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Welcome, everyone, to the annual Mr. Tito Pro Wrestling Predictions Column for 2015. Before the year starts out, typically posting this on 12/31, I give 15 BOLD predictions on the pro wrestling world. Several years ago, I came up with this column idea after following Karl Denninger Market Ticker website and enjoying his annual predictions on the economy. Thus, for a fun column idea, I utilized his entertaining format of reviewing the previous year's predictions, adding sort of a year-in-review, and then delivering the upcoming year's predictions. Better yet with this column, I went 10 out of 15 one year and readers attacked my column for picking predictions that were "too obvious". Since then, I've been getting more aggressive with my predictions and my success ratio has dipped a bit... However, my "hits" are quite big and many other writers and industry analysts never saw it coming... I wrote my 2014 Predictions Column on 12/31/2013 and was a mere 8 days before the WWE Network launched. Before 1/8/2014 when the WWE made their presentation in Las Vegas, the WWE Network had major uncertainty and I struggled to forecast what may happen. There were rumors, at the time, that the WWE Network would go streaming but there was also news still out there that the WWE still wanted a dedicated Cable/Satellite channel as well. As proof of that, news of the new streaming WWE Network was met with great enthusiasm by WWE stock investors and helped push the price to $30 and slightly above. Thus, when we review the 2014 Predictions, consider that as context. The streaming WWE Network announcement caught me off guard, big time. It was certainly a unique year in pro wrestling that saw significant changes... For one, WWE attempted to leave the Pay Per View model in favor of their streaming WWE Network. It was a big risk on the WWE's part and the expectation by investors and WWE officials was that it would be wildly popular from the start. However, bandwidth costs proved to be higher than expected insomuch that roughly 1,000,000 United States subscribers would prove to be a "break even" point for the WWE Network. Through the 3rd Quarter of 2014, the WWE was unable to break 800,000 subscribers worldwide and WWE was forced to (a) give away the month of November for FREE and (b) remove the 6 month requirement. The weak subscriber news combined with the Comcast/NBC/Universal renewal being less than expected caused massive trade-offs of WWE Stock. While the WWE Network is an interesting concept, the WWE must figure out a way to make the streaming service more cost effective while finding a way to enhance demand for WWE's current product. 2014 also saw major headlines being made by CM Punk, first for going home before the RAW following Royal Rumble 2014 and the later with his Thanksgiving "shoot" interview with his friend Colt Cabana online. Losing CM Punk probably hurt the WWE Network just before its launch, but the comments made by Punk during Cabana's interview may cause shockwaves in the pro wrestling industry for years to come. Now, CM Punk will take his popularity and his "heat" from his exit to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) where UFC President Dana White will be rolling in money for the 1st Punk fight. White will roll in more money when he convinces Brock Lesnar to fight for him again especially after Lesnar is possibly more popular than ever after destroying the likes of the Undertaker (ending the Wrestlemania streak to the shock of everyone) and John Cena. But more important to the WWE was the rise of their NXT developmental stars from the past 4 years. All 3 members of the Shield proved to possibly be the best WWE developmental call-ups since the "Class of 2002" which featured Cena, Orton, Lesnar, and Batista. Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, and Roman Reigns have each positioned themselves to be Main Event stars for years to come. Right now, the WWE seems to be very high on Roman Reigns to be the heir apparent to John Cena as the #1 babyface while enjoying Seth Rollins as a top heel. Many, including myself, questioned WHY the Shield broke up immediately after the great feud with Evolution, but the break-up has proved to be very successful and WWE's Creative Team deserves major credit for the timing and execution of the break-up. 2014 saw the rise of Bray Wyatt as a legitimate in-ring performer while Luke Harper, also part of the Wyatt family, showed glimpses. WWE is very serious