10 WWE Predictions for the 2nd Half of 2013

2013 has been a surprisingly great year for wrestling fans, but what does the remainder of the year hold?

We’ve seen Chris Jericho return then depart, Dolph Ziggler finally cash in his briefcase but prematurely lose his title and Daniel Bryan ascend to the top of the roster.

There’s been heartbreak and glory, but the year is far from over. Has the best yet to come, or has the heartbreak just begun?

The following are 10 predictions for the second half of 2013.

All photos courtesy of WWE.com

Daniel Bryan Won't Win the WWE Championship

Triple H was recently announced to be the special guest referee for the WWE Championship match at SummerSlam.

Among other things, that means we won’t be seeing a clean finish to the match.

And that means that there’s a good chance Daniel Bryan will be getting screwed out of winning the title.

In fact, it’s more likely that Randy Orton walks out of SummerSlam as WWE champion than The American Dragon.

Bryan may stick around the title scene for another month or so, but don’t be surprised if he gets relegated back to the midcard after that.

As we all know, he’s the most over star in the company right now, but since when did the WWE care about what the fans chant?

AJ Lee Will Turn on Big E Langston

This isn’t as much of a bold prediction as it is a statistical inevitability.

AJ has broken the hearts of many Superstars in the last year-and-a-half, including Daniel Bryan, John Cena, Kane and Dolph Ziggler.

Big E Langston may not be an onscreen love interest, but they're close enough.

The "crazy chick" gimmick is getting a little stale on AJ, but she’s got at least one betrayal left in her.

Expect Lee to turn on Langston when officials decide to turn the big man babyface.

Damien Sandow Won't Cash in His Money in the Bank Briefcase

There’s a definite pattern that’s emerged ever since Money in the Bank went from a gimmick match at WrestleMania to being a pay-per-view event.

One briefcase holder will cash in soon after the pay-per-view and one will wait an extended period of time to pick their moment.

Kane cashed his briefcase in the night he won it while The Miz waited over four months. Cena held his contract for eight days, Dolph Ziggler carried his for almost a year.

This trend will continue in 2013; expect a cash-in from The Viper sooner rather than later.

Damien Sandow still has some growing to do before he’s seen as a legitimate world champion contender, but 2014 will be his year.

Randy Orton and John Cena Will Have Another Feud over the WWE Title

Randy Orton and John Cena have had many feuds, but their most recent one ended almost four years ago in late 2009.

Now The Viper is Mr. Money in the Bank and The Champ is, well, The Champ.

They’ve now got a pretty good reason to be at odds. Orton will cash his briefcase in soon, if not at SummerSlam.

Cena doesn’t even need to be the champion Orton capitalizes on for this rivalry to happen (though he probably will be).

Eventually, The Apex Predator will be the WWE champion, and when he is, it won’t take him long to run into the leader of the Cenation.

Paul Heyman Will Drop Curtis Axel

It’s been about three months since Joe Hennig was repackaged as Curtis Axel and aligned with Paul Heyman.

Despite a decent push and an Intercontinental Championship reign, he hasn’t gained a lot of traction.

The problem isn’t necessarily with Axel but with his booking.

He hasn’t been put in any meaningful feuds and looks like a Paul Heyman lackey rather than a Paul Heyman guy as a result.

Unless lightning strikes and he magically gets over, Curtis Axel will be flying solo before the year’s end.  

Alberto Del Rio Will Lose the World Championship, Then Win It Back

No matter how indifferently you may feel about him, Alberto Del Rio is a fixture in WWE’s main event scene.

The Essence of Excellence is involved in one high-profile program after another, program’s which frequently involve a World Championship.

He’s spent most of 2013 as World Heavyweight champion, and the only time watching him was remotely interesting was when he was facing Dolph Ziggler.

Del Rio will eventually lose the title—there’s even a small chance he’ll drop it to Christian this Sunday.

Don’t expect him to be without gold for too long, though. He’s currently a four-time World champion, but he’ll have a fifth reign before the end of the year.

The McMahons Will Ruin Television

Daniel Bryan vs. John Cena sells itself. We don’t need a special guest referee.

It’s the most over star in the company facing off against the tested veteran who’s been on top for almost a decade.

The addition of Triple H as special guest referee is the first of what will likely be many irritating intrusions by the McMahons on our entertainment.

There are rumors that the McMahon family angle will culminate at WrestleMania, according to Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

That’s eight months away! Their soap opera storyline will only get more obnoxious as the months go on.

Ryback Will Win a World Championship

Ryback’s career has taken somewhat of a nosedive ever since October of last year, and especially since his post-WrestleMania heel turn.

Still, this is the WWE, and Big Hungry is basically everything Vince McMahon could want in a Superstar.

As we all know, continuity and logic don’t always go hand-in-hand with wrestling.

He’s only won one pay-per-view match in the last 10 months, but Ryback could be back on top in an instant.

All it would take is a few weeks of eating every Superstar in sight and then he’ll be a big deal again.

Ryback will be a top talent in WWE for years to come, and a World Championship reign will substantiate that in the next few months.  

The Shield Will Return to Prominence

2013 was looking to be a fantastic year for The Hounds of Justice, but everything changed after WrestleMania.

CM Punk took a break and his spot had to be filled. No one Superstar could fill that void, so the WWE enlisted Rollins, Reigns and Ambrose.

The Shield wrestling was once a rare event, but it quickly became commonplace.

Things went further south once the faction won midcard titles and started feuding with The Usos.

But justice is not lost and The Shield can and will be salvaged. The trio have at least one more huge program left in them for 2013.

Brock Lesnar Will Skip Survivor Series

Brock Lesnar works a very limited schedule, so he’ll likely be taking an extended break from SummerSlam to the road to WrestleMania XXX.

WWE will mainly use The Beast for one of their big four shows, the next being Survivor Series.

However, Brock only worked two matches last year and is approaching his third for 2013.  

Fans hoping to see the former UFC champion lead a team at Survivor Series are likely out of luck.

If we’re lucky, the WWE saved enough appearances for a solid buildup to his inevitable match at WrestleMania XXX.