WWE: Three fresh, first-time, main roster singles champions for 2023
The new year is a few days away and there’s already a lot to look forward to in professional wrestling. Of course, fans are talking about Sasha Banks, All Elite Wrestling is building momentum behind a new champion in MJF, and WWE enters WrestleMania season with a new creative and talent vision at the forefront. There’s hope that Triple H will find a way to fill the need of new stars within WWE, perhaps elevating fresh names into the title picture. Here are three individuals who could find themselves as first-time singles champions on the WWE main roster in 2023.
Doudrop
There’s a big need for WWE to further empower the women’s division. Championships can’t continue to flow between the same few names, while there’s a roster that’s loaded with depth like that in the WWE. Doudrop is one of the many ladies on the roster that have proven their abilities for years, and finally, have a spot on the main stage.
She’s been out of action since September, after a brief visit to NXT. But when she returns there’s an opportunity to pair her with Becky Lynch in what should be the angle that helps set Doudrop up as a main event player and a future champion for the women’s division.
Shayna Baszler
Shayna Baszler is perhaps the missing piece that can help create a Ronda Rousey angle that fans are interested in watching. They have years’ worth of experience together, going back to their time on The Ultimate Fighter. Baszler’s the individual that helped get Rousey into professional wrestling. There’s so much to use from their lives to set the stage for what could be a big feud that the SmackDown women’s division needs.
Many of Baszler’s fans have wanted to see her get that position as the biggest name in the women’s division. She held that spot on NXT, but it has not been translated to the main roster. There’s hope that the new leadership will make that shift, and the story against Rousey is right there for the taking.
Mustafa Ali
It is still surprising that WWE refuses to pull the trigger on Mustafa Ali as a singles champion of some sort. Fans remain behind him in a way that has elevated other stars to main event positions. Ali remains in the mid-card and frequently falls short of capturing gold. Taking the time to build him to a title victory, even if it is just a short run, could be a massive moment for both Ali and the fans that follow him. If the United States Championship becomes the true mid-card title on WWE Raw once again, that is the path to Ali winning and having a run that could lead to something great.