presence as the months wear on.

In the end, it not be an instant classic when it comes to in ring work, but the story that these two women can still tell in the ring would be enough to base a feud on. In fact, it creates a Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Vince McMahon scenario that the Women’s division hasn’t seen and could be very lucrative for WWE moving forward storyline wise.

7 Drew McIntyre Defeats Seth Rollins For The IC Title

While The Shield will most likely be an unstoppable force on Monday Night Raw throughout the rest of the year, eventually WWE will have to make the super group look vulnerable again. Fortunately for many of the younger stars on The WWE roster, one or many of them will get a chance finally take The Shield down and go down in history in the process.

With that being said and Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose currently feuding with Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre, it makes sense for McIntyre to eventually best The Shield and take the IC title in the process.

Not only will it allow him to establish himself by finally beating one of the most dominant factions in WWE history, it also elevates The IC championship to an ungodly degree.

6 Triple H And Stephanie Debut New Stable

The WWE has seemingly been on a misson to eventually execute the much anticipated Four Horsewomen vs Four Horsewomen rivalry and with all of Ronda Rousey's entourage signed to WWE and down in NXT, depending on the development of Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir, we may see the group debut.

However, rather than immediately begin with a feud like that, we could see Stephanie assemble her own group of female stars in an effort to take down Rousey, much like we saw Triple H do so in order to hold Daniel Bryan back a few years ago. A group like that could feature say, a heel Natalya following a heel turn on Ronda.

5 Brock Lesnar Takes On Kurt Angle

Kurt Angle has already made it abundantly clear that Brock Lesnar would have to wait awhile before he gets his contractually obligated rematch, which could set the two on a collision course in the near future. In fact, between the Lesnar’s surprise attack on Angle a few weeks ago on Raw, Lesnar interfering in the championship match at HIAC and rumors of an in-ring return for Angle making the rounds, it looks like this may be WWE’s plan.

While they could always save a match like this for the Royal Rumble and the Road to WrestleMania, it would really be a blockbuster match to have on one of the B pay views later this year. WWE could even book the match for Survivor Series and it would probably be a must see event.

In the end, the setup is definitely there and Brock Lesnar versus Kurt Angle would be a great way to keep Lesnar out of the title picture for a while.

4 AJ Lee Returns For One More Match

While seeing AJ Lee back in the squared circle might seem like a pipe dream, especially with the rocky relationship her husband, CM Punk, has had with the WWE, enough time has passed where maybe WWE can convince her to come back in the ring.

Of course all of this depends on whether Lee actually wants to return to for one more match, but it’s interesting to note that Vince has reached out to her himself and even claimed that she was welcome back anytime.

If nothing else this means McMahon really wants Lee back in the ring, which means he will do anything to achieve that result.

In the end, it’s up to Lee what she wants to do here, but she would have a lot of negotiating power if she decided to go into talks with WWE.

3 AJ Styles Loses The WWE Title

Believe it or not, this is more of a spoiler than anything else. Not only is that evident by the astronomical amount of time that AJ Styles has spent with the WWE title, but also by just how many opponents he has taken down in that time as well. If nothing else, WWE showing the same underdog story with Styles is getting incredibly boring, which is why a new champion and a new storyline is needed.

Another thing that makes the title change seemingly imminent is the fact of how intense Styles' feud with Samoa Joe is getting on Smackdown Live and how much of a joke Joe will look like if he keeps coming up short against The Phenomenal One. In the end, Joe’s future on SmackDown Live hinges on him winning the title at some point.

2 Finn Balor Turns Heel

Face it; after bringing back The Demon King character at SummerSlam and losing to Roman Reigns in a one on one match up against Roman Reigns the very next night, there is absolutely nothing left for Balor to do as a face in WWE.

With that being said and The Shield reunion rocking the WWE landscape in August, it seems Balor’s best move is turn heel.

Not only does that protect him from The Shield storyline that is sure to ruin several superstars' momentum, it also allows him to take try to develop more as a character and show Vince McMahon that he belongs at the top of the card as a heel.

In the end, it might be a long shot, but Balor has a lot better chance at reaching the top as a heel then he ever did as a face, which is why it’s a brilliant idea.

1 Dean Ambrose Turns On The Shield

Not only is that evident from WWE needing to strike while the iron is hot and finally have Reigns come away as the good guy he was supposed to the first time the group split, but also by what could happen if they drag this out to long. In the end, maybe The Shield staying together would be good for business, but it’s going to go downhill if WWE starts obviously milking it to make Reigns look good.

With that in mind, WWE needs to get this done as quickly as possible or risk turning Reigns into more of a joke than ever before. They also risk sacrificing every popular superstar on Raw in the name of getting the fans behind Roman Reigns, which is only going to get worse and worse as time goes on and look even more blantant then ever before.