WWE Delivers Three Satisfying Title Changes at WrestleMania 35, So What Happens Now?

WWE gave fans a night of satisfying payoffs at WrestleMania 35. There had been serious doubt as to whether or not that would actually happen, but Vince McMahon’s company delivered when it mattered and left fans happy as a result.

It’s hard to believe that WWE would actually fire on that many cylinders at once, with very few disappointments, but that’s exactly what happened. More surprisingly, WWE checked the boxes for three top Superstars and in each case, the right call was made. As fans begin to process the events of April 7, they’re surely asking the question of what comes next for Seth Rollins, Kofi Kingston and Becky Lynch.

Of the three, Seth was perhaps the wildcard. The reason for that had less to do with him and more to do with the man he faced in the ring. Brock Lesnar has been nearly unbeatable over the past seven years and there was every reason to believe that he would walk out of WrestleMania 35 with the Universal Championship. 

It was a logical assumption to make. How could WWE fans ever bet against The Beast Incarnate when all he ever does is win? It’s not the easiest fact for many to admit, but it’s a fact nonetheless. So Seth Rollins went into his title match at WrestleMania as the underdog, which seems like a ridiculous notion. 

Watch Seth’s backstage interview at WrestleMania 35!

Rollins is a former WWE champion. He’s part of the most dominant faction in recent WWE history with The Shield. He’s been the workhorse of the company over the past year and fans can always depend on him to deliver every time he steps into the ring. How could anyone ever pick against him on the worldwide stage, where he’s already proven himself?

But the fact is that WWE gave fans what they really wanted in this match. The bout went on first oddly enough, however it soon became clear why that happened. WWE wanted to kick the night off on a good note and there was no better way to do it.

So now the Universal Championship is finally coming back to weekly WWE programming. Barring any injury to Rollins or some insane swerve by the company, Monday Night Raw’s top title will actually become a regularly featured prize on TV once again. But who will step up to challenge for it?

Common sense says that Roman Reigns will be one of the first in line. He and Rollins are allies again and there’s been no real underlying heat between them in a very long time. But Roman is the face of WWE and at some point, he will have the top championship around his waist once again. But the man that he defeated at Mania, Drew McIntyre, will likely step up as well. Of course fans can’t forget about Bobby Lashley and it’s possible that a returning Bray Wyatt could even be Seth’s next challenger.

Watch Kofi and The New Day celebrate backstage at Mania!

Kofi Kingston could have his hands full with Bray’s former Wyatt Family teammate Randy Orton, now that the WWE Championship has changed hands. Or perhaps AJ Styles will come calling as well. Kofi won’t have time to relax with his newly won title, especially with Kevin Owens lurking around the corner.

But Kofi will probably have to deal with Daniel Bryan first. It’s hard to believe that Bryan will just roll over and play dead now that Kofi has taken his title. If anything, Daniel will likely be more focused than ever before, which means he will be impossible to live with on SmackDown Live. 

Whether or not he will immediately get a rematch remains to be seen. But the rivalry between Daniel and Kofi could take on a whole new perspective now that Kofi has the WWE Championship. Bryan is back in the underdog role once again because he has lost all momentum. Kingston is on top of the world now. He’s the man that fought against the odds and somehow managed to overcome. His story is perhaps the most inspiring tale that WWE has told in years. But the same could be said of Becky Lynch.

“The Man” finally reached the pinnacle of pro wrestling when she not only worked the main event of WrestleMania, she also became a double champion. The finish of the match reportedly did not go as planned, but the end result is the most important part. But it does beg the question of whether or not that finish will lead to even more heat between Lynch and Ronda Rousey.

Watch Becky talk about her title win at WrestleMania!

It could very well be that The Baddest Woman on the Planet will not immediately leave the company as she claimed she would. Rousey was supposedly going to work WrestleMania 35, then disappear. No one really knew how long she would be gone, or if she was even coming back. But what if she’s now going to hang around? What if it’s not over between her and Becky Lynch just yet?

When will Lynch move on to her own set of challengers? Is it possible that someone from NXT could be called up to challenge Becky? Could Lacey Evans be the one to get the nod? Or is Charlotte Flair ever truly out of the title picture? Maybe Becky will actually be the busiest new champion out of the three.

No matter what happens, the importance of Lynch’s rise in WWE cannot be overstated. She was never supposed to be in that position because despite how good she is, she perhaps never the choice to take that spot. But she kept working hard to get there, just like Kofi and Seth did. All three kept their focus and kept putting in the effort to make the most of their careers and it paid off for all of them.

The fact is that WWE had the opportunity to do the right thing and send the fans home happy with three major title changes for three very deserving challengers. WWE took full advantage of that opportunity and pulled the trigger on Seth Rollins, Kofi Kingston and Becky Lynch when it mattered the most. Despite all of its shortcomings in regards to satisfying the masses on the grand stage, this is one time when WWE got it right. With any luck, that trend will continue.

 

Tom Clark can regularly be seen on Wrestling Rumors. His podcast, Tom Clark’s Main Event, is available on iTunes,YouTube, iHeart Radio, boinkstudios.com and live every Friday at 12pm EST on Wrestling Rumors Facebook Live