Rivalries That You Are Looking Forward To See | 2017 Edition

[Hard Hit Prince]

Every year something like this appears on the boards and it's always a fun subject. It's basically storylines that have never happened but that you really want to see, sooner rather than later.

Two things you should consider:
- You can name wrestlers who are not in WWE, but be logical about the chances of that happening. For instance, Hiroshi Tanahashi and/or Okada in WWE is a big stretch. Kenny Omega was rumoured to sign in the beginning of the year and he'll most likely be a part of the roster in the future, so he's fine. Other guys include: Adam Cole and Kyle O'Reily who seem to be WWE bound.

- You can also imagine returns to the company. Carlito, Shelton Benjamin and others who doesn't seem out of place.

Try to focus on what you have right now, but if anyonone outside of WWE really gets you going, then by all means go for it.

To start I'll go with two big storylines that I would be looking forward to see in this new wrestling season.

• AJ Styles vs. Finn Bálor: Wrestling fans are aware about The Bullet Club and WWE doesn't need to even mention it to build a great story out of these two stars. Easily two of the best workers in wrestling today and if the draft still happens after SummerSlam, then by all means AJ Styles or Finn Balor should trade brands solely for the porpuse of exploring this rivalry.
  
  AJ Styles took the reigns of the japanese group that really launched Finn Bálor. There's a backstory in here for the hardcore fans and the fact that AJ Styles is such a great heel and has such a developed character is one of the reasons why this feud could work even for the mainstream audience. The possibilities are endless here. You could go for the generic: "Who's really the best?" to involving The Club and explore a double turn or just a personal storyline that Finn Bálor could really use to develop in the main roster.
  
• Dean Ambrose (heel) vs. Roman Reigns: Some of you may find this one a boring scenario, but in my opinion it's probably the best storyline that they have in their pocket, just waiting for the trigger to be pulled. In my mind, it would be Reigns who would go heel, but that's not gonna happen and Ambrose turning would also be a big deal for the WWE in general, so that could also work just fine.
  
  The reason why I'm looking forward to this rivalry is really because of the "brotherhood" angle they've built with this two guys. In any fantasy booking for The Shield reunion, people wouldn't at all, be surprised to see Ambrose just saving Reigns from a beatdown. It happened before with The Wyatts and it really build their relationship. So, of course, a betrayal of some kind would be really impactful. The Shield debuted in 2012, yes, almost half a decade now and Reigns/Ambrose have always been on the same page from day one, so if this feud happens I do believe that it's going to be a big deal.

Your time now.

 

[Jeff Deliverer of Mail]

I would think AJ Styles vs Nakamura.

Both are on SD Live and it's only a matter of time before they headline a PPV. I've never seen a Styles vs Nakamura match but I think it would be amazing. Possibly a Summerslam match in the making.

 

[sikkbones]

Broken matt hardy and bray Wyatt.

It will happen.

 

[shafe_41]

Honestly... Braun Strowman vs. Anybody

Everything he does is entertaining. Everything. "Breaking" rings. Screaming at Reigns that he's not finished with him. Tipping ambulances. Breaking their back doors off. Just being a giant monster. He's got a rocket up his ass and I can't wait to see him face Lesnar.

Assuming Strowman is a given... I'm legitimately interested in seeing what they do with Jinder Mahal. I've been bored with Orton since 2009. I like the guy. I do. But he just does not keep my attention. He accomplished so much so young which at this point of his career is doing him a disservice. Jinder is fresh. I understand the marketing with him in a country like India. He's never been bad in the ring. He's just never been given a proper opportunity. This is his time. Maybe it's deserved. Maybe it's not. But Orton segments/matches with Jinder attacking are more interesting... and Orton isn't the one making them interesting. Don't hinder Jinder.

The Miz... what can you say about this guy that hasn't been said already? He's great. He will be a HoF'er. His run with the IC Title was amazing. Hopefully they do the same thing with him again on Raw. He deserves that title back. He deserves to go over Ambrose. Ambrose is as interesting as watching paint dry.

A couple other guys I'm exciting to see this year are Balor. However I don't want to see him go against Lesnar. It's just not a realistic matchup. How do you properly build that? Lesnar would throw him around every square inch of an arena. I just can't buy Finn/Lesnar as much as I love Balor. Also Baron Corbin. Loved him in NXT. Love his finisher. One of the only true heels that roster has. Big things are coming from Corbin. I see him winning MitB this year.

