5 Wrestling Predictions for 2019

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Last year, The Athletes Hub had a crack at 4 different predictions that would occur within the world of professional wrestling. All four of those predictions came to fruition in one way or another. The Bullet Club ended up with a new leader in Cody Rhodes, while Matt Riddle went beyond out breakout expectations and signed with the WWE. 205 Live became somewhat relevant in terms of television, however, their house shows disappeared rather quickly.

This year, we decided to add on another prediction, as there are just too many things that could happen throughout this year. From WWE to the NWA and everywhere else, wrestling is starting to climb back into relevance. Without further ado, here are 5 predictions for the world of professional wrestling in 2019:

1. Kenny Omega goes to AEW

Since the start of the new year, the rumor mill has been filling up with theories about the end location of “The Cleaner” Kenny Omega. Losing to Hiroshi Tanahashi at Wrestle Kingdom 13, Omega didn’t show up at the New Years Dash!! event the next day. It was then confirmed that Omega would be leaving New Japan Pro Wrestling, ending a near 9-year relationship.

There are only two real options here for Omega now that he has left the biggest wrestling promotion outside of North America: AEW and WWE. WWE allegedly has offered Omega more money then the man can hold, a WWE Championship run and a bunch of other perks. There have also been conflicting reports about whether Omega received creative control, with Dave Meltzer coming out and saying that this isn’t part of it.

The potential to create an alternative in AEW with the rest of The Elite is the other option. According to WrestlingInc.com, AEW officials are pretty sure that Omega will sign with the company. It’s something that should happen too, with Omega a good fit for NJPW’s style of booking, but not the best fit under Vince McMahon.

2. Ronda Rousey turns heel

Ronda Rousey portrays and works well as a babyface within the confines of WWE, however, the more natural thing would be to turn heel during the year. The potential call-up of Shayna Baszler to the main roster would further this potential turn, with a reunion of the “UFC 4 horsewomen” more than likely within 2019.

Booking this turn is something that could be done in multiple ways. The most obvious route is to turn on Natalya, claiming that Rousey used the good nature of the Canadian to train and get to the highest spot within the women’s division. The impending feud with Becky Lynch gives Rousey another way to flip the persona, however that would involve burying the hottest thing on WWE television right now. Either way, you can bet your bottom dollar that Rousey becomes the baddest woman on the planet, literally.

3. OG Bullet Club reunites – somewhere

Those who enjoy fantasy booking would relish at seeing the Bullet Club OG’s reunite within the world of professional wrestling this year. Tama Tonga teased it with a tweet to Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows (Doc) at the start of the year, and the “Good Brothers” have been wearing BC OG on their gear throughout the recent weeks.

According to PWInsider.com, the contracts of Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows are up early this year. There’s no saying as to whether they will re-sign or leave the company, with the two allegedly happy within their spot. Should they leave, there are a few options for the “Good Brothers” to go in search for. New Japan and AEW would both be in contention, while a good indy run might give hope for a few unannounced pop-ups around the world.

There’s also Finn Balor. The smile on television says he is happy, but a lot of the internet wrestling community are convinced it is a fake one at that. Could Balor leave with the Good Brothers and reform Bullet Club OG?

4. Marty Scurll becomes ROH World Champion

The last remaining man from Bullet Club to associate with Ring of Honor, Scurll has gone and formed his own faction in Villain Enterprises. That in itself leads one to believe that Scurll will remain within the compounds of ROH for a while yet, meaning that a Championship run is in the future plans.

Scurll signed a 12-month extension last year that saw the British star through to the end of April 2019, covering the ROH show in Madison Square Garden. In saying that, there have been no further negotiations with the exit of the Bullet Club members from their ROH contracts.

The way that this plays out now is that Villain Enterprises will ensure that Scurll will get himself a world title run before the contract runs out. Should Scurll re-sign, that title run will go for a good 9 months. If not, he will drop it at MSG to put over the company in one last hurrah before running to AEW… if not WWE.

5. Jay White becomes IWGP Heavyweight Champion

The last prediction sends us over to the land of the rising sun, and to a revolving theme of the Bullet Club. Jay White has been phenomenal over the past 2 years within New Japan Pro Wrestling, taking part in some classic matches over his tenure. The man known as “Switchblade” will continue this run throughout 2019, culminating with an IWGP Heavyweight Championship run.

Jay White took on and successfully defeated Kazuchika Okada at Wrestle Kingdom 13, a huge win for White. It proves that he is a mainstay within the top tier of stars at NJPW, and someone who will be challenging for the main prize sooner rather than later. It might culminate at Wrestle Kingdom 14, but expected Jay White to be the top dog of New Japan Pro Wrestling in 2018.