In what looks to be a new tradition, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) will have their first-ever Day 1 PPV on Jan. 1, kicking off 2022 in a major way for the company. They have built the show to be one of their finest since fans return to the ring and it should be a can’t-miss event. The three major matches on the show have all been built for multiple months now, giving a different feel to the show than many others over the last year in WWE. Here’s a look at the WWE Day 1 predictions, card, and overall preview.
WWE Day 1 Card:
Kickoff Show — Ricochet & Cesaro vs. Sheamus & Ridge Holland
— Drew McIntyre vs. Madcap Moss
— Edge vs. The Miz
— Raw Tag Team Championship: RK-Bro (Randy Orton & Riddle) (c) vs. The Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins)
— SmackDown Tag Team Championship: The Usos (c) vs. The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods)
— WWE Championship: Big E (c) vs. Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins vs. Bobby Lashley
— Raw Women’s Championship: Becky Lynch (c) vs. Liv Morgan
— Universal Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Brock Lesnar
WWE Day 1 Predictions and Match Previews
WWE Championship: Big E (c) vs. Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins vs. Bobby Lashley
Big E has the most difficult challenge of his WWE Championship reign yet as he will defend the gold against Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, and “The All Mighty” Bobby Lashley. Each challenger has their own beef with Big E, starting with Rollins who earned the shot in a Ladder Match on Raw before Survivor Series, just to see his opportunity become a Fatal Four Way over time. There’s no way he can be happy about that but his alliance with Owens might be the benefit out of all this mess. Of course, that alliance probably won’t go too well in the match itself.
Let’s talk about Owens. He has refound his “Prizefighter” ways again, embracing his selfish side and being the most dangerous he has been since his Universal Championship reign. Owens feels like a potential favorite and most overdue to get a major world title win. Then there’s Bobby Lashley, who has been on a rampage that seems more dominant than the one that he was one prior to winning the WWE Championship. “The All Mighty” has been a monster and should carry that to a potential win Saturday night.
Big E has what it takes but it feels unlikely he walks out with the WWE Championship.
Prediction: Seth Rollins
Universal Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Brock Lesnar
The rematch from Crown Jewel has arrived and this time, it seems Paul Heyman will be out of the conversation. After being on the receiving end of a Superman Punch, Heyman was fired by “The Tribal Chief.” Brock Lesnar came to save Heyman after the attack, giving the sense that their relationship may not be over as some thought prior to Heyman’s firing. Looking past the Heyman aspect, the battle between Roman Reigns and Lesnar is an exciting one. There shouldn’t be anything holding back these two from having a tremendous main event. The only thing that Lesnar needs to look out for is The Usos. If he can figure out a way to keep them occupied, then the historic reign of Reigns could be coming to an end.
Day 1 is only the next chapter between Reigns and Lesnar but it’s going to be the most important for the future. Expect an early match of the year contender as long as the outside aspects are minmialized.
Prediction: Roman Reigns
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