From a female perspective... is anybody hotter than Alexa Bliss right now? She is legit nothing short of amazing. I'm attending Extreme Rules in Baltimore and cannot wait to see her live. She's something special. The heel run will continue with this run with the title and probably another one after that. But when she inevitably turns face... I think we're going to see something REALLY special with Alexa. Probably not until at least 2018 but she's got "it." I can't wait to see what lies ahead from her.

 

[The Perfect Max]

Braun Strowman and Brock Lesnar is an obvious one for me. Braun has really made me a believer these past few months. I feel like I was in the minority with his feud with Sami Zayn, but I enjoyed it. I also enjoyed his run with Roman Reigns and was greatly disappointed not to see him involved in something worthwhile at WrestleMania. Since Mania though, he's been on a damn roll and I'm loving it. He's beaten Reigns completely clean, which in kayfabe is about as big as it is in reality, and he's surely moving onto Lesnar at some point.

Braun and Brock colliding could be something special. Lesnar will surely be forced to go down some route other than Suplex City, although it would be entertaining to see him try. Ultimately I hope that a feud between them two culminates in a Universal Championship run for Braun. Then, if they must have Reigns be champion, I'd rather he beat Strowman instead. It gets the title back onto Raw, and two guys get something good out of this whole deal with Lesnar instead of just one.

As for SmackDown, you also have to assume that AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura are going to cross paths sooner rather than later. The feud itself will be just fine I am sure, but it's the matches I am most interested in. If this is for the WWE Championship, which it should be, then take my money as far as I'm concerned.

I'd love for AJ to get in the ring with Finn Bálor, but it should be done properly. The four members of The Club need to be on the same show and on the same page for a while before it disintegrates into a feud. That too could be a world title feud, but I don't think it's necessary. I don't think we see AJ Styles vs. Finn Bálor for a couple of years yet. And that's okay. WWE needs to keep all of its options open and fresh for times to come.

 

[rge2010]

Brock Lesnar vs Braun Strowman
Both are booked as unstoppable beasts so it would be interesting to see how they play this one out. The unstoppable force vs immovable object. Strowman gets better every week.

Brock Lesnar vs Samoa Joe
Joe is a legit tough guy. This could be one of the stiffest matches in WWE history! Their styles would work really well together.

AJ Styles vs Finn Balor
Both are excellent ring technicians and have history from their Japan days. Throw in Gallows & Anderson for a great story.

Kevin Owens vs Bray Wyatt
I love both these guys. Good in the ring and great on the mic. Keep both as heels and have them feud. It would be money IMO.

Kurt Angle vs Rusev
Storyline writes itself. A shame that Rusev has moved to Smackdown as this makes it less likely now. But a Raw vs Smackdown match is easy enough to make.

 

[enviousdominous]

I am champing at the bit for a feud that's in the category of "must see".

The Authors of Pain vs Heavy Machinery

These two teams have endeared themselves to me in ways I can't describe. They help maintain the stigma that NXT is the best place to go if you enjoy tag team wrestling.

AOP conquered two of the greatest teams out there, and now they're standing tall on top of the tag team world. I would fully expect them to destroy any opponents that the main show could put in front of them, but I wouldn't expect them to be so dominant over Heavy Machinery.

Heavy Machinery is the greatest tag team for fans like me. They're gargantuan men with style and personality, and they've proven through working with teams like Aries and Strong that they can work with anybody. If I had to make a comparison, I'd say that this team is most like The Natural Disasters. The only thing is they don't behave like monsters who are just out to hurt people, they behave like wrestlers who just want to earn their place.

My mind is racing with spots where maybe Knight will reverse a double-team suplex by suplexing both members of AOP, or Dozovic will do the hand squeeze test of strength only he'll have both members of AOP kneeling as he uses one hand each to crush their hands. It'll also give Paul Ellering a chance to get some heat by interfering on his team's behalf.

It'll be great to see AOP have to resort to cunning and strategy as they run into a team that can surpass their usual size and strength advantage.

 

[Franchize1990]

Three storylines I'm looking forward to hopefully seeing are:

• Roman Reigns vs John Cena
  
  An interpromotional matchup between the Face that Runs the Place and The Guy interests me for a couple reason. This was a match that's been teased before through some staredowns a few years ago but we never got to see them go at it one on one yet. With the way Reigns has improved and with Cena being Cena, this would be a great way to pass the torch from one guy to the next or at least tease it and then go the opposite direction in favor of Cena's 17 Championship chase. Watching the fans react to this matchup would be a selling point for me as well. The 2 guys the WWE has built, who do the fans get behind?
  
