2021 Predictions: Pro Wrestling & Beyond

In this edition of The Wrestling Estate roundtable, we give our 2021 predictions. To see last year’s, click here.

Steven Jackson’s 2021 Predictions

1. The COVID vaccine, which is being distributed in the U.K., will finally help the country gradually return to normal. However, things will be very different in 2021 once again.

2. I will finally pass my driving test and move out!

3. NJPW will begin working with ROH once again. Now that AEW has joined up with Impact, we won’t see any NJPW vs. AEW dream matches any time soon.

4. The PS5 and XBOX Series X will fail because of their terrible hardware issues which keep breaking down. Nintendo Switches will stand strong!

5. The Wrestling Estate will have its biggest year in 2021 and we will continue to bring fans the best wrestling content in the world today!

Juan Bautista’s 2021 Predictions

1. We have no idea how COVID will play out, but a World Cup tournament will be announced. There hasn’t been an actual one since WCPW did one. Since there will be a bigger budget with AEW, Impact, AAA and others involved, all the qualifiers will be in their home country so Azteca Stadium could host the Mexico final.

2. Kenny Omega will be a triple, if not quadruple champion. He has the AAA title and the AEW title. I think he captures the Impact title and NJPW title.

3. There will be an LAX reunion at some point.

4. Trevor Lawrence will be a Dallas Cowboy. It hasn’t been an easy year to be a Cowboys fan, but Jerry Jones will make sure Dak gets taken care of while also making sure he gets Trevor.

5. Forget about your political stance – COVID will be taken care of under the new administration and we can get back to where we were hopefully at some point during the year.

John Corrigan’s 2021 Predictions

1. Tessa Blanchard Joins MLW

Even though the company doesn’t do women’s wrestling, Tessa Blanchard is a big enough name to jumpstart that division. She may be persona non grata right now, but she’s too young and talented to be on the sidelines forever. So, why not end up in the “land of the renegades?”

2. Renee Paquette Gets Food Network Gig

She’ll be free of any WWE shackles at some point in 2021, and even though her husband is a top star in AEW, the former Renee Young won’t return to pro wrestling. Of course, she’ll also become a mom in 2021, but that doesn’t mean she can’t parlay her podcast and cook book into a fun gig on Food Network.

3. Lana Goes Off Script

After a year of abuse on WWE TV, Lana will finally snap and shoot on the company. It won’t be the Pipebomb – it will be an honest to God, Doug Gilbert-style, “fuck the world.” Who knows what the ramifications will be, but CM Punk will tweet the Big E-popcorn GIF in response.

4. Eric Bischoff Will Officiate Penelope Ford & Kip Sabian’s Wedding

I’ve been racking my brain on how the first AEW wedding will be booked. Will Miro steal Penelope from the groom? I doubt it because we know he’s with Lana. Will Orange Cassidy slow emerge from the giant cake? Guaranteed. But Eric Bischoff, who appears for wacky skits, will officiate the wedding while in disguise ala the greatest moment in SmackDown history. This will lead to Best Friends interrupting the proceedings because that feud will never die.

5. Impact Will Book a “COVID-19 Vaccine on a Pole” Match

That’s right, on the 20th anniversary of WCW’s demise, Impact Wrestling will pay homage to the man who accelerated WCW’s death by booking a “COVID-19 Vaccine on a Pole” match. There’s already been death angles in the company so you don’t have to worry about not getting a proper payoff.

Chad Gelfand’s 2021 Predictions

1. Big E Will Become Universal Champion

The New Day getting separated should only have been for one reason, and that is for Big E to become Universal Champion. E has all of the tools that you want in a world champion, and I think he realizes that destiny by becoming Universal Champion at WrestleMania 37 and dethroning Roman Reigns.

2. Bianca Belair Will Become SmackDown Women’s Champion

Another wrestler with all of the tools to become a world champion is Bianca Belair. She’s someone who I believe NXT largely underutilized until the end of her run there. At the 2020 Royal Rumble, her star quality was undeniable, and she put on one of the best performances in Royal Rumble history. In 2021, she repeats her great Rumble performance, but this time she finishes it off by winning the whole thing. After that, we’ll get a dream match with Belair challenging Sasha Banks for the SmackDown Women’s Championship at WrestleMania and winning it.

3. Edge Will Become WWE Champion

At the ripe old age of 47 years old, Edge will become WWE Champion. Before his injury that currently has him sidelined, Edge was in the best shape of his career and was moving around like he hadn’t lost a step. If he can still be at that level, then he could have a few months run as WWE Champion before eventually putting over younger talent.

4. Adam Page Will Beat Kenny Omega for the AEW World Championship

Since he lost in the inaugural AEW World Championship match, the overarching theme of Adam Page’s journey has been to get back to that level and actually win the title. Page has become a different person over this journey. He’s become hardened by it, isolated himself, formed an uneasy alliance that formed into a great tag team with Kenny Omega, but his goal has remained the same. What better way to wrap up that journey than to have Page be the one that finally ends Omega’s reign.

5. Sting Will Wrestle a Singles Match

When Sting signed with AEW, many thought that it was in a non-wrestling capacity, but it’s now become apparent that Sting will, in fact, be working some matches. Now tag team matches almost seem like a given for 2021 predictions, but I say that even at 61 years old with spinal stenosis and no matter how questionable a decision it may be, Sting will wrestle another singles match. My prediction for an opponent is Cody Rhodes, as they seem to be planting the seeds for Rhodes to face Sting somewhere down the line, and he should be a safe and reliable opponent for Sting.

