Yahoo Sports 6 bold wrestling predictions for 2025, ranked from most likely to the totally outlandish
Surprises are essential in pro wrestling — even if, by definition, they shouldn’t come along too often. Over the past year, the wrestling universe has thrown some huge curveballs, both in terms of creative decisions and business developments.
Where will the big twists come in 2025? Predicting a black swan event is almost always a fool’s errand. But here a few bold predictions I’m willing to put my name to, ranked from the least unlikely to the most outlandish.
Will Ospreay gets his flowers
Likelihood scale: 5/5
Britain’s greatest wrestling export of the 21st century occupies a strange place in the AEW hierarchy. Despite consistently putting on the best match of the night — or even of the entire year in the case of Dynasty — he hasn’t yet been in the running for the world championship.
Surely 2025 is the year that changes? Admittedly, there’s no obvious opening on the immediate horizon given that Worlds End set up a showdown between Jon Moxley and Adam Copeland. But Tony Khan should have the good sense to put Ospreay in line for the big prize before the year is out.
Not only would it give "The Aerial Assassin" the recognition he deserves, it would also help bolster AEW’s identity. Of the nine men who have held the world title so far, six were previously best known for their work in WWE. After six years of AEW, we should be seeing more homegrown names on that list.
WWE makes it to the Sphere
Likelihood scale: 4/5
Ever since UFC 306 made a splash at Las Vegas’s most extravagant entertainment venue, there has been speculation over whether the WWE will host its own Sphere event — with Triple H admitting that the idea is firmly on his wishlist.
After the initial excitement, more sober voices pointed out that the numbers may not add up — particularly given the reports that UFC 306 cost around $20 million to produce. That would mean the WWE would need to draw a WrestleMania-sized gate just to break even, and in an arena that seats around 18,000.
A full PLE may be off the cards then. But I’m still holding out hope that we will see WWE at The Sphere before long, most likely in the run-up to WrestleMania in Sin City.
Why the confidence? Hockey fans may remember the jaw-dropping NHL Draft hosted at The Sphere in June last year. The event was actually heavily subsidised by Las Vegas’ tourism authorities, who were keen to boost the profile of the venue amongst sporting fans.
Surely they’d be interested in doing something similar for the WWE universe, particularly given the globe-conquering scale of the Netflix deal?
Tiffy fails her MITB cash in…
Likelihood scale: 3/5
The fact that every single female Money In The Bank winner has taken the gold would suggest that a twist needs to come sooner or later. And for my money, Tiffany Stratton is the perfect candidate to try a new formula.
It isn’t that Stratton shouldn’t become a world champion — quite the opposite. When was the last time we saw a MITB-holder have such a swell of support behind them? And that’s exactly what the WWE can capitalize on if they play their cards right.
The current storyline with Nia Jax and Candice LeRae is absolutely fantastic, seemingly inspired by the dynamics of Cinderella and her wicked stepsisters. So imagine the gut punch if Stratton botches her cash-in, leaving Candice to continue the gloating and cozy up to Jax.
All of this can lead to a much bigger payoff when the WWE’s new golden girl has to go the long way around (maybe winning the Royal Rumble…) in order to finally claim the title that she so richly deserves.
AEW gets a creative reboot
Likelihood scale: 2/5
It’s no secret that 2024 wasn’t exactly a vintage year for AEW. Tony Khan’s challenger brand might still be pumping out the bangers in the ring, but its overall direction has been shaky to say the least.
My hope is that things will pick up with the return of Kenny Omega, whose return at Worlds End triggered one of the loudest crowd reactions of the year. The longstanding Executive Vice President could be just the person to restore a firm hand to the creative side of things, which often feels set by the whim of individual wrestlers.
The new Warner Bros. Discovery deal also provides the perfect opportunity for an overall brand relaunch. Shake up the visuals and production, push some new stars, and maybe overturn some of the old orthodoxies — it’s the sort of stuff we’ve seen WWE do countless times over the years, and it would help bring a fresh feel to AEW.
Logan Paul wins the Royal Rumble
Likelihood scale: 1/5
Judging by the smart money, this one seems like a stretch. But I maintain that “The Social Media Megastar” remains a decent pick for this year’s Royal Rumble.
A lot of fans seem to anticipate a John Cena victory, leading to the fan favorite picking up his record-breaking 17th world title at WrestleMania. But where does that leave the rest of the Cena retirement tour? Isn’t it better to tell a longer story? This is Netflix we’re dealing with, after all.
Logan Paul winning the Rumble would set up the path to a dirty victory over Gunther in Las Vegas. The ultra-heel influencer can then embark on a once-in-a-lifetime feud with John Cena, generating the sort of heat that could power the entire East Coast.
All of that build-up can lead to a massive cathartic reaction when Cena finally puts the cocky young upstart down for the count at SummerSlam and pulls the title around his waist.
Cody Rhodes drops the belt…
Likelihood scale: AIN'T HAPPENING/5
Let’s close out with something bold: "The American Nightmare" will be dethroned as WWE’s Universal Champion in 2025.
There’s no denying that Rhodes’ elevation to the top spot was as close to perfect as pro wrestling can get. But that should make the WWE want to try something different for the next evolution of the universal title. The “rise of the babyface” playbook is never going to work when the current champion is the most loved man in wrestling.
Similarly, there’s an assumption that these kinds of major title changes can only happen at WrestleMania, as the culmination of a longer storyline. But WWE’s creative process has been through a shake-up, particularly with talent coming in from elsewhere in the entertainment world. Why not break with convention and throw in a surprise title change?
That isn’t to say that Rhodes wouldn’t win the belt back afterward. But a shock defeat to a decent heel (perhaps Drew McIntyre) would be a massive creative gambit that would likely pay off.
