Watry’s 2020 Pro Wrestling Bold Predictions

Last week, I asked the Twitter world what column they wanted next from hours truly: WWE 2019 Awards or 2020 bold predictions? With an astounding 100% of the poll results, the 2020 bold predictions won out in a landslide. No surprise really. People are ready to move forward with the new year and want to know what is going to happen. Since I have had over ten plus years of correctly predicting such things, it was only natural to bring on the 2020 edition! Without any more stalling, let’s start off a wild one…

2020 Bold Predictions

1. Dixie Carter breaks her silence – There is an old question that goes something along the lines of “If you could hang out with anybody in the world (past or present) for an hour, who would it be?” A lot of people answer with a love one that passed away to give them a chance to say goodbye. Some people say Jesus. Other answers include celebrities, the president, etc. You know, the usual. For wrestling fans, the obvious is Vince McMahon, Stone Cold, Hulk Hogan, or somebody like that. Well, I have pretty much accepted that will never happen. However, there is one name that is so fascinating to me, simply because of so many unknowns: Dixie Carter! Yes, the Dixie Carter that ran TNA Impact Wrestling and has all but fallen off the face of the Earth. I currently have a running gag on Twitter where I request an interview with her every few weeks, but here is the kicker – it’s a legitimate offer. I know she sees the tweets. She loves Twitter way too much. I know she reads wrestling websites. It has been far too long for her to remain silent on all the inner working of TNA Impact Wrestling. My guess is that she has some sort of non-disclosure agreement as she is still technically with the company. Still, I am calling my shot. Whether with me personally, a Twitter barrage or a tell-all interview elsewhere, this is the year of Dixie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn13PwaRQ6s

2. Brock Lesnar finally earns the fan’s respect – I long said that one of the saddest days in WWE history will be when John Cena officially retires. He meant so much to the entire industry that fans had no idea how important he was. Entering 2020, let’s be real. Cena is all but retired. I am sure he has a few more tricks up his sleeve to return tot he squared circle again, but his full-time days are done. He may have a WrestleMania only schedule ahead and maaaaaaybe one more record breaking World Title victory on the horizon. Still, a lot of diehards just never gave him the respect he earned. The man is on my WWE Mount Rushmore, as I have discussed many times. No doubt he belongs up there. By the same token, I have the same feeling on another main eventer that gets a lot of unwanted hate: Brock Lesnar. The man is legitimate The Beast. There is a reason why the company continues to go to him on top, continues to offer ridiculous sums of money and should he ever hit the free agent market would have suitors lined up outside his door with trucks full of money. Name the company. They would all offer Brock Lesnar millions to sign him. His recent classics have been against Roman Reigns, AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan, Finn Balor, Bill Goldberg, Seth Rollins, Rey Mysterio, and Kofi Kingston. Former Money in the Bank winner, former Royal Rumble winner, former Universal Champion, former/current WWE Champion, main evented multiple WrestleMania events and is a living legend. He is no longer the next big thing. He is everything.

3. The Stud finally emerges – If you listen to The 411 Foresight Wrestling Podcast, you know who The Stud is. You know much I love his ability and how much he is poised to become the face of the entire business in 2020. Ladies and gentlemen, it is time for WWE to pull the trigger on Drew McIntyre. Royal Rumble win? Sure. WrestleMania main event? Sure. WWE Title? Sure. Universal Title? A run on top without a single’s championship? Sure. Face? Sure. Heel? Sure. Honestly, it should have happened in 2019, but I also thought Eddie Guerrero was a main event act in 2003. We just had to wait another couple of months. That is okay. Patience is cool but no more. The Stud is here and ready to dominate.

4. CM Punk and WWE Backstage undergo a shakeup For what it is worth, I said this before CM Punk’s recent foot in mouth comment n The Miz. A stupid tweet and furthers his long line of examples of ‘do as I say, not as I do.’ WWE Backstage on FS1 has hovered around 100,000 since debuting. Some weeks more. Some weeks less. I mentioned this a few months ago, but that is about what NXT would be drawing if it went to the same network. You have no idea we came close to NXT on FS1 as a show drawing 100,000 every week at 11pm. It would have been a disaster; that channel is VERY obscure and only carries its’ loyal audience. Luckily, USA Network came in late to save NXT and bail us all out. Anyways, CM Punk does not seem very interested in the WWE Backstage gig. Openly not following the current product and needing a refresher course on even the basic items. After just two weeks, it was clear. David Arquette took a shot at his UFC career right to his face, and it was tremendous. CM Punk did absolutely horrible in a game of wrestling trivia, and I think it was Renee Young who called him a loser. Yikes, even joking around, that stuff stings. I am not saying he doesn’t care, but whatever he is getting paid by FOX (remember not WWE) it is not paying off right now. I believe the recent Miz tweets is just the latest push out the door. CM Punk belongs in that ring for a return to the ring, not behind a desk being called a loser by Renee Young and getting mocked by David Arquette, all the while showing off his lack of wrestling knowledge. In 2019, I told all of you he was returning to the wrestling scene (WWE Backstage)…but I never told you it would last long.

