5 Superstars who could be the next WWE World Heavyweight Champion

5 Superstars who could be the next WWE World Heavyweight Champion

Who’s next? All the world is dying to know. For the first time since he won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 31, Seth Rollins’ grasp on WWE’s most precious prize, like his relationship with The Authority, is tenuous at best. It has gotten so bad that smart money may be on Dean Ambrose to formally take the title from his former running mate at Money in the Bank tonight. The Lunatic Fringe is hardly the only Superstar who could dash The Architect’s plans, however. Here are five Superstars WWE.com editors have pegged as the next man up when Rollins does lose his title.

John Cena

5 Superstars who could be the next WWE World Heavyweight Champion

Here’s the thing about John Cena – he simply does not know how to stop. Sure, an easy assumption to make would be that the leader of Cenation has his hands more than full with the U.S. Open Challenge and his escalating conflict with Kevin Owens … but that’s too easy. As his detractors have now learned for over a decade, underestimating John Cena only leads to grave disappointment.

WWE Network:  Cena becomes The Champ at Money in the Bank

The 15-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion is at his best when his plate is most full, and he would undoubtedly salivate at the prospect of simultaneously defending both the WWE World Heavyweight and United States Championships. Quite frankly, Cena has his opposition and the WWE Universe right where he wants them – believing he is vulnerable. The polarizing Superstar will topple Kevin Owens at WWE Money in the Bank en route to a record-tying 16th championship victory by the end of the summer months, with no stop in sight. — RYAN PAPPOLLA

Brock Lesnar

5 Superstars who could be the next WWE World Heavyweight Champion

Listen. There will be no Superstar to dethrone Seth Rollins because there is only one Superstar whom the wrestling gods can allow to dethrone Seth Rollins.  That Superstar is Brock Lesnar. It’s hard to imagine a man as gifted physically and financially as The Beast Incarnate could ever be pegged as the victim of a robbery, but Rollins’ pilfering of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship should be punishable by law, it was so (brilliantly) conniving.

Watch:  Lesnar, Rollins and Cena clash at Royal Rumble

Which brings us to now: Rollins remains champion. The forces of the universe have been wronged. The balance of time and space itself fluctuates each second The One in 22-1 languishes in purgatory without his title. Ambrose stealing the title itself is a nice start, but only Lesnar’s obliteration of Rollins will right the cosmos and nothing else. In summary: Brock Lesnar will be the guy who beats Seth Rollins to win the title. That’s not a prediction; it’s a spoiler. — ANTHONY BENIGNO

Dolph Ziggler

5 Superstars who could be the next WWE World Heavyweight Champion

As of this writing, Dolph Ziggler is set to join six elite Superstars in the Money in the Bank Contract Ladder Match, a high-stakes bout he won in 2012 when he snatched the briefcase and held onto it for nearly a year. The night after WrestleMania 29, The Showoff cashed in his golden opportunity to become World Heavyweight Champion. The roar of the crowd that night in New Jersey’s IZOD Center proved that Ziggler truly belonged in the main event.

Relive Ziggler's legendary Money in the Bank cash-in

However, the ambitious Superstar’s career would soon take him on a rollercoaster series of ups and downs, none of which brought him as close to being “the man” in WWE as he was that night. With Lana now by his side, Ziggler is more poised than ever to reach new heights and steal the spotlight from whoever holds the WWE World Heavyweight Championship — it’s kind of his thing. —JAMES WORTMAN 

Roman Reigns

5 Superstars who could be the next WWE World Heavyweight Champion

Some might have thought that once Seth Rollins stood at the top of the = Levi’s Stadium ramp at the end of WrestleMania 31, Roman Reigns’ chances at becoming WWE World Heavyweight Champion were slim to none, as long as The Authority remained in power.

However, even though The Big Dog has been more than happy to aid his former Shield brother Dean Ambrose in sending Rollins over the edge, don’t think that Reigns still doesn’t have his eyes on sports-entertainment’s ultimate prize. He has been patiently waiting for the right moment to strike, and the time is now.

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The car crash that is Money in the Bank plays into Reigns’ strengths – namely, hitting people really hard when they least expect it. Don’t be surprised if Roman Reigns walks out with a golden briefcase in his hands. If Seth Rollins is the WWE World Heavyweight Champion after Sunday, it will only be a matter of time before The Big Dog gets the ultimate payback. — BOBBY MELOK

Dean Ambrose

5 Superstars who could be the next WWE World Heavyweight Champion

Without a doubt, the next WWE World Heavyweight Champion will be Dean Ambrose.

Yes, the WWE World Heavyweight Title Ladder Match at WWE Money in the Bank is tailor-made for such an unhinged competitor. And sure, he has the confidence of virtually being the champion already – since he, in effect, pinned Seth Rollins at Elimination Chamber and has carried the title with him even since. After all, possession is nine-tenths of the law. So, even though “The Future of WWE” is still technically the titleholder, the confidence of being “the champion” is firmly in the camp of his opponent. 

Watch: Ambrose steals the Money in the Bank briefcase |  The Lunatic Intercontinental Champion

But his advantage goes much further than that. The Lunatic Fringe knows how to push Rollins’ buttons better than just about anyone. His nature may seem completely unstable, but there is truly a method to his madness. By taking the WWE World Heavyweight Title away from The Architect, he has not only knocked his adversary completely off his game, but essentially caused Rollins to separate himself from the constant support of The Authority.

Ambrose’s upper hand is compounded by the fact that, while his opponent has isolated himself, the No. 1 contender will have the powerful Roman Reigns in his corner. The Big Dog has no love lost for Rollins, and he’d like nothing more than to see his brother-in-arms dethrone him once and for all.

Look for the "Age of Ambrose" to begin this Sunday night on WWE Network.  MICHAEL BURDICK

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