Jack Goodwillie’s 2021 Predictions

1. AEW will land NJPW partnership, but at what cost?

I am a big fan of the alliance of sorts between AEW and Impact Wrestling. It’ll help elevate both shows, and it gives us fans more overall exposure to AEW stars like Kenny Omega. Although I doubt he is the draw Dave Meltzer and other Omega truthers claim him to be, more exposure can’t hurt. That said, everybody and their mother knows that Tony Khan’s main priority was to come out of this year with a New Japan partnership, and by partnering with Impact, AEW does not come away empty-handed in that endeavor. However, I’m taking inspiration from a similar real-life scenario for how I believe this will play out.

Remember back in the late-2000s when the UFC wanted EA Sports to do its video game? EA scoffed at the UFC’s initial offering and instead, THQ got the rights. However, once EA saw how the UFC surpassed sales projections, going into business with Dana White suddenly became a no-brainer. If the AEW-Impact partnership goes smoothly, I see no reason NJPW doesn’t hop aboard provided Impact steps aside, of course. And that’s especially true with Harold Meij out as president.

2. Sting will NOT wrestle for AEW in 2021

Sting’s appearance in AEW may actually go down as one of the biggest surprises of the year and honestly might have even cracked Neal Wagner’s Top 10 stories of 2020 had it not been for timeliness. That said, there are a lot of people anticipating he’s going to not only wrestle in AEW, but wrestle multiple times a year and that’s pretty crazy. How soon do we forget the circumstances surrounding his last injury, which also happens to be the reason WWE couldn’t clear him to step back in the squared circle. I don’t blame Vince McMahon either. Sting is 61 years old. Nobody over the age of 60 should be having matches, especially people coming off of seemingly career-ending injuries. Of course, it’s quite possible Sting signed the contract fully intending on wrestling. However, saying you’re going to do something and actually doing it are two different things, and if I were a betting man, I’d say we don’t see Stinger in the ring in 2021 – which makes me very curious as to what his actual role is going to be.

3. WrestleMania WILL be held at the ThunderDome, So-Fi Stadium pushed to 2022. Roman Reigns will main event against Edge.

I’m rolling my WrestleMania 2021 predictions all into one since the first prediction isn’t really a hot take. Patrick Bateman is running the State of California, and if a decision on WrestleMania is to be consistent with his past actions, I wouldn’t count on WrestleMania going Hollywood in 2021. Because of that, it takes The Rock out of the equation. A match against Roman Reigns does make sense after years of WWE teasing it, but The Rock will not be returning for WrestleMania in the Thunderdome. However, for someone like Edge, time is of the essence and Edge vs. Roman Reigns is one of the biggest matches WWE can possibly book right now. Those are the matches that should be reserved for WrestleMania after all, and I can easily see Edge winning the Royal Rumble in 2021 after returning in that same match in 2020, setting him up to face Reigns at Mania.

4. Alex Hammerstone Signs with NXT, Becomes 2021’s Breakout Star

Now, I understand Alex Hammerstone re-upped with MLW back in May, but we’re not privy to the minute details of how those contracts work. On the other hand, WWE has some pretty big fucking means and some pretty powerful lawyers, and Hammerstone is the breakout star of next year. If WWE is able to sign him to NXT, he can have a similar impact on the brand as Killer Kross did before getting hurt. Should Vince ever decide to call him up, he will inevitably change his name to “Hammerstone” which will probably make for good TV one way or the other. But I’m a big believer in Hammerstone. Even if he doesn’t go to NXT, he’s going to level-up in a big way in 2021. I’ve only settled on NXT as a future destination of his because it’s WWE. Plus, NXT can always use new guys shuffling in and it can’t possibly keep the Undisputed Era around forever, right? Right?

5. Becky Lynch will NOT return until WrestleMania 38 season

It must be good to be Becky Lynch right now. Her pregnancy is over and done with and she can now focus her time on little Roux. Back in WWE land, the company has failed to make any bankable female stars aside from those who have been constants on television for five years running, such as Charlotte, Bayley, Sasha Banks and Asuka. It’s the same old story and the reason WWE has had to rely on part-time stars to push WrestleMania numbers in recent history. One would have thought the B-sides to last year’s women’s main events, Rhea Ripley and Shayna Baszler, would be much further along than they are, but Ripley never scored a pin on Charlotte and I don’t think Vince McMahon understands the actual appeal of Shayna Baszler.

Hell, outside of that, at least they’ve got Mandy Rose. Unfortunately, she’s formed a tag team with Dana Brooke since moving to Raw. That’ll move the needle. I guess what I’m saying here is Lynch has all the leverage one could possibly want…except for the fact that fans are yet to return to live wrestling shows. Were that the case, with a month to get back in shape, Becky could make some SERIOUS money to return and help lift Raw or SmackDown. However, because there are no fans, there’s not a ton of incentive for her to a.) make her return at the Thunderdome and b.) force WWE’s hand financially. For that reason (and the fact that her husband’s salary is probably nothing to sneeze at), it’ll be at least another year before we see Becky Lynch return for another WWE run.