5. Hulk Hogan has a homecoming WrestleMania 36 weekend – There is a big debate about which act SHOULD go on last at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony in April. Personally, I think Batista should, as his speech would be more personal and heartfelt. However, I do not make those decisions. My belief is that WWE will view nWo as the bigger deal and hype the entire event around them. Here is my thing though: Hulk Hogan will be the real star of the ceremony. Not just that night but the entire week long WrestleMania hoopla in Tampa Bay, Florida. Heck, I was in Orlando for WrestleMania 33 weekend and know how popular the dude is, and that is during his “exile” from the company. Now that he is back in the fold and a part of the festivities? Watch out. I expect a lot of Hulk Hogan. A return match may be pushing it, but you can’t tell me The OC vs. nWo would not be all sorts of nostalgia. A short, safe six man tag that keeps AJ Styles in the spotlight on the Road to WM, with this being our usual special legends bout? It would work for me. Either way, like it or not, The Hulkster is back in the spotlight, and none of us should expect just a wave and a speech. This will be all Hogan, all week long in Tampa.

6. WrestleMania 36 will be stacked – Let’s just ignore the Hulk Hogan thing for a second. Here are other name currently rumored for a WWE comeback: CM Punk, The Undertaker, Kane, Stone Cold, Edge, John Cena, Bill Goldberg, The Rock, and even Ronda Rousey to get that one on one battle with Becky Lynch. Oh yeah, you know it’s going to happen folks. Even if you want to eliminate some of those names off your ‘never happening’ list in your heads, I have a spoiler alert for everybody. Some of those names are indeed on their way back. Sorry if that ruins the build to WrestleMania 36. You may want to start tuning out now and come back in May 2020. WWE just inked two new $1 billion contracts for RAW/Smackdown on television and is also collecting millions for NXT now. With the added pressure of being backed by FOX and now coming to a lot of wrestler’s neighborhood (Tampa), it does not take a genius to realize this is going to be huge. I currently have no plans to attend WM36 in April. I mean the one Mania I attend was in the exact same state…that being said, I can’t rule it out. Just wait until the card comes together. You will be shocked.

7. 205 Live…205 Live… – In January 2019, I correctly nailed the impending doom of Lucha Underground. Here I am now 12 months later telling you the same thing is going to happen to 205 Live. I know it sucks to say, but I called this from the beginning. I said the Cruiserweight Classic was AMAZING, but doing a weekly should be a bad idea. They went forward with it anyways. I think I watch NXT UK more than 205 Live, and I don’t even watch NXT UK. Well, except the Takeovers. Those are cool. Anyways, 205 Live should move to The NXT Arena at Full Sail, absorb with them and do their thing. Combine them, keep them separate, put it on the WWE Network, hold monthly specials, etc. You could come up with a million different ideas to improve the brand. What’s happening now is not working and was never going to. There is far too much talent on that show to be irrelevant. Come on WWE, believe in these guys. Re-watch the Cruiserweight Classic and draw some inspiration from that. Make it happen in 2020.

8. Triple H takes over – No, no, no. I am not referring to the big gig. The Vince McMahon role. I know Vinny Mac will be distracted with XFL in a few weeks, but that dude is a machine. Even at 134 years old, he is kicking strong. I am referring to NXT, NXT UK, and his in-ring role. Triple H has been extremely humble the past few years in interviews and appearances outside of the wrestling bubble. The dude known his best days are behind him. He seems to be embracing the Papa H spot from his NXT kids. That is nice. I am sure he will get the itch for another WrestleMania spot, and that is his choice. However, last year both Cena and The Undertaker sat out of the big dance. Plus, the only real slot HHH had was Batista’s retirement match. Without that, I am not sure he bothers to rehab and rush back to the ring. Just saying. Be on the lookout for 2020 to truly be the year where we see Triple H The Executive Father Figure and not Triple H The Game.

9. Edge returns to WWE – Where there is smoke, there is fire. I don’t care what he denies. Everybody denies stuff. It is just in our human nature to want to ‘control’ the story. Whether it is true or not, a statement or sentence is not going to change things. Actions, not words. Remember that phrase? Speaks with your actions and not your words. Well, there have been too many actions that negate whatever words Edge wants to use. I believe a WWE return is in the works. An in-ring comeback may be pushing it, but The Rated R Superstar is about to be back on our television screens again very soon. I am fairly certain of that. A Rumble win, WM match, title run…all that junk can be left up to the fantasy bookers of the world. I’d just be happy with a Cutting Edge segment on WWE Backstage each week or authority figure role on Smackdown every single Friday night. Hey, might be better than Shane McMahon’s impending return as the boss, right?

10. I break a story – There it is. My biggest and boldest prediction of 2020. If you listen to The 411 Foresight Wrestling Podcast, you already know about some of my little hidden gems. You know I’ve been talking about the CM Punk story long before it got reported. You know I had some insight to his UFC training before he fought. You know I have landed a few exclusive interviews and recently spoke to quite a few wrestlers on the one of the biggest stories of 2019. If you listen to The 411 Foresight Wrestling Podcast (or follow me on Twitter), none of this is new information. That being said, I also understand the role of sources and not burning them, so I often keep my mouth shut. I love being surprised in wrestling as much as the next guy, so sometimes I do not want to know. Other times, it is a totally different story. Thus, mark it down folks. Go ahead and laugh, mock, troll, joke, make your comments. Go ahead, be on the wrong side of history as usual. I expect nothing less. Come December 2020 though, we all know how this will end.

Point me.