WWE's PPV schedule is undergoing something of a shake-up in 2022. After trialing it via this year's SummerSlam, more of the promotion's major shows will take place on Saturday as opposed to Sunday over the next 12 months. WrestleMania will also be a two-night event once again as WWE attempts to sell out a 100,000 seater stadium for two days in a row. The shift in schedule has already taken effect as for the first time in a while, December will not be hosting a PPV.
You won't have to wait until Royal Rumble for WWE's next major show, though. A brand new PPV is being introduced called Day 1. As the name implies, Day 1 will take place live on January 1, 2022, the very first day of the year. For those who won't be in attendance, Day 1 will air live on Peacock for those of you in the US, and the regular old WWE Network for everyone else around the world. The PPV will begin at 8 pm EST, or an hour earlier for those of you who want to catch the kick-off show. Information on every match announced for Day 1 so far can be found below.
Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship
Brock Lesnar is back from his suspension, and he's got one thing on his mind. Well, technically two things, but he can deal with both of them using one stone. Roman Reigns and the Universal Championship. Lesnar went on a rampage after losing to The Tribal Chief at Crown Jewel and was suspended for his actions. Now he's back and he's out for gold and revenge.
When fans discuss who exactly it will be that finally dethrones Reigns, most go straight to Lesnar. That might well happen, and it could even go down at Day 1. It still feels like that slot is being reserved for someone else, even if WWE doesn't know who that someone is yet. With that in mind, Reigns will likely win this one.
Big E vs. Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens vs. Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship
Big E's WWE Title reign is alive and well, but it faces its biggest threat at Day 1. Seth Rollins made the mistake of bragging about his number one contendership to Kevin Owens, at which point KO used his manipulative skills to get himself a spot in the match. Owens convinced Rollins he had a win and you're in match when he didn't. However, Rollins asking Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville about it made them realize it was a good idea. The match happened, and KO won. After that, Bobby Lashley argued he should also be in the match. After beating all three of the other competitors in singles matches, he also earned his spot at Day 1.
Big E will be closing in on four months as champion by the time this match happens. While winning triple threats as champion is always tricky, it doesn't feel like this will be where he loses his crown. WWE has been teasing a showdown between Rollins and Roman Reigns, despite being on different brands, and Owens still doesn't feel like someone WWE is going to make a World Champion again. Big E to retain in this one.
Becky Lynch vs. Liv Morgan for the Raw Women's Championship
Liv Morgan is the latest Superstar the WWE Universe is throwing its weight behind while the powers-that-be do their level best to ignore them. Morgan finally got a shot at the Raw Women's Title in December but lost the match after Becky Lynch used the ropes for leverage. Since The Man cheated to win, Morgan has been granted a rematch at Day 1.
Lynch has gone a very long time without losing her title at this point. Even when she did technically lose the title after announcing she was pregnant Lynch didn't technically lose it. She handed it to Asuka and then won it back minutes after she returned. Day 1 doesn't feel like a big enough stage for that run to end, so Lynch to win this one.
Edge vs. The Miz
Edge is back. The Miz is back. It only makes sense that they would wrestle each other. Okay, maybe not, but this match still has the potential to be better than a lot of fans are expecting it to be. Since both Superstars have been around for so long, it's easy to forget their paths haven't really crossed. While it might not be a match on many fans' bucket lists for Edge, give it a chance.
Edge isn't invincible, as has been proved a couple of times already in 2021. It doesn't seem likely that he'll be losing to The Miz at Day 1, though. While it's not yet clear what WWE has planned next for The Rated R Superstars, odds are he will have a high-profile match at WrestleMania so will pick up a win here to begin that build.
The Usos vs. The New Day for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships
If in doubt, break glass and book The Usos versus The New Day for a set of Tag Team Titles. These two teams have been battling for years, yet their matches never get old. WWE's tag team division is often in need of a shot to the arm, and showcasing these tandems against each other never fails to remind fans it's not all bad.
As for a winner, it doesn't really matter. The match will almost definitely be so good that fans won't care who wins. Since we're going with Reigns to beat Lesnar, we'll pick New Day to win this one. The road to WrestleMania starts soon, and fans need to believe Reigns can be beaten. Perhaps his cousins losing their titles will be the first cracks to show in The Bloodline's foundations.
RKBro vs. The Street Profits for the Raw Tag Team Championships
2021 has been a year full of surprises in wrestling. Perhaps the most pleasant of those surprises has been the pairing of Randy Orton and Riddle, better known collectively as RKBro. The establishment of them as a team was great and the build to them winning the titles was close to perfect.
Day 1 may well determine whether 2022 will be as good to RKBro as 2021. The champs will defend their titles against The Street Profits on the show. While there's definitely money in having them lose and eventually split, that shouldn't happen yet. Profits to win this one.
Drew McIntyre vs. Madcap Moss
If you had Drew McIntyre facing Madcap Moss in the first WWE PPV of 2022 on your wrestling bingo card, then well done you and collect your prize at the next window. Most fans had the Scot being Reigns' next challenger but it would seem that isn't on the cards, at least not right now. Instead, he will face off against Madcap Moss at Day 1.
That's right, McIntyre isn't even facing Baron Corbin. Just his sidekick. As predictable outcomes go, they don't get much more straightforward than this. McIntyre to win this one, probably after a few seconds and a Claymore. Watch Moss win this thanks to some tomfoolery now I've written and published that.
Cesaro and Ricochet vs. Sheamus and Ridge Holland
A few of 2021's NXT call-ups have felt a little out of the blue. Ridge Holland very much falls into that category. A supposed friendship with Sheamus led him to the main roster and at Day 1, the two will team up. Their opponents will be Cesaro and Ricochet and the match will take place on the kick-off show.
It would be nice to see Ricochet and Cesaro win this one, but having Holland lose a match at this stage doesn't seem likely. Holland could lose the match for Sheamus resulting in a clash between the two. Let's hope for that.