Now that we’ve gotten past the excitement of WrestleMania and the unpredictability of the Superstar Shake Up, it’s time to start thinking about what we want to see in the rest of the year. Especially for all the new champions that have new challengers.
While most of these champions may not hold the titles long, we hope WWE makes the most of their championship runs. With that in mind, these are the feuds we want to see for every current WWE champion in 2019. Keep in mind, we specifically did not choose any superstars who have been out of action for an extended period of time.
14 RAW WOMEN’S CHAMPION BECKY LYNCH VS. NIKKI CROSS
For Becky 2 Belts, the sky's the limit and she has her choice of challengers. Becky Lynch is at the top of her game and needs someone who can provide a fresh challenge for The Man. Who better to breathe new life into Raw than the chaotic Nikki Cross.
Cross is unpredictable and has a fun character as a madwoman who lives in her own reality. The craziness of Cross will be a good balance to Becky’s cockiness, and the matches will be fantastic.
13 UNIVERSAL CHAMPION SETH ROLLINS VS. AJ STYLES
The minute AJ Styles showed up on Monday Night Raw, we knew this match was happening, and for once WWE isn’t making us wait for it. Styles won the No. 1 contender battle to set up a match against Seth Rollins at the upcoming Money in the Bank pay per view.
We don’t know how it will happen, whether Drew McIntyre interferes, or some kind of draw occurs, this will obviously be the first in a series of classics. As the two best in the world right now, Styles vs Rollins is the feud fans have been waiting for.
12 SMACKDOWN WOMEN’S CHAMPION BECKY LYNCH VS. ASUKA
There’s no getting around the fact that Asuka was a casualty of the WrestleMania main event. For no good reason, she lost the championship to Charlotte a week before the grandest stage of them all.
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Becky has mentioned this on Twitter, so it would be great to see her give Asuka the rematch she deserves and have that lead to feud where the Empress of Tomorrow gets fed up with being overlooked. The match she and Lynch had at Royal Rumble was spectacular and needs a follow-up.
11 WWE CHAMPION KOFI KINGSTON VS. ANDRADE
Sadly, we have a feeling Kofi’s championship reign won’t last very long. Especially now that Kevin Owens is in the mix. However, before The New Day come back down to Earth, we’d like to see the veteran battle newcomer Andrade.
In his battles with Johnny Gargano and Rey Mysterio we have seen what Andrade is capable of when given a spotlight. Who better to push him to his limits than someone who’s been around for 11 years and has wrestled every big name in the business. Also, the promos with New Day and Zelina Vega will be unforgettable.
10 INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION FINN BALOR VS. ALEISTER BLACK, BUDDY MURPHY
The last few months on Raw the Intercontinental Championship lost some of its luster. Now that it’s on SmackDown, Finn Balor can make it the coveted prize it once was. With Balor’s popularity and fearlessness in the ring, a triple threat feud against two men just as spectacular as he is would be memorable.
Aleister Black’s dark persona, Buddy Murphy’s willingness to do anything to win and Balor’s never say quit style would make for some five-star classics. Given space to do their best, these three men could make the Intercontinental Championship must watch again.
9 US CHAMPION SAMOA JOE VS. CESARO
The US Championship became a non-factor in 2018. Once R-Truth won the title, he at least made it fun to watch again. Now that Samoa Joe is champion, he’s made it intimidating. Joe can have a great match with anyone, so it would be amazing to see him work with someone just as talented.
With Sheamus reportedly out for the time being, Cesaro can once again showcase his singles skills. What better way to get back in the main event discussion than with a fantastic rivalry against Joe and even a US title reign.
8 WOMEN’S TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS THE IICONICS VS. SKY PIRATES
Now that it appears Bayley and Sasha are officially out of the tag team picture, The IIconics have a distinct lack of competition. Yes, Mandy and Sonya are viable challengers, but heel vs heel matches rarely keep the crowd interested.
SmackDown made a big deal about Paige representing Asuka and Kairi Sane, but honestly, the more logical choice would be Sane and Io Shirai. They built themselves up as a good tag team in NXT, and with Paige as their manager they could dominate the women’s tag team division. This also frees Asuka up to challenge for the SmackDown women’s championship.
