5 WWE Raw and SmackDown Predictions For Rest of 2026

To suggest that 2026 has been an uneven year for WWE would be an understatement. As the company prepares for the back third, though, it has set itself up to put an exclamation point on the year and give fans reasons to be excited about the immediate future.

From revamped divisions to the elevation of a long-deserving Superstar, these are five predictions for the company's top two shows, Raw and SmackDown, for the rest of 2026.

Reshuffling the Decks

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Now that SmackDown has reverted to two hours, there simply is not enough time for the talent on that show to receive proper spotlighting. Superstars such as Giulia, Ilja Dragunov, Ricky Saints, and Rey Fenix are struggling to sniff consistent television time, thus devaluing them and adversely affecting whatever connection they had already forged with the audience.

Over on Raw, the red brand has recently suffered somewhat from stale match-ups, with several of the same talent meeting in singles and tag team matches every week.

Expect that to change in the coming weeks and months.

While the company has proved to be less inclined to produce a full draft after the last two have been so critically panned, do not be surprised to see talent jumping ship, with a handful of stars heading to Monday nights to help freshen things up.

And vice versa.

It will not only benefit the red brand, but the stars who have fallen into irrelevance on Friday nights, where the show is top-heavy, and there is rarely enough time for everyone to enjoy ideal exposure.

Bloodline Domination

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WWE did not put the World Heavyweight Championship back on Roman Reigns and reintroduce The Bloodline story so as not to have it dominate the airwaves through the rest of the year.

And beyond.

The OTC is assembling his own version of the Avengers, reuniting The Usos, forcing Jacob Fatu to acknowledge him, and teasing something with Solo Sikoa. Even Zilla Fatu recently joined NXT, opening up the possibility that he will join his cousins on the main roster at some point.

After watching WWE limp through 2025 without them, Reigns and Co. are back in a position of power. They figure to be heavily factored into the most prominent creative plans for the foreseeable future.

A Rejuvenated Women's Division

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To say the women's division in WWE was in dire straits, the worst it had been in years, this past spring and early summer would be an understatement.

Liv Morgan went 100 days without defending her title as the creative team struggled to come up with a contingency plan in the wake of Stephanie Vaquer's injuries. Rhea Ripley suffered an injury of her own, leaving SmackDown without a champion.

Add to that a lack of clear commitment to Paige and Brie Bella as Women's Tag Team Champions, and you had a rough few months for what had, to that point, been the most consistently great element of WWE programming.

Now, with Stephanie Vaquer and Becky Lynch both back and vying for Morgan's title, and Chelsea Green developing into the biggest babyface of all, there is reason to be optimistic.

Throw in an intriguing storyline involving Green and Tiffany Stratton, which intensified Friday after the former failed to help preserve the latter's Women's United States Championship reign, as well as the sudden dominance of Fatal Influence, and you have a division across both shows looking healthier entering the back third of 2026.

LA Knight Gets His Shot

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It was three short years ago that The Megastar saw his stock rise exponentially amid his connection with the audience. He teamed with John Cena and challenged Roman Reigns for what was then the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.

Since that loss to The Tribal Chief, he has treaded water, winning the United States Championship, wrestling more matches than any other Superstar on the men's roster, and remaining immensely popular with the fans. Albeit consistently outside of the main event scene.

We have already seen hints of that changing, with Knight eyeing up Roman Reigns' World Heavyweight Championship.

Unlike the last time he sniffed the top prize in the company, this stint in the main event will not be fleeting.

Look for The Megastar to finally become a top-tier babyface on Raw, permanently, and a huge thorn in the side for The Bloodline as that family looks to retain control of the flagship show.

That does not necessarily mean he wrests the title from The Tribal Chief, but Knight will be at the top of the card for the remainder of the year.

Cody Rhodes Embraces The Dark Side

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No, that does not necessarily mean that The American Nightmare turns heel.

At least not completely.

Throughout 2026, though, we have witnessed QB1 show hints of a darker, more aggressive side. It happened at WrestleMania 42, when he pulled out some underhanded tactics in his battle with Randy Orton, and it has continued with a nastier, more aggressive approach to his rivalries.

This is a Superstar who has felt pressure to be the hero that everyone loves and respects, but also to regain a WWE Championship that has repeatedly slipped through his grasp.

Rhodes looked like a man possessed to close out the most recent episode of SmackDown, with officials holding him back from dealing Orton a blow that may have shortened the future Hall of Famer's career.

Look for the tension and pressure to continue to affect the second-generation star and to give us the edgiest version of the top good guy in pro wrestling that we have seen to this point.