Triple H made headlines with his announcement that the WWE World Heavyweight Championship would return as part of the Draft. After SmackDown, we learned it will be a Raw title. Fans have been chattering online about who are the possible candidates to win the World Heavyweight Championship and lead one of WWE’s two brands while Roman Reigns continues his cakewalk to 1,000 plus days as champion. There are any number of opinions, and most fans are hopeful that their favorites are asked to take this opportunity. Whoever WWE picks, though, will become the most exciting piece of programming heading into Night of Champions next month.
Who Could Win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship?
Brock Lesnar
Triple H and Seth Rollins made it clear that this title was the working man’s title meant to be the people’s champion. Unfortunately, none of that describes Brock Lesnar. Even in his initial run, Lesnar was a special attraction type of star. However, some fans on social media are calling this new version of the World Heavyweight title the “consolation prize.” It is hard to argue with that, and WWE could have found a better way to address this. Although they didn’t, they could put it on the most legitimate fighter on the roster to instantly give the division credibility.
Brock as a possible candidate to win the World Heavyweight Championship may be the antithesis of the promo Triple H and Seth Rollins cut on Monday, but it would create intrigue. He doesn’t fix the part-timer problem at all. He does make the title feel important right away, though. Also, whoever wins the title from Brock will get an instant boost, whereas a less-tested champion losing a new title might not have the same impact. If Lesnar plans to be around consistently for the next few months, it could greatly help the division.
Seth Rollins
Like Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins still has some unresolved issues with Roman Reigns. That may be why Rollins doesn’t win WWE’s newest titles. Seth has been Mr. Monday Night for a while now, and leading the red brand as the top guy would be logical and well-deserved. That they used Seth to put over this new title on Raw and gave him a people’s champion vibe is further evidence that WWE is considering Seth for that championship.
While Seth did hype up the new title on television, he also called out Roman Reigns as a part-timer that couldn’t beat him. If WWE wants to extend Reigns’ run at the top any longer than SummerSlam, he will need someone besides Cody Rhodes to feud with. Seth is the most realistic option for a challenger that fans care about. That Seth is just too popular with fans right now may be his undoing, keeping him from being the newly crowned World Heavyweight Champion.
Randy Orton
In 2013 Randy Orton retired the WWE World Heavyweight Championship after beating John Cena in a unification match. Now that the title is back in action, Orton could make a strong candidate to win the World Heavyweight Championship if he is ready to return. Fans have been clamoring for an Orton return since he went down to the bloodline last May. While he hasn’t returned yet, there is some hope that he might soon, with his partner Riddle having already returned on Raw after WrestleMania.
Randy Orton is still out injured, and not much has changed. Even without his return set in stone, he still has a better-than-outside chance of winning the title at Night of Champions. He is an important name that would excite the audience in Saudi Arabia, who tend to enjoy nostalgic wrestlers. A healthy Randy Orton is one of the best options on the roster for taking the gold.
Edge
Edge will not be around forever, and having him return without a single world title run is a huge wasted opportunity. That alone is reason enough to consider Edge, a possible candidate to win the World Heavyweight Championship. When Edge heartbreakingly retired the first time, he relinquished the World Heavyweight Championship. Now like Edge, the title has returned to WWE programming. The connection Edge has with this title is already intense. He is one of the only people on the roster today to have held the World Heavyweight Championship before. While he is a dreaded “part-timer,” Edge typically sticks around for a couple of months and has been more than willing to compete on Raw or SmackDown when he is around.
A new title cropping up in the shadow of a 1,000-day reign needs some legitimacy injected into it right from the beginning. Unfortunately, a star like Gunther, LA Knight, or even Sami Zayn winning this title first will make it feel like a third mid-card title, not a world title on an equivalent footing to Roman Reigns and the WWE Universal Championship. Those stars should be considered favorites to be the next World Heavyweight champion. As long as Edge is around to make sure the title is on Raw or SmackDown each week, he should be an odds-on favorite to have the new title mean something to fans right away and put over a younger star in the process of one last run at the top.
Drew McIntyre
Drew McIntyre is rumored to be unhappy with his contract and creative pitches in WWE. These rumors are so persistent that there is already speculation Drew could be All Elite as soon as his current contract expires. Of course, a talented performer like McIntyre will get offers everywhere if he joins the free agency. However, WWE has a solid shot at fixing any creative frustrations McIntyre might have in a net positive for the performer, the fans, and the company. That would start with a World Heavyweight Championship win at Night of Champions.
McIntyre never got a fair run as world champion. Instead, he was asked to keep the company interesting for fans during the lockdown Thunderdome nightmare phase of Covid-19. For the most part, he could do that too, which is remarkable. Letting McIntyre win the title could give him some fresh stories away from Sheamus and Gunther. Also, Money in The Bank is the next PLE after WWE’s Saudi Arabia, Night of Champions show. The fans in Whales desperately wanted to see McIntyre as world champion, and the London fans will likely treat Drew similarly. Letting him headline Money In The Bank in London will give the British fans a fantastic match. Also, it will give Drew the moment he earned during the pandemic.
Finn Balor
Finn Balor lost his first and only Universal Championship to injury in 2016 and didn’t get another shot until 2019. After that, he had one more try for the title against Roman Reigns but was defeated by God or shotty crew work, depending on who you ask. However, Balor is still one of the best workers in WWE. Also, an errant ladder shot against Edge boosted Balor to take another shot at the world title.
Balor was brought in as a potential megastar and has not been given any real opportunity to showcase that. Even recently, as a member of Judgment Day, the man brought in to be the group’s de facto leader has been behind Rhea Ripley. The match with Edge has put Balor firmly in the conversation as the biggest heel on Raw and on an equal level to Rhea Ripley in the group. Judgment Day will likely stay together on Raw after Bianca Belair was drafted to SmackDown. Regardless, WWE already hinted that Balor is all in on the new title. His championship background and momentum post-WrestleMania make him one of the most likely World Heavyweight Championship contenders.
Candidate to Win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Cody Rhodes
While diving into likely options, there is one Superstar who should not win but can’t be denied as a possibility. That, of course, is Cody Rhodes. WWE has already set the stage for a Cody win by drafting him away from Roman Reigns and SmackDown to be exclusive to Raw.
Triple H made it clear that they are bringing back the World Heavyweight Championship. Now whether that is technically possible is an open question. The World Heavyweight Championship was unified with the WWE Championship in 2013. However, assuming the unification essentially became a retirement, this title has a long lineage. Part of that great lineage includes its NWA days when the legendary Dusty Rhodes held it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06irSeHkR4o
Cody can’t finish the story by winning a title his father already won. Whether WWE likes this or not, they have booked themselves into a corner. Either Cody beats Roman Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship, or he doesn’t. There is no third option, at least not one that most fans would enjoy watching. The only way his return story makes any narrative sense is with Rhodes dethroning Reigns.
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on the WWE Draft results and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can check out an almost unlimited array of WWE content on the WWE Network and Peacock.
