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SLAM! Speaks: The next WWE champs
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Around this time last year, the SLAM! Wrestling staff made their predictions as to who
would be the first heavyweight champ to drop their title.
Some of us picked Batista, going with the then-obvious thinking that Triple H would waltz in and take the belt away very quickly. Others saw John Cena
as being an easy target on the Smackdown side.
Well, we didn't take two things into account -- that the champs would trade
shows via the Draft Lottery and that Batista's title reign would end via an
injury rather than a pinfall.
This year, perhaps against our better judgements, we have made bold predictions
as to who will be the first to drop their coveted title -- Rey Mysterio or
John Cena. Time will tell who ends up being right, but for now, sit back and
enjoy our 2006 title predictions.
GREG OLIVER: My first instinct was to say that Rey Mysterio would drop
the belt to Randy Orton real soon, but with a suspension for Randy, I don't
think so. But Rey will lose to Orton, who will battle Batista when he returns.
So will Cena drop the belt to Triple H before Rey loses to Orton? Yes.
CHRIS SOKOL: With a new champion in Rey Mysterio and a fading champion
in John Cena, it is evident that Cena will drop the title first to number one
contender Triple H. Mysterio will hold onto the belt into the summer, eventually
losing it to a returning Randy Orton, who will go into a program with Batista,
ultimately ending with Batista recapturing the title.
BRIAN ELLIOTT: Having held the WWE title for over a year now, and with
the audience clamouring for anyone to take the title from him, I find it difficult
to dispute the idea that it will be John Cena who is the first champion to lose
his title, post-Wrestlemania.
Whilst it could also be claimed that Rey Mysterio is destined to be a transitional
champion, only there because of his association with Eddie Guerrero, the Smackdown
waters have been muddied by the suspension of Randy Orton. Had Orton been available
to take the title at the next Smackdown pay-per-view, I might have re-considered
my decision. But since he is not, and since the name of the next challenger
for the title is uncertain, I have to stick with Mysterio's RAW counterpart.
The question is then, who will defeat Cena for the WWE title? Backlash is the
next pay-per-view defence for the champion, who will face Triple H and Edge
in a Triple Threat match. Although it hardly takes a clairvoyant to predict
that Triple H will end up with the title at some point in the future, I find
it difficult to see why they would put it on him in a Triple Threat match, rather
than a singles match. Therefore, I expect Cena to surprise (almost) everyone
by retaining at Backlash -- but he will lose the title to Triple H between then
and SummerSlam.
JON WALDMAN: At first, I was going to write Rey Mysterio's name in this
space, but Randy Orton's suspension looks to have thrown a monkey wrench into
those plans. Cena seems like the obvious choice as well, given that if he doesn't
lose to either Triple H or Edge at Backlash, he has Rob Van Dam waiting in the
wings at ECW One Night Stand. My prediction is for RVD to take the title from
Cena at the Hammerstein Ballroom, after which time Mysterio will drop his belt
to Edge, who comes over during the Draft Lottery.
Now it's your turn -- who will drop their title first? Who will be the next
World and WWE Heavyweight Champions? Send your thoughts to Jon
Waldman. Results will be posted in the near future.
RELATED LINKS
April 7, 2005: SLAM! Speaks - Who's next?
April 20, 2005: SLAM! Speaks - Readers react to new champs
Visit the SLAM! Wrestling store!
Pre-order WWE WrestleMania 22 DVD