7 RAW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS ZACK RYDER AND CURT HAWKINS VS. THE USOS
Look, we all know that Ryder and Hawkins will lose the Raw tag team championships sooner rather than later. The arrival of The Usos and the Viking Raiders has made that abundantly clear. With that in mind, we don’t necessarily want to see Ryder and Hawkins versus any of those teams. We want to see The Usos vs the Viking Raiders vs The Revival. Hawkins and Ryder versus The Usos is just a means to get there.
We’ve already gotten hints at the feud between Jimmy and Jey vs Dash and Dawson. Add in the Viking Raiders, who have already had classics with Undisputed Era and Ricochet and Aleister Black, and it will make the Raw tag team division mean something again.
6 SMACKDOWN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS THE HARDY BOYZ VS UNDISPUTED ERA
It’s no secret the SmackDown tag team division took a beating in the Superstar Shake Up. The only real contenders left for Matt and Jeff Hardy are The New Day and Rusev and Shinsuke Nakamura. Heavy Machinery are a comedy act, Gallows and Anderson have been made irrelevant and Sanity was disbanded.
This means the champs need fresh competition. Perhaps a team that’s ready to “Shock the System.” Whether it’s just Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish or all four members under Freebird rules, Undisputed Era is the perfect cocky newcomer matchup for tag team legends The Hardy Boyz.
5 CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPION TONY NESE VS. MIKE KANELLIS
Out of all WWE’s brands, 205 Live is the one that has taken the words fresh start seriously. With Ali, Cedric Alexander and Buddy Murphy all moving to the main roster, the cruiserweight division is finding new life without its three biggest stars.
New champion Tony Nese stepped up his game in a great WrestleMania match. While there are plenty of interesting challengers, his best showcase would come against the tough, clever Mike Kanellis. Alongside his wife Maria, Kanellis has created some fun backstage segments that make them the obvious next breakout stars.
4 NXT CHAMPION JOHNNY GARGANO VS. PETE DUNNE
While it seems Johnny Gargano will continue his feud with Undisputed Era for the foreseeable future, there’s no question that his next big challenger should be former United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne.
These are two men have never had a bad match in WWE. Gargano’s NXT TakeOver performances have become legendary and every title defense he had grew Dunne’s popularity. There’s no question that a series between them would be a shoo-in for match and rivalry of the year.
3 NXT NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPION VELVETEEN DREAM VS. TYLER BREEZE
There’s simply no one in NXT who can compete with the charisma of Velveteen Dream. Not only is he captivating on the mic, he backs it up in the ring. As North America Champion he hasn’t had a serious challenger.
We can all agree Tyler Breeze has been completely wasted on the main roster. His recent visits back to NXT have reminded everyone of the potential of Prince Pretty. After his win in the Worlds Collide special, he tweeted that he wants the North American title, so give him what he and the fans want, a battle of the egos.
2 NXT WOMEN’S CHAMPION SHAYNA BASZLER VS. RHEA RIPLEY
There’s no denying Shayna Baszler has been NXT’s most dominant women’s champion since Asuka. It appears her next feud will be against Io Shirai, but what we need is someone just as tough and ruthless as she is to take her down.
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NXTUK’s Rhea Ripley is clearly headed for big things. Even though she’s no longer the women’s champion, she’s been featured as the brand’s representative in the Mae Young Classic and the Royal Rumble. She’s already shown she’s the best in NXTUK, so it’s time for her to come to NXT and prove it against Baszler and the rest of the women’s division.
1 NXT TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS THE VIKING RAIDERS VS. FABIAN AICHNER AND MARCEL BARTHEL
With their debut on Raw, it looks like the Viking Raiders might be about to leave NXT behind. This means the tag team title picture will be wide open. The obvious next choice looks like the Street Profits, but a dark horse team that has been quietly making waves is Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel.
With the chip on their shoulder combined with athleticism and power, Aichner and Barthel could be amazing champions. These two have already had spectacular battles with some of the top teams in both NXT and NXTUK, so it’s only a matter of time before they have titles around their waists.