John Cena, Asuka's Streak, Bray Wyatt and the 2018 WWE Preview Mailbag

Does a record-breaking championship win await John Cena in 2018? How will WWE handle the end of Asuka's streak? Is Bray Wyatt due for a character change?

As the year winds down, those are the kinds of unknowns swirling around the WWE Universe. 

Readers sent in their questions on Cena, Asuka and various other topics. With crystal ball in hand, we have dived into them, looking at what's ahead for WWE in 2018.

Q: What are your expectations for the new NXT women?

—@Evil_Ash_23

A: The timing for Sonya Deville, Liv Morgan, Sarah Logan and Mandy Rose's moves to the main roster was mighty surprising. All could use some big-time seasoning. But they will have to do their growing in high-pressure spots on Raw and SmackDown Live.

Not counting Ruby Riott, Rose and Logan are the two recent NXT arrivals with the most potential.

Logan's ring work is solid. She can handle herself in a slugfest. And if she tones down that cartoon country accent, she has a good shot of getting over.

Rose will be everything WWE wanted Eva Marie to be. She will be an eye-catching star with a surplus of swagger. She's already miles better in the ring than Marie was and is surprisingly powerful. The company is likely to go all-in on her, and she has the tools to make WWE look smart. 

Inevitably, though, someone from that group is bound to be the next Dana Brooke, the forgettable star who will need to revisit NXT. Morgan has shown good spark and athleticism, but her mic work threatens to drag her down.

She has an uphill road ahead.

Q: Will John Cena win No. 17 in 2018? If so, against whom?

—@TheMikeisOn

Q: Who and what will be John Cena's WrestleMania opponent/storyline?

—Matt Conklin of WWE Memes

A: Even with his reduced schedule, betting against Cena winning gold isn't wise. In the past decade, he won the WWE title in 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2017, per WWE.com. He never quite moves away from the main event scene, and you have to know WWE is hungry to have him break Ric Flair's longstanding record.

It's not hard to imagine him dethroning Roman Reigns as universal champ at SummerSlam or Survivor Series.

As for WrestleMania, Cena is likely to focus on a more personal narrative as others will be vying for championship gold. With Reigns likely challenging Brock Lesnar and WWE not wanting to overdo the Cena vs. AJ Styles saga, The Cenation Leader is more likely to face someone like Samoa Joe. 

The Destroyer is one of the monsters in WWE Cena has yet to conquer. Their styles promise to mesh quite well.

And judging by how just about every Cena feud of late plays out, the story will be built around Joe telling Cena he's past his prime. And the superhero of the squared circle will tell him that if Joe wants to be the next big thing, he will have to go through him. 

Q: Do you expect more WWE talent to follow the Cody Rhodes path to success in the indies?

—Cesar Sosa

A: Absolutely. It's becoming increasingly clear it's no longer WWE or bust. 

CJ Parker left for New Japan Pro-Wrestling and upped his stock in a major way. Drew McIntyre went on a tear in the UK as he transformed himself into a more compelling figure. Jack Swagger is moving into the MMA realm.

Rhodes has had the best post-WWE run of all of them. He's leaned on shrewd marketing and hard work to make himself a bigger star despite being under a less bright spotlight.

That's sure to inspire some within the frustrated section of the WWE roster to try their hand elsewhere. Rhodes has looked significantly happier since leaving. Creative freedom has been an elixir. That has to appeal to the folks stuck in catering for every Raw or SmackDown. 

Dolph Ziggler is a prime candidate to be the next big name to branch out past the WWE umbrella, pulling a Rhodes and finding new life elsewhere.

Q: Will they pull the trigger on The Club? If so, in what form? Finn Balor? Styles? Adam Cole?

—Andy Geels

A: WWE doesn't seem to value the story of a Bullet Club reunion. In large part, that's probably because the entity was created elsewhere.

Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson have become non-factors in the tag division. They were never treated like big deals. They pulled those guys off Styles early too.

And Finn Balor, meanwhile, is stuck spinning his wheels in the midcard. It seems obvious that pairing him up with Gallows and Anderson would give all involved a huge spark, but WWE hasn't made a move in that direction.

