Top three storylines coming out of the WWE Day 1 PPV

WWE Day 1 kicked off 2022 with a bang. The show turned on a dime when Roman Reigns was forced to withdraw because he tested positive for COVID. As a result, Brock Lesnar was added to the WWE Championship match to make it a Fatal 5-Way. That was the biggest headline to come out of the event.

Here are the three biggest storylines from Day 1.

Brock Lesnar wins WWE Championship

Lesnar won the WWE Title for the sixth time by beating Big E, Bobby Lashley, Kevin Owens, and Seth Rollins. But now the question is: what is next for Lesnar?

The short answer is a championship defense against Bobby Lashley at the Royal Rumble. They could very easily begin an ongoing feud (and have, as of this past Monday’s Raw), which would be very entertaining. They’re both powerhouses with brute strength.

Lesnar and Lashley have never met one-on-one. Day 1 was the first time they were in a match together. Lashley speared Lesnar twice, including through the barricade, and put him in the Hurt Lock.

It appeared as though Lashley was closing in on a second championship reign. However, Lesnar was the one to come away with the belt. He F-5’ed everyone in the match except Lashley. Given that, it was clear that the two of them would write the next chapter of the WWE Championship together.

But with Lesnar now holding the WWE Title, what’s next for the Universal Championship? Lesnar was originally scheduled to clash with Reigns for the championship, which would have been the second time in the last four months that they squared off for the belt. It appeared that WWE was setting the stage to build their feud into a WrestleMania match. They have already met twice on the biggest stage (WrestleMania 31 and 34).

Throw in the Paul Heyman angle and that had the makings of one amazing feud. Heyman famously served as an advocate for Lesnar throughout The Beast’s career. He then joined Reigns when he returned and won the title back in August 2020. Reigns fired him last month, which opened the door for Heyman to reunite with Lesnar.

It would be great to develop that storyline of a love triangle between Lesnar, Reigns, and Heyman. Heyman is great on the mic and is always must-watch when he’s pumping up his client and belittling the opposition. The Heyman angle added an intriguing layer to what was already the best story in WWE (Reigns’ dominant title run).

Reigns has dominated his opponents over his roughly 500-day reign, and Lesnar appeared to pose the biggest threat. Also, Reigns is about to surpass Lesnar’s 504-day run as the longest Universal Title reign. Reigns ended that reign with a win at SummerSlam in 2018.

Now that Reigns and Lesnar hold the two world titles, we’ll see how their storylines intermingle. They have to play off each other. They have too much history and have been too dominant to not square off. Would it be possible that they face off and unify the championships? That is certainly a distinct possibility.

Liv Morgan impresses against Becky Lynch

Becky Lynch retained the Raw Women’s Championship over Liv Morgan, but Morgan was the one who came out as the winner. She showed she can compete with the best in the company.

Morgan has flown under the radar throughout her career, but she dazzled in the matchup with The Man. The two went toe-to-toe, and it was even during the whole match.

When Lynch was looking for a superplex, Morgan battled out of it and athletically powerbombed Lynch and nearly claimed the pinfall.

Morgan has never won an individual title but recently has been getting pushed toward competing for a championship. She has developed into a strong individual wrestler after her run with the Riott Squad. She has a strong character that can be developed even more.

While it was not surprising that Lynch retained, Morgan showed that championship gold is in her future.

Edge/Beth Phoenix vs. Miz/Maryse mixed tag team rivalry is in the works

The match between Edge and the Miz was entertaining, but everyone knew it would not simply be a one-off match on New Year’s Day. With Maryse present ringside for the match, it was only a matter of time before Beth Phoenix got in on the action.

Phoenix made her return during the match, and Miz looked like he had seen a ghost when she appeared.

The two couples are complete opposites of each other. Miz and Maryse are the flashy “It Couple.” They have their own reality television show. Miz has always been a “pretty boy.” He thrives in that role. Maryse began her career solely in SmackDown promos before ever competing in the ring. The two are all style.

Meanwhile, Edge and Phoenix are the power couple. She was one of the most dominant women’s champions of all time. She was the second female wrestler to ever compete in the men’s Royal Rumble match.

As for Edge, he made his career on fighting in brutal, extreme matches. He’s fought inside Hell in a Cell multiple times. He was synonymous with the TLC match.

It will be interesting to see the two married couples compete in a long feud. It is just the latest part of Edge’s comeback, where he feuds with wrestlers who are past their peaks.