about pushing Rusev. I really thought that 2014 had great returns to traditions such as a continually improving Tag Team division and the use of managers. WWE finally has uniform tag teams again with the Usos, Goldust/Stardust, and now the Ascension and here's hoping that the trend continues during 2015. The managers, however, played a more important role... Lana debuted and has helped build heat for Rusev. It took her a while, but she's improved in her execution of trash talk and world politics with Russia as 2014 progressed helped her out as well. Paul Heyman was AMAZING building continual heat for Brock Lesnar, especially following the Wrestlemania 30 defeat of the Undertaker and ending the streak. However, Heyman was too busy bragging about Lesnar's win that he forgot to hype up Cesaro when managing him after Wrestlemania 30. I enjoyed Zeb Colter during 2014 and he actually helped make Jack Swagger into a decent midcard babyface for a while. Zeb Colter was quite excellent during the Rusev feud. For the WWE, 2014 also brought Sting to the WWE for the first time ever. Since the late 1980's, Sting remained a NWA/WCW loyalist and remained quite loyal to TNA wrestling as well. Sting did not like how WCW wrestlers were treated during the 2001 WCW Invasion and kept away... After flirting with a return by participating in the new WWE video game, Sting made his WWE debut at Survivor Series 2014 where he helped Dolph Ziggler finish off Team Authority. Speaking of Ziggler, WWE Creative seemed to take a returning interest in Ziggler and began pushing him. Will this continue into 2014 especially with the logjam of WWE wrestlers? With so many developmental possibilities, will the returning Daniel Bryan get a chance to shine again? Just this past Monday, Bryan announced that he was coming back to the ring. Bryan spent a good portion of 2014 healing from a neck injury after winning big at Wrestlemania 30 by defeating Triple H and Batista/Orton to become WWE Champion. Can't do a Year in Review without mentioning the passing of the Ultimate Warrior. Since his 1996 return and immediate exit, the WWE and Warrior had major issues getting along. Matters were made worse when the WWE attacked Warrior during the mid-2000's with their "Self Destruction" DVD. To Triple H's credit and he did the same with Bruno Sammartino recently, HHH reached out to Warrior and began improving relations between with the WWE. Warrior was inducted into the 2014 WWE Hall of Fame, appeared at Wrestlemania for the first time in 18 years, and appeared at his first RAW in 18 years. Then, he died... Warrior was able to make peace with the WWE and sadly couldn't do more to promote his great career and help the current wrestling product. He was definitely a legend that many fans now in their early 30's adored from their childhood. Meanwhile in other promotions, TNA wrestling seems to be circling the drain... They lost their Spike TV deal and will now air in fewer homes by being on Discovery Channel's "Destination America" channel. TNA ended 2014 with many taped shows and the quality obviously dipped. The founder of TNA wrestling, Jeff Jarrett, is trying his hand at a new promotion named Global Force Wrestling (GFW) which appears to be associating itself with various international promotions. Its alliance with AAA wrestling in Mexico and New Japan Pro Wrestling could prove to be successful, notably the New Japan connection as that promotion is on fire right now. Pro wrestling needs an alternative to the WWE, notably for the wrestlers whom the WWE discards or refuses to give a chance. 2015, with TNA losing its spotlight, could be a year when another promotion gets a shot in the United States market. The changes from 2014 could set up a very interesting 2015 and possibly make it a "make or break" year for the pro wrestling industry. Unless the WWE can captivate more of the fanbase to subscribe to the WWE Network or unless a rival company can present itself well in the American market, pro wrestling has a real risk of losing more of its fanbase to Mixed Martial Arts especially if Brock Lesnar rejoins it. Anyway - Before we can even predict the year 2015, we must review the 2014 Predictions and see how I did: 2014 Prediction #1 - WWE re-signs with Comcast/NBC/Universal. Point, 1 for 1. During late 2013, there were rumors of interest from other network and possibly SpikeTV to bring the WWE back. I figured that Comcast/NBC/Universal was the best fit for the WWE and more crossovers like Total Divas could occur better there than with other networks. 