Predicting WWE World Champion, Other Titleholders Heading into WrestleMania 32

When WrestleMania 32 arrives, Dean Ambrose will still be clutching the Intercontinental Championship, but his brother-in-arms, Roman Reigns will be desperate to get back his WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

Change is promised the championship picture between now and the marquee pay-per-view. WWE is in the process of building new contenders and stacking the deck against Reigns.

But Ambrose promises to be among the current titleholders who keep their championships until WrestleMania at AT&T Stadium.

He has a WrestleMania-worthy matching awaiting him. So does Charlotte. In each case, it makes more sense to have those wrestlers enter as champs.

Digging into potential title bouts, current storylines and WrestleMania history help provide a sneak peek at whose shoulders will be heavy with gold at the biggest event of the year.

Intercontinental Championship: Dean Ambrose

Ambrose surviving Kevin Owens at the Royal Rumble and facing Chris Jericho at WrestleMania is a scenario some are predicting.

On CSRWrestling.com, former WWE referee Jimmy Korderas predicted that Ambrose would defend against Sheamus. Meanwhile, both Blake Mitchamore and Shane Shoemaker see The Lunatic Fringe facing Jericho with the belt on the line.

Part of the thinking of going with Jericho in that spot is that he's a big name but not a true megastar. Venturing into the IC title picture to elevate Ambrose is ideal. 

Even if WWE decides to go with Sheamus as his rival at that point or even pit him against AJ Styles, it makes most sense to do it with Ambrose as champ.

He can help add to the prestige of the championship by going on a long reign, something WWE hasn't done much of with that title in recent years. The Lunatic Fringe's popularity begs for the company to go that route this time around.

Divas Championship: Charlotte

The obvious matchup to do with the women's division is Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks for the title.

They have stellar chemistry together. They both represent the recently arrived new wave of talent from NXT. A babyface Banks would be the ideal rival for the rule-breaking Charlotte.

And whether WWE intends to use that bout to further Charlotte's stardom or announce Banks' arrival, it feels inevitable.

However, there's a chance WWE is thinking of adding a wild card. In December, Ric Flair said on his podcast that he heard Charlotte is "either going to wrestle Sasha or Bayley" at WrestleMania. Both options point to Charlotte still being champion.

Banks has to heal up first, get a hot streak going and then initiate a feud with Charlotte. It will be hard to fit all that in and a title switch before WrestleMania. That goes double for Bayley, who isn't even on the main roster yet.

Expect Charlotte's reign to be a lengthy one, allowing her to enter Dallas with the gold in hand.

United States Championship: Titus O'Neil

This championship is the hardest to project.

On Monday night, it looked like WWE was set to have Kalisto dive into an underdog champion role. Instead, Alberto Del Rio won the title back just days later, on SmackDown.

It doesn't feel as if Del Rio will ride into WrestleMania with that strap, though. With The League of Nations sliding to the background of late, he's more likely to step aside for someone else.

As unexpected as it might seem, O'Neil is posed to be that someone.

WWE is clearly making an effort to present him as a threat. As seen on his CageMatch.net profile, O'Neil has won 12 straight matches. He is undefeated in 2016.

That's a far cry from his low-rung status in years past.

WWE seems to be setting him up for something big. Could that mean his first singles championship? O'Neil is a few signature wins away from earning a title shot and overpowering Del Rio between now and WrestleMania.

Tag Team Championship: The New Day

As 2015 closed, The Lucha Dragons seemed to be closing in on the gold. They notched a number of non-title wins against The New Day. They were often the most featured team other than the champs.

But Sin Cara's dislocated shoulder halted that. Kalisto has instead ventured into singles competition.

While WWE could send the high-flyers down that path again once Sin Cara is healthy, there's now more of a chance the company just stands pat. Xavier Woods, Big E and Kofi Kingston are doing great in their current roles.

Credit: WWE.com

The Usos have a chance of dethroning the titleholders, but the brothers don't have a wealth of momentum right now.

WWE is more likely to neglect the tag team division until the WrestleMania build really begins and just toss some challengers at The New Day. Recent history has had a whole cluster of tag teams share the stage at The Show of Shows.

Last year, four teams competed for the tag titles at WrestleMania. The same went for WrestleMania XXX. At WrestleMania XXVIII, a trio of teams collided on the PPV's pre-show.

Expect something similar in Dallas. The New Day is likely to take on some combination of The Usos, The Lucha Dragons and The Dudley Boyz. 

And with WWE's focus on other titles and marquee matches, The New Day will hold onto the belts by default.

WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Triple H

Not only does Reigns have to outlast 29 other men to retain the championship, he has to buck history. In Royal Rumble's 28 years of existence, only three men have ever won the 30-man match back-to-back.

Still, signs point to Reigns being in the title picture come WrestleMania.

His battle with The Authority is the focal point each week. WWE has made it clear that he is its top priority and top babyface. And Triple H has yet to return to seek vengeance against him for throttling him at TLC.

The safe bet then is that The Game is responsible for ousting Reigns from the Rumble and takes the title for himself.

According Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t RingsideNews.com), Reigns vs. Triple H is expected to be WrestleMania 32's headliner. The report didn't specify whether Reigns would be champ or challenger, though.

On Chair Shot Reality, Justin LaBar talked about the appeal of Reigns chasing The Game:

Recapturing the title is a better, more dramatic climax for the babyface. It's the kind of narrative Vince McMahon likes telling. From Daniel Bryan winning the belt to Chris Benoit standing under a shower of confetti, WrestleMania has so often ended with the babyface in celebration.

It is likely to happen again after Reigns is forced to once again climb the mountain that he can't seem to stay atop.