Roundtable: 2020 Predictions

Juan Bautista

1. I’ll start out extremely bold. Tom Brady will be in a Dallas Cowboys uniform. It makes sense he will be indoors half the year. The worst weather he’ll be looking at in the division will be Philly on a bad day. Ezekiel Elliott will be the best running back he’s had. Since his time with Randy Moss, having Amari Cooper and other key receivers will be the best receiving core he’s had in a while.

2. Randy Orton will be world champion once again. While there’s been a complaint of Orton being boring, recently he’s been great to watch. Orton’s current program with AJ Styles has been good. Now that we’re seeing him in shorter stints, not having a million matches with John Cena or being subjected to projects, he’s been great and the opportunity is there.

3. At some point, AEW will expand and make unique partnerships that allows wrestlers to work freely. The NJPW partnership may be on the horizon, but other partnerships need to be formed to allow other independent scenes to have a chance in the spotlight.

4. Adam Cole will not be in a WWE ring. Cole’s contract is expiring and the landscape has changed significantly. While signs point to AEW, there other options now: Impact has a new TV deal with an amazing roster, MLW is doing great things and NXT’s schedule has changed. WWE is all about promoting a third main roster now – NXT will definitely be leaving Full Sail this year.

5. Lakers are winning the NBA Finals.

Matthew Smith

1. This Rusev/Lana storyline only continues to get worse in 2020. I fully expect this to go all the way until SummerSlam with no real conclusion and no one benefiting from it. Props to the wrestlers trying to make this work, though.

2. The Revival jump ship. It’s probably the most predictable prediction, but I fully believe AEW signs The Revival to treat them like true top guys. AEW has already shown its tag division is miles better than anyone else’s. Adding The Revival only strengthens that and we finally get The Young Bucks vs. The Revival.

3. Kenny Omega gets his rematch with Mox. Their lights out match left nothing to the imagination; they hit each other with everything they possibly could. While Mox won the crazy street brawl, it still didn’t count, so their rematch will not only count, but it will be a MOTY candidate.

4. We all bask in Keith Lee’s glory. He made a huge impact at Survivor Series and that won’t stop in 2020. Keith Lee will be your new NXT Champion.

5. MJF will be the male superstar of the year. While I’m not going to say he will become the next AEW Champion in 2020, he will be the company’s MVP. Also, Hangman joins the Dark Order.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHEgPiZ_bm4

Steven Jackson

1. AEW Tours the World

There has already been talks of AEW coming over to the U.K. and also touring around the world. Considering how much the company has grown in 2019, it only makes sense for international expansion.

2. NWA Powerrr Gets TV

NWA Powerrr was one of the biggest surprises of 2019. Presenting some of the best wrestling today, the weekly internet show has grown hugely over the past several months, and it will only be a matter of time before NWA Powerrr appears on TV listings in 2020.

3. Tetsuya Naito Wins IWGP Championship (written before Wrestle Kingdom 14)

Everyone knows that I am a huge supporter of Tetsuya Naito and this year is his time to win the big one…again! Naito can carry NJPW through this next decade as Okada and Tanahashi did the previous one.

4. Ring of Honor Continues to Struggle

As you will have heard and seen through my work at The Wrestling Estate, and with my friends at the Broken But Glorious Podcast, I’m a huge fan of Ring of Honor. Yet, even I can see that the company has been really struggling, and probably will continue to struggle throughout 2020. The buzz and hype Ring of Honor once had is all but gone, leaving a huge gap to be filled. It is not impossible, but it is going to be incredibly hard to stay afloat in today’s wrestling climate.

5. WWE’s Oblivious Booking Continues

The WWE had an extremely turbulent year in 2019. It was filled with some great highs, and some awful lows. But somehow, the company stays relevant and is still watched by a legion of diehard fans. Rather than reflecting on what happened over the past year, WWE will just go on with its tunnel-vision tendencies, making everyone suffer through let downs, questionable booking and terrible matches. But we will still watch and talk and share its stuff as it is what we do. Nothing will change and we’ll still be in the same situation we were 12 months ago!

John Corrigan

1. WWE Signs XFL Player

As a New York Guardians season ticket holder, I’m cautiously optimistic about the success of the XFL. While I hope it lasts a second year, I understand the league’s brief history, as well as the brief history of other football leagues. Therefore, I predict at least one player will make such an impact that WWE signs him to a developmental deal, regardless if the league lasts another season.

2. Killer Kross Wins MLW World Heavyweight Championship

The most underrated man in pro wrestling has been off TV for far too long. Thankfully, he’ll be coming to MLW’s return to Philly in February. He’ll immediately become a thorn in Contra’s side, leading to a feud that culminates in Kross dethroning Jacob Fatu at MLW’s next pay-per-view.

3. Kelly Klein Joins Knockouts Division

After her disastrous exit from Ring of Honor, Klein will be looking to get the bad taste out of her mouth. Impact has treated women better than any other company to date, and its Knockouts division could use a familiar face to tangle with Taya Valkyrie, Jordynne Grace and maybe even Tessa Blanchard.

4. NWA Powerrr Comes to 2300 Arena

Even though the Georgia Public Broadcasting Studios has become NWA Powerrr’s beloved home, the resurrected brand’s popularity is steadily increasing. It’s only a matter of time before the show goes on the road, at least for some experimentation. It’s first stop will be the hallowed corner of Swanson and Ritner.