2014 Prediction #2 - Kevin Dunn is demoted or is "done" with the WWE. Kevin Dunn, the Executive Producer and Director of WWE Programming, is the last executive hurdle for son-in-law Triple H to clear. Miss, 1 for 2. Timing is everything. Dunn is the last EVP hurdle for HHH to clear to assume total power of the WWE, aside from Vince McMahon. Dunn remains a loyal friend to Vince and seems to have his ear possibly more than HHH. Something like the WWE Network struggling further during 2015 could make this prediction come true. 2014 Prediction #3 - CM Punk signs lucrative extension with WWE. HUGE miss, 1 for 3. I did not expect that CM Punk would leave the WWE following Royal Rumble. I expected CM Punk to continue working for the WWE through June/July and use TNA/Ring of Honor for a nice extension. Complete miss, although CM Punk would serve to benefit my later 2014 predictions. 2014 Prediction #4 - WWE Hall of Fame will induct at least 1 deceased wrestler. Miss again, 1 for 4. Macho Man Randy Savage and Owen Hart are the ones that I keep predicting but it's just not happening yet. I believe that my Macho Man pick was just 1 year too early. 2014 Prediction #5 - Shawn Michaels will wrestle at least 1 match during 2014. God, what was I thinking? Miss. 1 for 5. Based on the way that Shawn Michaels was getting physical with Daniel Bryan during late 2013, I figured a "Teacher vs. Student" match was coming with Shawn Michaels vs. Daniel Bryan at Wrestlemania 30. At the time, it appeared that Daniel Bryan was without an opponent at Wrestlemania 30 based on the way that early plans were to have Batista win the Rumble and then beat Randy Orton at Wrestlemania (news leaked very early). 2014 Prediction #6 - Wrestlemania 30 will do UNDER 1,000,000 buys. HIT, 2 for 6, but mainly due to WWE Network. SummerSlam 2013 numbers were poor despite some very high profile matches. I figured that without something strong like Rock vs. Cena, it would dip under 1,000,000 especially with growing piracy concerns of illegal streaming. I did not expect the streaming version of WWE Network to engulf Wrestlemania buys as it did. 2014 Prediction #7 - SpikeTV cancels TNA programming unless CM Punk joins TNA Wrestling. Direct hit, 3 for 7. TNA wasn't impressing with the ratings and SpikeTV can just air reruns of older television shows and movies to get the same ratings. 2014 Prediction #8 - Ring of Honor will merge with TNA wrestling. Didn't happen, miss, 3 for 8. I figured that TNA would be desperate to save its SpikeTV contract by merging with Ring of Honor in some way. But I was wrong. 2014 Prediction #9 - Brand split reemerges with new WWE Smackdown deal in place. I was high when I made this pick. MISS, 3 for 9. I saw something in the way that the WWE was taking both midcard titles seriously and possibly using Smackdown as a stronger bargaining chip for the television deal. Bad pick. 2014 Prediction #10 - Triple H will become the target of a former WWE employee through some form of media. Nailed this one, HIT, 4 for 10. I did not, however, expect CM Punk to be the one. With the way that options were limited, I figured that it was a matter of time that HHH "got his" for years of backstage politics and growing as an influence within WWE Corporation. WWE has released many midcarders and developmental wrestlers that I figured they, not CM Punk, would rip Triple H. 2014 Prediction #11 - WWE Stock will hold above $12.00 for 2014. Barely got this one at $12.34 at year-end, hit, 5 for 11. I did not expect the ridiculous variance in the WWE stock thanks to the WWE Network. I figured that Wrestlemania's buyrate would be disappointing and WWE Network might be a failure, but I figured the overall economy and stock market would pump up stocks across the board to keep WWE above $10 per share and I went $2 more as a margin. 2014 Prediction #12 - WWE will lose at least 2 former World Champions from their active roster. Great Khali, Alberto Del Rio, and CM Punk, 3 hits. 6 for 12. Did not expect it to be CM Punk. Mark Henry, Christian, Big Show, Kane, and maybe someone like Jack Swagger (possession charges still lingering from 2013) or Dolph Ziggler (talking smack on Cena/Orton on radio shows). I've been predicting Great Khali for years but I did not expect Punk and Del Rio to be gone. Damn. 2014 Prediction #13 - Pressure will be on Vince McMahon to step down as being both Board Chairman and CEO of the WWE corporation but he'll be reluctant and remains in both roles to end 2014. Yup, hit, 7 for 13. 