It feels like a changing of the guard for both WWE and All Elite Wrestling as new champions have been crowned and the next set of pay-per-views are on the horizon. As such, it's a good time to take a snapshot of where each division stands and what could happen in the next few months.
All of the main world titles are in good hands, so the biggest shift is happening in the women's divisions. WWE anointed three new women's champions during the WrestleMania 37 weekend, and they are still relative newcomers in the eyes of mainstream fans. That means they will have their work cut out for themselves if they want to leave an impact in their first reigns.
WWE's tag team division is always a mixed bag. The two current sets of champions are the type of hodgepodge pairings that have become a norm for the company.
It's hard to tell what direction it is going, so that seems as good a place as any to get started as we analyze and make predictions about every current AEW and WWE titleholder.
AJ Styles and Omos have an interesting dynamic. Growing out of the traditional pairing that Shawn Michaels and Diesel popularized, The Phenomenal One and his gargantuan bodyguard bested The New Day at WrestleMania 37 to become the Raw tag team champions.
Straight away, this looks like a vehicle to showcase the 7'3" Nigerian-born athlete and make Styles a grand slam champion. So far so good, as Omos looked dominant in his in-ring debut and his partner has a wealth of experience to help him develop.
Still, it's hard to imagine these two will hold on to the titles that long, as the division improved with the return of The Viking Raiders. Also, Raw's main event scene could use a high-profile star like Styles, so he probably won't remain in this tag team for the foreseeable future.
WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships
Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode won the SmackDown Tag Team Championships on January 8 and have surprisingly held on to them ever since.
The Dirty Dawgs are entertaining heel champions, but Dominik and Rey Mysterio seemed destined to dethrone them on the WrestleMania edition of SmackDown. Strangely, WWE didn't save such a moment for The Grandest Stage of Them All, but it seems only a matter of time before the father-son duo achieves its goal.
It also may not be long before Jimmy Uso returns to reunite with twin brother Jey and reclaim the titles. Roode and Ziggler could just be transitional champions used to build up the babyface team that The Usos will eventually challenge.
It's hard not to feel Rhea Ripley's win at WrestleMania 37 was hollow. The 24-year-old certainly needed a big victory, but there wasn't much of a story around it for fans to invest in.
Even worse, it came at the expense of Asuka, who has been mishandled for months. Thus, The Empress of Tomorrow didn't exactly look like the formidable champion to beat. The two didn't have a great match at The Showcase of the Immortals, either, which hasn't helped matters.
Ripley's coronation feels like it's a year late, as her loss to Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 36 was more damaging than we initially expected. Following a breakout in 2019, The Nightmare was oozing confidence that was sorely missing during Raw's appearances.
Even though she's struggling right now, a compelling feud could put her back on track. Hopefully, WWE doesn't cut her reign short now that The Queen is back and gunning for the title.
SmackDown Women's Championship
This year is Bianca Belair's coming-out party. The 2021 women's Royal Rumble winner and Sasha Banks delivered an instant classic in the main event of Night 1 of WrestleMania 37.
The EST of WWE looked like the next big star on the big stage, and she has been making appearances with major media outlets such as ESPN since. The company should continue to ride this wave for as long as possible because it needs new stars like Belair.
The Knoxville, Tennessee native is one of the best protagonists in the women's division and she could easily revisit her feud with The Boss in another major pay-per-view match.
WWE Women's Tag Team Championship
The WWE women's tag division is a complete and utter mess right now. The company astonishingly limited the floating titles when it introduced the women's tag team gold on NXT.
Moreover, many of the available teams don't look like credible contenders, and the pairing of champions Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler has overstayed its welcome. At this point, this partnership with Jax is a poor use of someone as talented and terrifying as The Submission Magician.
The former MMA fighter would be better suited as a monster heel on Raw, which could desperately use her to get its women's division out of a creative rut.
It's also time to elevate a team like The Riott Squad or Tamina and Natalya. Surprisingly, the latter received one of the best reactions at The Show of Shows, so they should win at WrestleMania Backlash on May 16.
Sheamus has been on a tear since he returned, delivering excellent matches on Raw and SmackDown. So, it made sense for him to win the WWE United States Championship at WrestleMania 37.
After The Celtic Warrior abruptly slid out of the world title picture before the event, he became a perfect option for the red brand's midcard champion. He has already proved he can deliver in the ring and will make a daunting obstacle for up-and-comers like Humberto Carrillo or Mansoor.
If nothing else, Sheamus could be a go-to competitor for great TV matches for the next few months.
Intercontinental Championship
Apollo Crews is an incredibly gifted in-ring competitor, so it's nice to see him more and more on WWE programming.
