Besides the WWE Championship, every title defended at SummerSlam 2024 changed hands. This includes superstars winning their first championship on the main roster, such as Bron Breakker and LA Knight.
The current main roster is brimming with potential, thanks to the influx of new and young talent. Superstars like Bron Breakker, Lyra Valkyria, Ilja Dragonov, Carmelo Hayes, and others are the future of WWE.
The NXT roster is a goldmine of talent, with names like Trick Williams, Roxanne Perez, and Cora Jade, who are destined to become world champions. The talent that WWE and NXT possess assures us that this company’s future is in good hands.
But the question remains: Who’s next to seize their moment on the main roster? Who’s next to claim their first main roster championship? The anticipation is palpable.
Let’s delve into the potential of superstars who could be the next to win their first main roster title. This list excludes those currently in NXT or those who have won a tag title but not a main roster singles title, such as Jey Uso or Chad Gable.
Tiffany Stratton
It’s Tiffy Time! While it is highly likely that Tiffany Statton will become Women’s Champion because she is Miss Money in the Bank, it is still not guaranteed.
It would be a great mistake if she failed to cash in the briefcase but, either way, there is no doubt that she is a future women’s champion. However, she will likely be one of the next women’s champions.
Her prominent personality and athletic ability quickly made her known on the main roster. Stratton fits right in, so you can’t tell that she is a rookie in the business.
Among the audience and in the company, Stratton has become one of the fastest-growing women wrestlers. She possesses a unique character that she feeds into so well — the Barbie of WWE.
The audience loves nothing more than someone with the perfect character and knows who they are in the business; Stratton has that. This makes her promos more intriguing and makes it easy to capture fans’ attention.
Stratton is only 25, making her the youngest women’s Money in the Bank winner. She has yet to be on the main roster for a whole year.
Her athletic ability is unquestionable, as she is visibly fit and a former gymnast. Will she eventually cash in on her best friend and Women’s Champion Nia Jax?
Or will someone dethrone Jax before Stratton gets the opportunity? She already tried to at SummerSlam 2024. Was she foreshadowing what will happen in the future?
Stratton has done so much already, and she is just getting started. Whether she successfully cashes in or not, she is a future women’s champion, but I do think she is next in line for the WWE Women’s Championship.
Carmelo Hayes
Carmelo Hayes quickly became a top star in NXT. Due to his incredible talent, it took him only a short time to get called up to the main roster.
In the WWE 2024 Draft, Hayes was the first NXT superstar to be drafted in the first round and the third draft pick for SmackDown. Hayes has the talent of a future champion, but when and what title will he obtain?
He is already a former NXT champion and, being a hot, new, young star on the main roster, it is only a matter of time before he is put in the title picture. Considering that he is new to the main roster, a championship such as the United States Championship would be a perfect first main roster title for him to win.
Since Hayes is a heel, he would be a great challenger for Knight. They had brief interactions and a match on the June 7 edition of SmackDown to determine who would challenge Logan Paul for the United States Championship, which Knight won.
If their feud gets given more time, undoubtedly, it would be a great match, with their athletic ability and charisma creating an intriguing story for the fans. Will Hayes challenge Knight for the United States Championship?
Dexter Lumis and Joe Gacy
Joe Gacy made his main roster debut with The Wyatt Sicks pretty recently, having his first match on the August 5 edition of Raw against the new stable, American Made, which consisted of Chad Gable and The Creed Brothers. In comparison, Dexter Lumis made his main roster debut on an episode of Raw in August 2022.
Even though Lumis has been on the main roster two years longer than Gacy, he still has yet to win a main roster singles championship. Will this bomb of a debut from The Wyatt Sicks push them into the championship picture?
It feels like it is only a matter of time before they take over the company. They are the talk among all the fans and superstars.
Superstars fear them, while fans want to see them avenge the late, great Bray Wyatt. The current WWE Tag Team Champions are JD McDonagh and Finn Balor of The Judgement Day faction (without Rhea Ripley and Damien Priest).
Based on who The Wyatt Sicks have been targeting, it wouldn’t be surprising if one of their following targets was The Judgement Day. The Wyatt Sicks have been targeting wrestlers who have turned their backs on their friends and family.
For example, Gable and how he turned on Otis, Maxxine Dupri, and Akira Tozawa. If that’s the case, it is only a matter of time before they make their way to The Judgement Day.
The Judgement Day broke up explosively, beginning with Dominik Mysterio turning against Ripley and helping Liv Morgan retain the Women’s World Championship. Then Balor turned on Priest, costing him his World Heavyweight Championship.
With the fast rise of The Wyatt Sicks, it should be soon that someone in the faction wins a championship. Considering they fight as a faction, it would make sense for their first titles to be the Tag Team Championships.
If they win the titles, this would make it Lumis and Gacy’s first main roster championships.
Ilja Dragunov
On the July 22 Raw, Ilja Dragunov faced an injury from Breakker. This injury would cause him to forfeit the match, making Breakker the number one contender for the Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam 2024.
Dragunov hasn’t been on television since the incident, nor have they given any updates on the injury.
While it is unknown what injury he has or when he will return, it can be guessed that the first person he targets when he returns will be Breakker. Breakker injured him and cost him a chance at the Intercontinental Title at SummerSlam 2024.
Now that Breakker holds the championship, it is only motivation for Dragunov to get revenge and challenge Breakker for the title. Like Breakker and Hayes, Dragunov rose fast in NXT and is keeping momentum on the main roster.
His athletic ability is uncanny, and it can’t be overlooked. With his wrestling style, he makes sure he is noticed.
We can only hope that whatever injury Dragunov sustained isn’t too severe and that he will be back in action soon.
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