Mission 034 – The Mission? Predicting 2026
2026 has arrived and now the countdown to WOW Week is in full swing!
Let’s take the time to break down some predictions for AEW and WWE, including five of their top stars and some extra points. I will also have a small preview for ULW’s next show to kick off 2026, apparently in direct competition with WWE!
Chad Gable
Chad Gable had the best year of his life in 2025, as he was thoroughly dominant from start to finish, with the minor hiccup of dropping his IC title to Mystico for a spell and ditching his famous manager along the way.
For Gable, I see a VERY prosperous year ahead. This could well be the year that the current double-midcard champion punches through that ceiling en route to his first series of challenges for a world title. I think it would be a tremendous mistake to underestimate what this young man could do.
Heading into the Royal Rumble – WWE’s next extravaganza -, I would be willing to put some money on Gable making it to the final four, and maybe even winning the whole thing!
Rhea Ripley
Mami is poised to overtake Toni Storm as the top woman this year, mark my words. Hell, pin this post and come back to either mock me or praise me for my skills of prognostication, because I think Rhea is the safest bet to rule the industry for women in this year.
I know that WWE hasn’t done the best of jobs in promoting their women’s division, but I can absolutely foresee Rhea as the one to finally end this curse. The company has a talented slate of women, and Miss Ripley is the perfect choice to lead them out of obscurity!
Joe Gacy
The cult leader has barely stepped in the door, but I am already seeing dollar signs swirling around this young man! He has “megastar” written all over him, if the cards are played right. At the very least, he can be a proper frightening threat to Rock or Rollins in the first half of this year, and we will see where he winds up come the summer.
As for The Hollow, stables in WWE are always doomed to be disassembled after only a few months. This one has some staying power, but that’s just the way things usually shake out in the land of perennial reinvention. I look for Gacy to keep maybe one or two of the members around for the long haul as he continues tormenting the roster.
Seth Rollins
The WOW Undisputed Champion and WWE World Heavyweight Champion is bound to reign for the foreseeable future. In fact, I wholeheartedly expect Seth to still be champion when Starrcade comes around, and possibly even to still be reigning this time next year.
As for his recent partnerships, I don’t see Seth continuing to need help or alliances. Rather, I think he is on the verge of a Dragonfly-style reign as champion. Naturally, I could be wrong, but this is just the direction that I see him heading in.
The Rock
Granddaddy Duxen’s record is in serious danger, and I am placing all of my bets on Rock either beating the record by a mile or just falling short by a few days in comic fashion. It is either of these extremes. In all likelihood, the record falls as Rock becomes the permanent holder of this accomplishment. Two years of an active reign has never happened before for a reason.
That’s the short-term for Rock, though, as the rest of the year will be just as fun to see! Starrcade looms large in June, and the fifth installment of this spectacle – hailing from New York City – already has a Main Event set: Rock v. Brock III! It will be very interesting to see how we build towards this supershow especially since this encounter will be the biggest interpromotional battle since Metalhead and Dragonfly!
WWE as a whole
Jeff Murrey is seriously settling into a stable state (try saying that three times fast), and I think that is dangerous for AEW and ULW this year. ULW’s instability may have hurt our chances of toppling AEW, but we still had a banner year in 2025, but 2026 will be all about WWE gaining some focus.
Truthfully, if you want my honest opinion, I think that 2026 could prove to be the year that Murrey takes the industry back. To think, the last full calendar year wherein Murrey dominated the industry was 1996; 30 years ago. Just a thought.
Becky Lynch
Jade Cargill was the talk of the town in 2025, across three promotions! But, 2026 is the year that Becky reclaims what was taken from her towards the end of the Sixth Era. You just watch, this woman is the very definition of a dark horse candidate!
I see Becky becoming the top dog in AEW sometime around the end of the season. Toni isn’t done yet, but if there is anyone who can remove her from her perch; it’s Becky.
Toni Storm
The Knockout’s Champion’s story will be primarily tied up by Jade, at least in the beginning of the year. Then, she will move on briefly to Becky, and I see Becky stealing the gold for a spell before either Jade gets it or Toni regains it for another span of time. 2026 will be a great year for Storm, though.
She will dominate most of it, be exempt from the draft, and continue to steal the show in AEW like no other woman can do anywhere. Toni is special, and AEW capitalizing on such before PWI did will forever be part of Mickey’s botched legacy.
Jay White
White, my pick to win Elite Warfare, will have the biggest breakout year of any star in the past decade. The untapped potential of this young man will make him a must-keep for AEW when they ponder what to do about the next draft. ULW management will continue to regret not refusing AEW’s deal in 2024 to send Jay to AEW.
I am beyond certain that White will be world champion soon, very soon. It kind of makes me feel bad for MJF, whose chances at sniffing a world title ever again shrink more and more by the minute!
Cody Rhodes
The man won the TV title years ago. Last year, he wins the cursed Dual Dominion strap. What will happen for Cody in 2026? Is this finally his year?
My prior comments about MJF in part have something to do with my consideration of multiple world title contenders in the company: Will Ospreay (obviously), MJF, Kenny Omega, Logan Paul, Bobby Lashley, LA Knight, Swerve, Jay White, Brandon Lee, Sean Olson, Bryan Danielson, Randy Orton, Adam Page, Matt Cardona, and yes, Cody Rhodes.
Cody, the poor man who was mocked for how big his ears looked in the Fourth Era, has more than paid his dues since revitalizing his career starting with his tag title run with brother Dustin. The time is right now.
The field is seriously crowded…industry-wide, but especially in AEW. It is my fear that Cody’s window of opportunity to have a justified and substantial run as champion is dwindling year after year, because it isn’t like the competition is going to shrink or get any easier.
Every draft class only gets better than the previous, and this drastically affects Cody’s odds, because not everyone can be on top. My prediction is that he finally does it this year, because I don’t see a better time than 2026!
AEW’s other stuff to watch
The Benny saga will continue to make for the most compelling television in the industry alongside the Mickey saga, and Doc Brown will only continue to get more intriguing as he prepares his big reveal this month. While I see WWE having a breakout year, AEW will not go down without a fight.
BWM Inc. remains the top dog for now, and I see them remaining tough to beat through the summer. The real test, though, will be after Starrcade when WWE and ULW are able to make adjustments. Moreover, I see ULW becoming an undeniable threat by the Spring as the tournament wraps up and we finally see stability.
This is going to be a great year for AEW, though. Even if their ratings victories become less frequent, they will remain dangerous for the competition. Being knocked down doesn’t mean that they will be knocked out, and AEW will prove resilient for a long time to come!
ULW Liberation: Ball Dropped! (1.2.26)
I am completely in the dark for what WWE has planned on Smackdown, but what I can offer you is that ULW will feature two matches to kick off the new year:
Opening the show will be AJ Styles taking on Wardlow as CM Punk has dispatched one of his henchmen to end AJ’s tournament run before it begins.
Then, Chyna seeks some revenge as she takes on Living Dead Girl 3 days before LDG is set to challenge Sasha Banks for the Extreme Women’s Championship!
It is going to a fun ride to welcome the New Year in wrestling!
Until our next Quest, this has been Johnny with yet another mission!
World Of Wrestling: Murrey Universe 