Seth Rollins won the new WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia to create a fresh batch of possibilities and feuds that will involve more wrestlers from the current roster in the main event scene.
Rollins beat AJ Styles for the title at the premium live event in a very watchable wrestling match, which was no less than what one would expect from two of the best all-around wrestlers in WWE currently. Both men advanced to the finals of the tournament to qualify for the match, signaling that WWE is open to crowning a champion from SmackDown and will perhaps subsequently shift them to Monday nights.
During the tournament's finals at the Jeddah Super Dome, it was Seth Rollins who WWE chose to be the first holder of the new World Heavyweight Championship. And it was a well-deserved accolade for the superstar who has been a consistent top performer for the promotion.
With live crowds singing his song in unison well after his entrance theme stops, some may argue Seth's bludgeoning popularity did not need to be validated with a top championship and that the World Heavyweight Championship would be better served in elevating other talents on the roster.
Thus, here are five WWE wrestlers who could gain the most from winning the new World Heavyweight Championship.
5 Finn Balor
It is unfortunate that Finn Balor is lost in the shuffle at the moment. While the wrestler is consistently on television as part of the heel faction Judgment Day, he has barely been seen as a threat in the world title picture. In many ways, he is that wrestler from the faction who loses the least by taking pinfalls. That is because Balor has such a decorated resume that his loss count will not impact his status.
However, it is underwhelming to see such a talented wrestler being underutilized by the WWE, so much so that they even stalled the momentum of his Demon gimmick. But there is still plenty of believability present in Balor and WWE would be smart in harvesting on the same.
Balor, being the first Universal Champion, has a history with Rollins given it was The Visionary who played a part in Balor's legitimate injury which forced him to vacate the title. And if WWE needed any clues on how to build Balor as a proper challenger, they can check the footage of The Demon popping his shoulder back into the socket to finish the match immediately after dislocating it.
The title will restore the legitimacy of Balor, and he has shown earlier that he can play a meaningful role in the main event.
4 Johnny Gargano
Perhaps a direct consequence of Tomasso Ciampa being sidelined with an injury, Johnny Gargano has been supremely underutilized on the main roster since being called up from NXT. That is a shame because Gargano is an extremely talented wrestler and a fantastic storyteller. His partnership and subsequent feuds with Ciampa in NXT formed the spine of the division's most successful period. And it proves exactly how high Gargano's ceiling is.
The former NXT Champion is a likable babyface who can sell adversity and put on great matches, with or without a story. He is also liked by Triple H, who was running NXT when Gargano was pushed. Moreover, he is still young, in his mid-30s, and seems like the kind of person who would not head over to Hollywood.
A dependable, likable, believable, and skilled wrestler, Gargano will really benefit from having the World Heavyweight Championship around his waist. In turn, he can become a pillar of the division and build a legacy around the world title, just like Edge did with the Big Gold Belt.
3 Edge
This is a slightly different one given Edge is synonymous with the previous World Heavyweight Championship. As the 'ultimate opportunist', Edge won that world title multiple times, making him the one to hold the World Heavyweight Championship for the combined longest time. That was also one of Edge's finest gimmicks and saw him achieve his greatest success as a singles competitor.
So, one might understand why WWE would like to disassociate Edge from this world title given they are branding it as having a new lineage and not being linked with the 'big gold belt' version. However, having Edge as the champion benefits both, the promotion and the superstar.
Some may even argue that it benefits the title more than the superstar, given his existing history with the previous version of the title with the same name. Having Edge as one of the champions in the future can really add prestige via association with a formerly successful, multi-time champion and may even double up as the wrestler's final main event run.
2 Damian Priest
Damian Priest is clearly liked by the WWE hierarchy. Following his match with Bad Bunny in Puerto Rico, Priest is reportedly seen as a legitimate main-event player within the company. The Backlash match was very well received and while the crowd helped elevate the show a few notches, Priest deserves a lot of credit for making the celebrity match deserve a special mention.
Moreover, being a heel within a heel faction, he will make for the best first opponent for Seth Rollins. And while WWE may deem now to be rather early, Priest should be the one to dethrone Rollins eventually. Priest has the stature to represent the company and is also quite the believable champion.
He also has quite a cool personality which will help WWE transition into a champion who is not a babyface and can still be cheered. One thinks Priest has the tools to pull the same off, which will bode well in changing things up from a full-blown face champion. Having Priest as champion will not only establish him as a main event star, but it will also open up possibilities for plenty of fresh feuds against faces and heels, thus preventing the main event scene from becoming stale.
1 Drew McIntyre
WWE is not shy from pulling off shocks. There are plenty of examples, and one that immediately jumps to mind features the current holder of the new World Heavyweight Championship, Seth Rollins, from the main event of WrestleMania 31.
And with Money in the Bank scheduled to be held in the United Kingdom, nearly a year since the event Clash At The Castle, WWE can blow the roof off by crowning Drew McIntyre as the World Heavyweight Champion. This move can save Drew's WWE career and also give the wrestler his well-deserved flowers. Drew was the unfortunate loser of the pandemic situation with his crowning moment coming in front of no fans. And since then, the wrestler lost all that momentum he had built up. Thus, if there is one person on the roster who both deserves and needs a world title reign, it is McIntyre.
Moreover, WWE already knows that he possesses all the tools to represent the company. Drew deserves a top title and will gain a lot from having the newly-christened Big Gold Belt. The shock value of The Scottish Warrior dethroning Seth at Money in the Bank could create a WWE moment that replayed for years to come. Strapping another rocket to Drew and giving him a big push would certainly increase WWE's chances of keeping this talented main event star in the company for years to come.
There are reports and rumors that McIntyre and WWE are having a contractual dispute, and Drew's current contract is reportedly set to expire in early 2024. Booking the Scotsman to win Raw's top title could be one way for WWE to persuade him to stay.