2013 saw many leaked "Vince McMahon is senile" stories through wrestling insiders but I figured Vince McMahon wasn't ready to give up power yet. Stephanie's role has changed to be more with public relations and I figured that it was a 1-2 year roadmap to become the official CEO soon. But not in 2014. 2014 Prediction #14 - Both Jim Ross and Steve Austin will return to pro wrestling, possibly together. Hmmm... Steve Austin was part of the WWE Network roll-out presentation in Las Vegas on 1/8/14 and also appeared at Wrestlemania 30. First WWE work in a while... Jim Ross is working with Global Force Wrestling for announcing duties. I'll take this point, 8 for 14, although I could see someone arguing against me. But they did "return to pro wrestling"... 2014 Prediction #15 - Daniel Bryan will hold the WWE Heavyweight Title at least once, but only after Wrestlemania 30. Miss, 8 for 15. I fully expected that the WWE would do Batista vs. Orton or possibly a "Class of 2002" match between Batista, Orton, Cena, and possibly even Brock Lesnar. However, I figured that Batista's title reign would get flat after SummerSlam and Daniel Bryan would win the WWE Title between September through December. However, WWE drastically changed Wrestlemania 30's booking to spite me. Not bad... 8 for 15 to get me above 50%. I had some pretty bold predictions for 2014 and I legitimately believe that my timing for Kevin Dunn and the deceased wrestler Hall of Famer was just off. Considering how variable 2014 was, I chalk this up to be a good prediction year. Now, it's time for the 2015 Predictions. As noted above, where we're headed is a matter of (a) if WWE can improve their product to WWE Network subscribers and (b) if a competitor can rise up and give wrestling fans a legitimate alternative to also enjoy. Otherwise, pro wrestling will have to continue to reduce shrinkage caused by other entertainment options and Mixed Martial Arts promotions. In my opinion, WWE must find a babyface replacement for John Cena in 2015 who is a legitimate draw. Is Roman Reigns that guy or will Dean Ambrose keep growing? WWE has spent much of 2014 building up Brock Lesnar to be an unstoppable monster. How will his exit affect the promotion after the hardwork put into building up Lesnar during 2014? Can the WWE effectively transfer his Undertaker/Cena victory heat onto another wrestler? Time will tell... But here's what I predict: MR. TITO's PHAT 2015 PRO WRESTLING PREDICTIONS Disclaimer - The following predictions are for entertainment purposes only. Anyone who acts on these predictions as advice is doing so at their risk. 2015 Prediction #1 - Vince McMahon steps down as CEO but retains his role as Chairman of the WWE Board. Vince McMahon is 69 years old now and set to turn 70 during 2015. Currently, he is both the CEO and Board Chairman of the WWE. The CEO job, in particular, has lots of public relations responsibilities along with being tied up during the ends of each quarter with financial reporting. Vince's true love, however, remains being on the road for live televised events and the amount of travel that Vince does weekly between WWE events and back to the Corporate offices will take its toll. I believe that sometime during 2015, Stephanie McMahon will become the new Chief Executive Officer of the WWE. She is currently "Chief Brand Officer" and ramping up her public relations responsibilities while probably learning more about the financial process behind the scenes. She's fully removed from creative and thus can focus on the Corporate side of the business. Vince, however, will retain his Board Chairman role to keep controlling things... 2015 Prediction #2 - WWE Network will not get above 1,000,000 American subscribers through 3 quarters of 2015 unless more free months are given or the $9.99 price is actually cut. This prediction will be measured by the 10-Q financial reports for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd quarters. What should drive the WWE Network subscribers would be the Pay Per View quality. Quality of shows has been down for 2014 and Wrestlemania 31 does NOT look like it will be a show to ramp up American subscriptions. If the WWE truly does Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania 31, they'll lose subscribers from longtime fans. 2015 Prediction #3 - If Roman Reigns does beat Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 31, Seth Rollins will be the only other wrestler during 2015 to win the WWE Title. If WWE truly does pull the trigger on Roman Reigns defeating Brock Lesnar for the WWE Title, the "Roman Empire" will rule the WWE for all of 2015 with the exception of a WWE Title loss or 2 to only Seth Rollins. I could seriously see Seth Rollins cashing in the Money in the Bank briefcase to end Wrestlemania 31 after Roman Reigns took a massive beating at the hands of Brock Lesnar and then cashes in. Rollins could hold the title for all of summer until Reigns finally beats him at SummerSlam 2014. By then, Reigns could be ready to be WWE Champion and it would be thanks to working with Rollins. 