Predicting Where All Current WWE Champions Will Be In 12 Months

Twelve months is a long time in wrestling. Just ask Jinder Mahal.

A year ago this week, the 'Modern Day Maharaja' was tagging with Titus O’Neil and losing to The Golden Truth on WWE Superstars. Now he is carrying the most prestigious championship in the industry; evidence if ever it was needed that anything truly can happen in WWE (if the company happen to be launching the WWE network in a country your character is from.)

At the other end of the spectrum, T.J. Perkins has been cast aside to the bottom of 205 Live. In September 2016, he was crowned the winner of the hugely popular Cruiserweight Classic.

Mahal is one of 12 title holders in the company (with the NXT Woman’s Championship having been vacated due to Asuka’s injury and subsequent main roster call-up), but the sometimes nonsensical nature of WWE booking, and unpredictable mind of Vince McMahon, means that there is no guarantee of their place on the card a year from now.

In this look into our crystal ball, only three of the championship dozen are tipped to hold the same gold at this time in 2018. What of the fate of the other nine?

Neville is too good to be fighting over the Cruiserweight Championship forever. The Briton has carried the belt since January of this year, minus Akira Tozawa’s six-day reign.

Tozawa’s shock victory over Neville on RAW last month was designed to make fans believe that he was beatable after a series of foregone conclusions. But the title was immediately returned to Neville’s shoulder; the only one big enough to carry the weight of the division.

But WWE must discover a succession plan which will allow Neville to reach new heights. The Cruiserweight title cannot be his pinnacle, as he has plenty to offer higher up the card.

WrestleMania 34 would be a good opportunity for Neville to pass the torch, before popping up on SmackDown Live in the post-‘Mania shake-up to fill the heel void on Tuesday nights.