Predicting the Biggest WWE Headlines in 2019

This past year has been filled with ups and downs for WWE and the McMahon family, and with the way things are going, 2019 won't be any different.

2018 featured the debut of Ronda Rousey, the return of Daniel Bryan to the ring, the lowest ratings in Raw history, Fox signing a billion-dollar deal to bring SmackDown to the network and WWE chairman Vince McMahon relaunching the XFL.

We also had to deal with the sad news of Roman Reigns' battling leukemia and the controversy surrounding WWE choosing to hold wrestling events in Saudi Arabia.

The women's division had a lot of firsts over the last year, including its own Evolution pay-per-view in October and claiming the main event spots at several TV and PPV events.

Based on what we know, let's attempt to predict what some of 2019's biggest headlines will be. 

Brock Lesnar Signs New WWE Deal

Every time Brock Lesnar's contract is about to expire, everyone speculates on whether he will sign a new deal, return to UFC or retire altogether and live on his farm.

For some reason, Vince McMahon seems to think The Beast Incarnate is worth more than any other Superstar because he keeps giving him a lot of money to stick around.

Even if the plan is for Lesnar to have a fight or two in UFC, it will likely be built into his contract so he can continue working for both promotions simultaneously.

With WWE's ratings struggling in the back half of 2018 more than ever, WWE will likely attempt to keep him on its payroll so it can capitalize on his popularity and media exposure when he eventually has another fight in UFC. 

WWE Ends the Brand Split

Raw and SmackDown have only been separated for a couple of years, but there are already signs WWE might want to combine the rosters again.

For one thing, both USA and Fox will want the biggest stars to appear on their networks. It was one thing when both shows were under the same banner, but two competing networks won't like it if John Cena or AJ Styles only turns up for one show.

WWE has vowed to listen to the fans, so it might implement a system that allows for trades between the shows throughout the year instead of only during the Superstar Shake-up.

It's going to be interesting to see how WWE handles this transition. Fox is a broadcast network with several sister stations, so it's going to want management to deliver a product worth promoting. That might mean making it so anyone can appear on either show at any time. 

205 Live Is Canceled

Personally, this writer hopes this one does not turn out to be true as 205 Live is a unique gem among the rest of WWE's shows.

Being on the WWE Network limits its audience size, but the Superstars of the cruiserweight division have never let that stop them from delivering incredible matches.

Instead of having every long bout broken up by commercials, 205 Live usually features at least one uninterrupted 20-25 minute match between two of the best wrestlers in the locker room.

Tony Nese, Cedric Alexander, Mustafa Ali, Kalisto, Hideo Itami and Buddy Murphy are just some of the Superstars who have produced Match of the Year candidates on more than one occasion.

However, the show has struggled to find an audience since its debut two years ago. Maybe if WWE promoted the show on Raw a little more often, this wouldn't be a problem. 

Batista Returns to WWE

While his last brief run with the company wasn't the return he had hoped for, Dave Bautista has said he would be open to coming back at some point for at least one more match.

With the future of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise in question and his character's fate unknown until Avengers: Endgame comes out in April, he might have a lot more time in his hands in the coming year. 

Despite being met with chants of Bootista and Bluetista during his last run, Batista remains popular with many fans thanks to his years in the business and his blossoming career in Hollywood with memorable roles in Hotel Artemis, Spectre and Blade Runner 2049.

He turns 50 on January 18, so if he wants to return while his body will let him perform at a high level, he needs to do it soon. 

Ronda Rousey Loses Clean for 1st Time in WWE

Ronda Rousey had a great debut year with WWE, but nobody stays undefeated forever in this business. At some point in 2019, someone is going to put her down for the three-count.

Becky Lynch would be an obvious contender for this honor due to her popularity skyrocketing over the past few months, but she is not the only candidate.

Charlotte Flair, Natalya or Nia Jax could be the one to finally defeat Rowdy Ronda, but there is another option WWE may choose to use in this situation.

Shayna Baszler has been killing it in NXT and is likely going to head to the main roster at some point in the first half of 2019. If WWE wants to make sure her debut push puts her on the map, a great way to do it would be to have her beat her best friend.

This isn't the most likely scenario, but stranger things have happened in WWE. This is the same company that booked James Ellsworth to beat AJ Styles three times, so anything is possible.