2015 Prediction #4 - Brock Lesnar does leave the WWE and rejoins UFC. All signals suggest that Brock Lesnar is seriously considering a MMA return. However, I do believe that the WWE will make him a serious offer, in the end, to keep him around for 1 more year. Ultimately, Lesnar and Dana White do business while other MMA promotions will be used by Brock just to drive up UFC's price. 2015 Prediction #5 - New Japan Pro Wrestling will obtain legitimate mainstream Cable/Satellite attention with or without Global Force Wrestling. With NXT driving up hardcore wrestling fan interest in true competitive pro wrestling that appears more real than WWE's theatrical shows, I believe there is demand for a competitor to enter the market. I believe New Japan is going to make a serious case for someone like SpikeTV to reconsider hosting wrestling programming. That promotion is red hot right now and gives wrestling fans something closer to a legitimate athletic competition than what they are getting with the WWE. Whether Global Force pushes the issue or not, I believe New Japan splashes on United States television during 2015. I would watch regularly... 2015 Prediction #6 - WWE Stock will end the year below $12.00 This is betting on a few things... (1) I'm guessing that WWE Network numbers will continue to disappoint, (2) following CM Punk's comments, workplace, drug use, or health concerns will be raised publicly with WWE, and (3) the United States Federal Reserve will increase interest rates above its current 0 to 0.25% "target range". The Federal Reserve has offered banks lower interest rates since 2007 when the Fed sensed that the economy was going downhill. Many economists are suggesting that rates might go up and money won't be as easy for bigger financial institutions to invest in stocks... Thus, possibly slowing the inflated stock market? Did you get all of that? If not, just return here next year to see if I'm under $12 or not. 2015 Prediction #7 - TNA will shutdown or be acquired by another promotion. TNA is just hanging on at this point and joining a Cable network half of the viewers than what SpikeTV had is just suicide for the promotion. It dies or gets acquired. I still say that Ring of Honor either merges or acquires TNA for a few wrestlers they have on their roster and other assets that the company has. The Carters can't keep throwing money at it forever. 2015 Prediction #8 - WWE will induct at least 3 former WWE World Champions for the Class of 2015. I believe that 2015 will be the year that "Macho Man" Randy Savage gets in and Lanny Poffo (and maybe his mom) inducts him. WWE and the Poffos are talking and produced a DVD and thus I believe that the Hall of Fame induction will occur. After that, you have the Undertaker, Triple H, the Rock, Kane, Christian, Ivan Koloff, Mark Henry, Big Show, and last but not least, Vince McMahon. Probably depends on who might retire before Wrestlemania 31, but I believe that the WWE wants the Rock in the Hall badly. Macho and the Rock are likely with 1 more addition after that. 2015 Prediction #9 - After WWE Network struggles, WWE will attempt to return to Cable/DirecTV/Dish with discounted Pay Per View offerings to American viewers. With WWE still having issues making revenues from WWE Network, they'll realize that returning to Pay Per View, in some form, is not a bad idea. As I proved during 2014, WWE's price hikes for the past 15 years reduced demand to buy their shows and drive more to piracy. With 100 million Cable/Satellite households still in existence, it's worth giving Pay Per View one more try but at a more affordable price for its fans. Not everyone has a strong internet connection or devices that can handle streaming. 