Styles is thriving as a solo act. Cole is leading his own faction at NXT. It feels they are all destined to walk separate paths. 

Chances are The Bullet Club's resurfacing in a new form on the WWE stage will remain the stuff of fan fiction and fantasy booking.

Q: When and to whom does WWE give the end of Asuka's streak?

—Jeff Hill

A: The easy answer is it has to happen on a big stage. Anything less than a semi-main event at WrestleMania or SummerSlam won't cut it for Asuka's first loss.

WWE has done such a good job of building her up as gladiator no one can take down. The moment she falls is going to be huge. It has to be milked for all it is worth.

As for who plays Brock Lesnar to Asuka's Undertaker, WWE might be bold enough to have Ronda Rousey do the honors in an attempt to create mainstream buzz. Better options exist, however.

Charlotte Flair could cement her greatness by adding a defeat over The Empress of Tomorrow to her already stacked resume. It would be poetic for a built-up Bayley to take her down seeing that Asuka dethroned her at NXT. Or else WWE could go all-in with Alexa Bliss and have her score the upset of her life.

Q: What do you think 2018 has in store for Bobby Roode? He was one of my favorites in NXT and even TNA, but WWE debuted him on SmackDown as a babyface, and I don't think it's been clicking.

—Jake Rao

A: Bobby Roode's transition to the main roster has been rough.

His character is toothless. He hasn't had a quality rivalry. He's been a forgettable midcarder as a result.

Roode is at his best as a cocky, materialistic heel in the vein of Ric Flair. His NXT Championship reign saw him thrive in that role, looking down on the rest of the roster and showing off his top-shelf garb. The Glorious One, though, hasn't been able to do anything close to that as a babyface.

A heel turn is the smart move, but SmackDown already has so many villains already, from Baron Corbin to the Kevin Owens-Sami Zayn pairing.

WWE is likely to ride things out as is. And Roode will remain a low priority. Corbin is liable to fend him off and push him out of the United States Championship picture before long.

Roode's 2018 will then see him fall to men like Mojo Rawley and Jinder Mahal.

Q: I think it's clear the SD Live's women's division isn't quite as strong as Raw's. Do you see WWE making a move to balance it out?

—Lynn Dawson

A: While Raw is quite well off in terms of talent thanks to adding Asuka and Paige, SmackDown's cupboards are far from bare. A number of women from the blue brand are on the verge of big years in 2018.

Carmella's character work has been outstanding. Flair is a franchise cornerstone. And Riott is a star in the making. They comprise a division with less star power than Raw but with ample potential.

That being said, SmackDown is liable to get the next NXT talent to move to the main roster. If that's Nikki Cross or The Iconic Duo, Tuesday nights are going to get a lot more interesting.

Either act's promotion to SmackDown would be a boon for the show, giving WWE Creative a ton more options to play with.

Q: What do you think would be the best course of action for Bray Wyatt in 2018 if WWE wants to relegitimize him?

—Wrestling Review

Q: I've seen a lot of things from different places calling for a Bray Wyatt face turn. I think it would be a cool idea, and it would obviously have to wait until after the Woken Matt feud, but how would one go about turning that character face?

—Trevor Weldy

A: WWE hasn't proved it knows how to handle Bray Wyatt. He's a strange, complex character who gets led down ill-advised paths far too often.

Every time it looks as if he's ready to reign as WWE's resident occultist, something baffling like the Sister Abigail fiasco happens.

A different approach is required. The company has to rethink who The Eater of Worlds is. The rambling, supposedly spooky act hasn't worked. His ongoing feud with Matt Hardy could be a perfect catalyst for just the kind of transformation he needs.

Turning Wyatt face would be a welcome move. It would force a shakeup with his persona, for one. And it's an experiment worth trying given WWE has damaged his monstrous aura so much.

He can move away from the dark side by joining Hardy as an ally and being as weird and "woken" as the former tag team champ.

Or else, Hardy can conquer Wyatt and force him to take a hiatus. While the audience cleanses its palate, WWE could cook up something wildly fresh for The New Face of Fear in the same way it reshaped Erick Rowan and Luke Harper into The Bludgeon Brothers.

Few Superstars' gimmicks need to be rethought and repackaged more than Wyatt's.