Predicting the Next WWE Men's and Women's Champion to Lose Their Title

Of the six championships defended at WrestleMania 39, only two changed hands. Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens captured the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship, and Rhea Ripley won the SmackDown women's belt.

The WWE landscape coming out of The Show of Shows doesn't look all that different than it did a month ago. However, over half of the company's champions remaining the same isn't necessarily a negative thing.

It just means it will mean that much more when those titleholders finally lose.

Undisputed WWE universal champion Roman Reigns remains the man to beat and likely will for many months to come. Bianca Belair has been equally dominant in her division, having just surpassed the one-year mark as Raw women's champion.

The midcard champs have also been booked well. Austin Theory is pushing five months with the United States belt, while Gunther is the longest-reigning intercontinental champion this century.

Among everyone currently holding gold in WWE, though, who will be the first to be beaten for their belt?

Next Men's Champion to Lose His Title: Gunther

It wouldn't be a stretch to say Gunther is amid one of the greatest Intercontinental Championship runs of all time right now.

Of course, all good things must come to an end, and The Ring General's days as the titleholder are definitely numbered.

The Austrian has knocked off every challenger since clinching the title in June 10 last year. WrestleMania 39 would have been the perfect place for him to drop it to Sheamus in the Triple Threat match without being pinned, but he ultimately retained in decisive fashion.

WWE may want to keep the title on Gunther until the fall, which is when he would break The Honky Tonk Man's record as the longest-reigning intercontinental champ in history, but there's no need to. He's ready for the next step toward main event stardom right now.

Austin Theory has been far less protected as United States champion, but he doesn't have any obvious opponents at this moment. He's fresh off retaining against John Cena, so it may be months before he finally loses it.

At least in the case of Gunther, the right person to dethrone him is already waiting in the wings.

Who Should Gunther Lose His Title to and When?

Last week on SmackDown, it was teased that Sheamus' pursuit of the intercontinental title is not over yet, when he and The Brawling Brutes beat Imperium in a six-man tag team match.

That sure seemed to indicate that The Celtic Warriors has another opportunity coming his way and soon.

There would be no point in booking a third match between Sheamus and Gunther for the title if the latter was going to win again. Thus, if the rematch does happen, the Irishman taking the title is virtually guaranteed.

Backlash on May 6 is most likely where the highly anticipated encounter will take place. But Money in the Bank two months later would be an even better option, if only because the event is being staged in the UK and the atmosphere will be electric.

The WWE draft will shake up the rosters a bit, so Gunther wouldn't have to wait long for credible competition. Despite that, the time has come for him to move onto the next chapter and finish his feud with Sheamus.

He's done so much to elevate that title to its former glory that it will be a meaningful moment when he's defeated, ideally at the hands of The Celtic Warrior. No one else makes sense for that spot.

Next Women's Champion to Lose Her Title: Bianca Belair

On the main roster, WWE has only three championships for the women to fight for: the Raw Women's Championship, the SmackDown Women's Championship and the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship.

That makes it a bit easier to predict who will be the first to lose their title, but all signs point to it being Bianca Belair.

The EST of WWE has been rolling as Raw women's champion for over one year. She's had some great matches in that time and beaten high-profile talent, but her lack of character development as of late has caused her reign to grow slightly stale.

Belair shouldn't automatically be expected to drop her title soon because she's been holding it for so long. Rather, she has simply run out of opponents and would benefit from being back in chase mode.

A heel turn would freshen her up, but that hasn't been teased at all. The SmackDown women's title and WWE Women's Tag Team Championship have both changed hands within the last two weeks, which means Belair is next up.

Who Should Bianca Belair Lose Her Title to and When?

Belair has beaten almost everyone active in the Raw women's division right now.

She won't get a fresh batch of opponents to work with until after the draft, but the many matches she can have with a slew of SmackDown Superstars are worth getting excited about.

As it stands, Iyo Sky has the best chance of dethroning Belair.

She earned herself a potential shot at the Raw Women's Championship on Monday's Raw. Damage CTRL teasing a split doesn't need a title attached in order to be an intriguing story, but Sky doing what Bayley couldn't would an effective way of planting the seeds of dissension.

Belair will likely last a few more months as champ depending on who the division consists of come SummerSlam on August 5. The winner of the women's Money in the Bank ladder match is another option to be considered as well.

If not Sky, then keep an eye out for Charlotte Flair making her way to the red brand and setting her sights on Belair's championship.

The Queen is the one member of the Four Horsewomen Belair has yet to conquer, hence why it wouldn't be much of a shock if she's the one to take the title by summer's end.

---

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.