In addition, his Nigerian character gives him something he can actually commit to and become more than just an exceptional athlete. It's a little disappointing that this seems like another one of the company's formulaic foreign heel personas, but at least it's some progress for Crews who was struggling to get screentime before.
For better or worse, this angle gave him a chance to compete for and win a singles title at WrestleMania 37.
Nevertheless, it's concerning that WWE is dragging out his feud with Big E. The New Day man could regain his title soon but it wouldn't be a bad idea to keep developing Crews as champion.
The 33-year-old could use this push more because Big E is already a fan favorite.
Bobby Lashey's reign as WWE champion has been one of the most pleasant surprises of the year. This has been a long time coming for the CEO of The Hurt Business, so we're glad he retained the title at WrestleMania.
The All Mighty could fill the void Brock Lesnar left behind as an insurmountable force at the top of the red brand. There is a shortage of main eventers and likable babyface challengers on Raw, so Lashley could hold the belt until SummerSlam at the very least.
In the meantime, WWE has to elevate some new contenders for him to face. The champion and the brand could really use some fresh matchups.
Universal Championship
Roman Reigns is undeniably the top champion in WWE and has successfully made the Universal Championship more relevant than it has ever been.
The company's second world title has had a rocky lineage since its inception in 2016, but The Tribal Chief has transformed it into the most sought-after prize on SmackDown after establishing himself as the man to beat to become immortalized.
Conceivably, Reigns could remain champion for the remainder of the year and carry it into his sixth WrestleMania main event appearance. There is no clear threat to his reign, and there is still so much WWE can do with this character.
Vanquishing Daniel Bryan, the man the people chose over him six years ago, was a statement win, and we look forward to seeing him crush more of our hopes and dreams in the months to come.
Cody Rhodes did a great job establishing the TNT Championship as a workhorse title. His open challenge was one of the highlights of Dynamite every week, so The American Nightmare left some big shoes for Darby Allin to fill.
In just six months, the punk-rock daredevil has exceeded expectations, contributing gutsy performances on AEW's flagship series. He is a tremendous underdog, and his death-defying stunts give him an edge that makes him so much more captivating than any other milquetoast good guy. Every time we count him out, he finds a way to win, which makes for must-see television.
With Ethan Page, Scorpio Sky and Miro aiming for the secondary title, it seems like The Invisible Man's run as champion could be numbered, though. The man who beats him will have to pull out all the stops to keep him down for a three-count. His risky never-say-die attitude could also be costly, but he will likely walk into and out of Double or Nothing as the face of TNT.
AEW World Tag Team Championships
Ever since The Elite founded AEW, many fans waited for The Young Bucks to take their rightful place atop the deepest tag team division in professional wrestling.
Matt and Nick Jackson have set out to become the greatest tag team of all time but couldn't do so without securing their first title with the new company. They've won tag team gold just about everywhere they've gone, so it was inevitable. But the real-life brothers have felt more like themselves since they turned heel on the Apr. 7 episode of Dynamite.
Although they have some stiff competition, they probably won't lose the titles any time soon. If The Young Bucks truly want to establish AEW as the home of great tag team wrestling, they will have to create some memorable rivalries and matches. In the words of the late Kobe Bryant: "The job's not finished."
Hikaru Shida has been an amazing champion. AEW can always count on her to produce fantastic matches, and she did just that during her dominant run in 2020.
The Fullmetal Champion is the longest-reigning titleholder in the history of the company. Her near-12-month reign hasn't been perfect, but she has added prestige to the AEW Women's World Championship.
The Japanese star deserves much more credit for the work she did earlier this year to bridge the gap and give the title more exposure in her home country.
Nevertheless, it seems like Britt Baker's time. The Pittsburgh native has become the best character on the women's roster. Many assumed the first woman outside of The Elite to sign with the company would be the face of the women's division, but she has earned that position and the fans are firmly behind her now.
Baker will more than likely end Shida's record-setting tenure at Double or Nothing on May 30, but the multi-talented current champ has done more for the title than anyone else.
AEW World Championship
Kenny Omega is finally on the run that niche fans hoped for when he signed with AEW in 2019. Even more, his quest to collect rare championship gold has made him the premier champion outside of WWE.
As The Collector, Omega has acquired the AAA Mega, Impact and AEW world titles in his bid to become a wrestling god. This lofty goal may make him one of the most polarizing men in the industry, but it gives him the chance to have dream matches with wrestlers from all over the world. This makes the Canadian star invaluable to AEW, as well as the partnerships it has created.
Like Reigns, The Cleaner isn't going to lose the company's top prize any time soon. It has only scratched the surface with this run and there's no telling where he could go next.
We would love to see him return to the Tokyo Dome in January for Wrestle Kingdom 16 with the title in tow, and that may not be outside of the realm of possibility.
