10 BOLD Predictions For WWE In 2019

10. Mustafa Ali Will WIN The WWE Championship

Following the events of the December 18 SmackDown Live, in which Mustafa Ali pinned WWE Champion The New Daniel Bryan after a barnburner of a main event tag team match, we know that he has a claim to wrestle him for that title.

Meanwhile, a panicked WWE has promised us widespread changes to a product plummeting in popularity. A company fundamentally unable to change—look who’s in charge of the motherf*cker—is nonetheless very capable of shocking us into a social media frenzy.

Cynically, Mustafa Ali had initially signed what is derogatorily referred to as a “mark contract”, one that allows WWE to profit from his likeness on video games sans compensation. In a similar way to the NXT UK contracts, this is a deal that reads ‘WWE’ on the letterhead, but isn’t WWE per se.

As is the case with NXT to main roster call-ups, now that he is SmackDown Live star, a pay rise will have followed the promotion. A sensational if temporary push—he’s not wrestling a marquee match at WrestleMania 35—may send a signal to those Independent wrestlers reluctant to sign with a greedy company that desires only their signature, and not their talent.

Sign with Stamford, and you too may one day receive a very improbable push—and a tempting, tangible reason to justify the risk.