2015 Prediction #10 - There will be at least 1 NXT call-up winning the Divas Title during 2015. We saw it with Paige last year, but I believe that WWE will seriously push Charlotte (Ric Flair's daughter) from NXT. 2015 Prediction #11 - NXT will air on television or Pay Per View during 2015 aside from being just on the WWE Network. If NXT keeps getting rave reviews by wrestling fans, it may push another network to inquire WWE about making a NXT a Cable/Satellite show. In addition, making the NXT Pay Per Views available to a wide Pay Per View audience through Cable/Satellite would be beneficial. Either way, I believe that NXT gets a serious look by the entertainment industry outside of the WWE Network. 2015 Prediction #12 - Ring of Honor will see at least 1 former Ring of Honor World Champion return and win the title again. TNA dissolving will push a few former champions to Ring of Honor, especially when WWE has no interest in any TNA assets. The simple fact that WWE doesn't any of the former Ring of Honor champions easily suggests that they'll return home. 2015 Prediction #13 - If Brock Lesnar leaves the WWE, Paul Heyman will leave the WWE as well during 2015. If Brock Lesnar leaves, Paul Heyman will move on and possibly follow Lesnar to whatever MMA venture he has. They are very close. But I believe that WWE thinks Heyman is expendible without Lesnar but if an independent promtion grabs Heyman to book their shows, look out. 2015 Prediction #14 - Kevin Dunn steps down as WWE Executive Producer. Kevin Dunn remains the lone executive that has the ear of Vince McMahon. Triple H has overtaken all other executives in the way, notably John Laurinaitis for talent and even his own wife for creative. Dunn's influence on the WWE product is possibly the difference between WWE and NXT. I believe that HHH will make a push to remove or lessen Dunn and I believe the WWE Network's failures will scapegoat the Executive Producer. And finally... 2015 Prediction #15 - John Cena does NOT turn heel during 2015. The one keeping John Cena strong as the #1 babyface is, in fact, Vince McMahon. There might be calls for Cena to turn heel, even to boost Roman Reigns as a babyface. However, I see the roster as being thicker on heels right now such as Seth Rollins, Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper, Rusev, Cesaro, and maybe Wade Barrett (he might be a face?). Cena can easily remain babyface and feud with each of those wrestlers while Roman Reigns attempts to draw as WWE Champion. But if Reigns fails, the WWE will quickly put the WWE Title back on John Cena. 2016 might be a better year to finally see the Cena heel turn but the WWE might still need his drawing ability for 2015 if things go badly. ------------------------------------- Well, that's all I have for you on my 2015 Predictions. I hope that you enjoyed the column and I wish you the very best for 2015. For me, 2015 will be a pivotal year for me as a WWE viewer. I'm wearing thin on the WWE product. The booking is awful, the midcard is weak, and I'm not high on Roman Reigns or Rusev as the WWE management might be. I look back and see the failures of the Miz, Sheamus, Jack Swagger, Batista, Randy Orton, Alberto Del Rio, etc. and I just don't have faith in WWE management to make Roman Reigns into a star so early into his singles career. I just worry that we're seeing a booking sabotage of Dean Ambrose, as he's lost repeatedly on Pay Per View since the Evolution feud, to pave the way for a Roman Reigns blunder. I'm STILL a wrestling fan and I want to watch GOOD wrestling that resembles a legitimate athletic competition. I'm growing tired of the WWE's theatrics and its poor selection of wrestlers to push. Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, Cesaro, and Dean Ambrose were all primed to grow significantly as bigger WWE stars but each were slowed down by WWE Creative in favor of other wrestlers. Here's hoping that good wrestling, like New Japan, makes itself more accessible to wrestling fans as an alternative. If Triple H is truly the mastermind behind NXT and not just trusting the promotion to former wrestlers down there, then maybe he needs to challenge Vince McMahon and Kevin Dunn more regarding the WWE's direction. I'm going to watch what happens at Wrestlemania 31 closely and consider whether or not it's worth watching the WWE beyond that point. Hopefully, I have an alternative to easily follow to keep being a wrestling fan and Mr. Tito. Maybe the WWE will improve during 2015... SO JUST CHILL... 'TIL THE NEXT EPISODE! Comments and feedback are welcome. Follow and Tweet me @titowrestling or login in below to post comments. © Mr. Tito and LordsofPain.net/WrestlingHeadlines.com - 1998-2014
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