5. Christopher Daniels Retires

The Fallen Angel turns 50 this year. That doesn’t seem like a big deal with Chris Jericho and Dustin Rhodes on the AEW roster, but with his backstage position as head of talent relations, Christopher Daniels simply doesn’t need to take any more bumps. With Kazarian and Scorpio Sky holding down the SCU fort as Tag Team Champions, it’s time for their teammate to hang up the boots and help groom the next generation of stars.

Chad Gelfand

1. Kenny Omega Wins AEW Championship

Kenny Omega seems to be in the midst of a storyline where he’s in a slump and has to fight his way back to becoming the Best Bout Machine. This storyline will culminate in Omega winning the AEW Title at some point this year.

2. Big E Enters WWE Championship Picture

Big E has “it” when it comes to the makings of a pro wrestling star. After Kofi Kingston’s WWE Championship run, it would be an underutilization of Big E’s talents not to get him involved in the WWE Championship picture this year.

3. Sasha Banks Wins SmackDown Women’s Championship

Sasha Banks has had multiple Women’s Title runs, but she’s never truly been given the ball to have a lengthy run. Sasha is more than capable of putting together a great title run, especially as a heel, and 2020 is the year to do that.

4. AEW Introduces Midcard Championship

AEW needs to give the guys in the middle of the card more purpose and something to fight for. I would make PAC the inaugural champion and give him a long run to establish the title’s credibility.

5. Becky Lynch Holds Raw Women’s Championship Through WrestleMania

Becky Lynch has been the top star in WWE for the past year or so and right now it doesn’t seem like she’s slowing down. Not only will Becky walk into WrestleMania as Raw Women’s Champion, but she will walk out with the gold, too.

Jack Goodwillie

1. AEW Television Never Catches On, PPVs Huge Hit, Company Survives Through 2020

I imagine a big part of this week’s roundtable will have to do with what becomes of AEW in 2020. And I’m going to give a very moderate take, all things considered. I love a lot of what AEW did in its first year of existence and think the world of some of its upcoming stars (and current stars for that matter). However, some of the booking has been hit or miss, and in today’s day and age, people are going to harp on the bad more than the good. For that reason, AEW will not be able to get out of its own way and the television ratings will stall. HOWEVER, pay-per-view will be a hit much like the NXT Takeovers are a hit. In fact, I would bet for that reason we see the business model move to six PPVs in 2021. But most importantly, the company will be financially solvent the way Dixie Carter’s TNA wasn’t because it’s well run. Say what you want about Tony Khan being a bit of a nerd and taking stunners in the ring after shows, but he is sharp as a tack and I expect him to lead his company through the year.

2. A Falling Out Will End WWE in Saudi Arabia

No need to get long-winded here. This one is pretty self-explanatory. Both parties are led by two combustible elements in Vince McMahon and The King, and we already saw a lot of smoke when issues came to light over the talent’s travel plans back in the fall. WWE was quick to pour cold water and defuse the situation, but let’s face it, there’s a lot of money on the line. As McMahon says, everybody has a price, but with the XFL set to kick off, we’ll see how far McMahon and Co. are willing to go to work with the dysfunctional kingdom.

3. Triple H Gains Power, WWE Comes on Strong Late-2020

I’ll preface by saying I think the XFL has a good year. The AAF showed me that there is some allure to football in the spring, but its success will require the WWE chairman’s attention. As a result, I expect Triple H to take the controlling stick of Monday Night Raw for roughly two months between the spring and summer, and what is done will allow WWE’s main roster to set a tone and actually produce some respectable television in the back-half of the year. I don’t know if there will be any breakout stars along the way, but I do think the Aleister Black and Buddy Murphy pushes will be seen through and Velveteen Dream will be the handpicked guy to “quarterback” Triple H’s Raw when the post-Mania call-ups hit.

4. British Invasion

It is due time we see guys like Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate make their way onto the main roster. Many will poo-poo this, as NXT is the WWE’s crown jewel for critics (pun… intended?). But as good as Johnny Gargano is, he’s never going to break the glass ceiling on a brand WWE considers as its third. The same can be said for guys like Dunne and Bate. If they’re going to be money draws, they NEED to get over in front of casual fans. If Triple H is leading the charge, they should have no problem. They are two of the three or four most talented members on the U.K. roster, but don’t expect to see WALTER anywhere near America any time soon. He is a unique breed of talent and doesn’t value the same things many in his position conventionally would. Instead, look for him to continue to player/coach in NXT U.K. as Imperium continues its dominance.

5. Odd Bedfellows

A big key to the success of AEW in 2020 will be to continue to funnel top talent in to work with its top stars. It’s a great way to circumvent the financial dregs of having to sign new stars, and there is some smoke to the hinted at AEW-NJPW partnership. If it doesn’t materialize, I expect both promotions to go knocking on other doors, as NJPW can’t get a North American TV deal to promote its Western product, and AEW lacks roster diversity. Similarly, I imagine NWA will partner with another promotion in an attempt to get RoH out of the picture. MLW makes a lot of sense, but can you imagine an Impact/NWA partnership in 2020? The circumstances would make my jaw drop.

*As a bonus prediction, I’ll also go out on a limb and say that Sinclair will SELL Ring of Honor in 2020. As a double-bonus: The buyer? WWE.*