  
• AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura
  
  As I don't follow wrestling outside of the WWE as closely as I do inside of the company, watching the build between 2 of the more popular stars of the business who gained their fame outside of the WWE would be cool for a casual internet fan such as myself. With the aftermath of the Shake-Up, this match seems like it's more of an inevitability than a possibly.
  
  
• The 4 Horsewomen
  
  WrestleMania 32 saw 3 of the 4 Horsewomen go at it for the Women's Title. I think that WrestleMania 34 should showcase the entire group. Have the seeds planted at a super show or something similar like the Slammys where each woman makes their case as the better of the 4 and each tries to one up each other at certain moments leading to the showdown at the showcase.

 

[adam]

I'd love to see a triple threat match with AJ Styles, Nakamura and Kevin Owens.

 

[Nate DaMac]

John Cena vs. Shinsuke Nakamura. Sincerely surprised that I hadn't seen this one mentioned yet. Cena has brought out the absolute best in everyone he's faced in the past few years. I can't wait to see him with someone who like Nak who is unlike anyone else he's ever faced.

Shane Mcmahon vs. Kevin Owens. I know KO wants it. Wouldn't be surprised if this is Shane's Mania match next year. The match with AJ and Shane was pretty sweet but a match with KO with a No DQ stipulation could be loads of fun.

Dean Ambrose vs. Samoa Joe. No real reason. Just something I want to see.

 

[ShinChan]

• AJ Styles Vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
  
  We all know that it'll happen in 2017. And it should as well. AJ Styles is already a star in his 2nd year in WWE and Shinsuke Nakamura has just been called up. Regardless of it being for a title or not, this match will be a classic if given enough time. AJ Styles Vs. Shinsuke Nakamura at Wrestle Kingdom 10 was great.
  
• Brock Lesnar Vs. Braun Strowman/Samoa Joe/Bray Wyatt
  
  Until and unless it's a squash, I would like to see these rivalries.
  
• Samoa Joe Vs. Dean Ambrose
  
  Lunatic Fringe against Destroyer. That's all it needs to be. That's what it should've been for Dean Ambrose against Brock Lesnar

Would love to see The Four Horsewomen, AJ Styles Vs. Finn Balor/Kenny Omega but can't see them happening in 2017. I don't see heel Ambrose against face Reigns anytime in future. I won't mind it but it isn't going to happen.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

- Asuka vs. Charlotte - I really want to see this feud. This is why I'm hoping for Asuka to go to Smackdown.

Alexa Bliss vs. Sasha Banks - Two of the smallest women on the roster. I think this would be an awesome feud both storyline-wise and wrestling-wise.

Tye Dillinger vs. The Miz - I'd just really like to see these two feud. Miz would have a field day making fun of Dillinger being "the perfect 10"

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

Roman vs. Lesnar - The first feud wasn't really a feud, it was a prize fight. I didn't care for it until the match happened, and then I got it. No idea how the feud will work, but the rematch should be great.

Kurt Angle vs. HHH or A.J. Styles. HHH and Angle had great chemistry, and I think Angle and AJ could have a totally different vibe from what they did in TNA.

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

Styles vs. just about anyone. Any feud would be really good. He's just so good in the ring that he could get a good match with anyone.

Nakamura, Ziggler, Owens, Harper, Orton, Zayn, any of New Day, etc.

Sheamus, Rollins, Joe, Miz, the Hardys, Bullet Club, Balor, Cesaro, Lesnar, Wyatt, on Raw. Or even Angle.

Edit - And that's just new feuds. You could always revisit the Reigns, Ambrose, Cena, and Jericho feuds.

 

[Wildcat66]

If they keep Mahal's push going after his feud with Orton, I could easily see him taking on either Luke Harper or Shinsuke Nakamura. Think of how stiff and wild those matches could be.

I also would love to see Braun Strowman tackle either Bray Wyatt, Apollo Crews or Finn Balor at some point. They would all make for interesting feuds.

 

[thebarber]

AJ STYLES VS SETH ROLLINS

These guys would put on a clinic.

SAMOA JOE VS SHNSUKE NAKAMURA

Mouthwatering just thinking about it