Every Champion In WWE (And Who Should Beat Them)
What does the future hold for Raw, SmackDown, NXT 2.0 and NXT UK belts?
Approx 12 months ago, it was suggested that Big E topple Roman Reigns for the Universal Title and Edge do the same to then-WWE Champ Bobby Lashley. Elsewhere in that article, this same writer pitched that Sasha Banks reign supreme on SmackDown, Alpha Academy beat The Usos and that a doll should win the woeful 24/7 Championship.
Yeah, a lot changes year-on-year in WWE.
Today, Reigns holds both men's World Titles, Sasha isn't even on the active roster, and Triple H seems totally uninterested in 24/7. There's also a lot of moving and shaking going on in lesser brands like NXT UK - that show is about to croak and be replaced by the brand new NXT Europe idea.
The question remains. Who should replace all the top champs in the promotion when that time comes? Every belt, including those UK-based straps, go under the microscope here. Admittedly though, NXT UK is grouped into one entry, because...well, it's blatantly at the bottom of Trips' priority pile.
You might be surprised by picks to supplant champs at the top of the tree in the SmackDown Women's and Intercontinental divisions though. Also, it'd be great if a few belts just disappeared...
14. NXT UK Titles?
Champions: Tyler Bate, Meiko Satomura and Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen.
Who Should Beat Them: ?
WWE's NXT Europe announcement brings the curtain down on a UK experiment that started in 2016 (the weekly show began in 2018). Being honest, it's remarkable that NXT UK survived the darkest days of the COVID pandemic at all, because it's hardly been WWE's priority since it launched.
Tyler Bate also appeared as the NXT UK Champion on other programming from 16 August despite not winning the belt on TV until that airs on 1 September. If that doesn't show how little regard WWE has for the thing, then nothing will. They know this is third (or maybe even fourth) tier programming.
The NXT Europe deal also renders Bate's title reign, as well as other belts held by Meiko Satomura and the combo of Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen, pretty much meaningless. All of these straps will surely be replaced by newer versions to reflect the European branding soon, and they'll likely be vacated too.
That's why all three go under one banner here - it's impossible to predict what WWE will do with them. They probs won't be booking any title switches in the interim though.