The Post’s Joseph Staszewski brings you around the world of professional wrestling every Tuesday in his weekly column, the Post Match Angle.
With 2023 in our rearview mirror and our awards given out, we turn our attention to what we hope to see in the industry for 2024.
It will be WWE’s first full year under Endeavor as they march toward WrestleMania 40 and secure “Monday Night Raw” media rights with the help of signing CM Punk.
AEW’s media rights are also up and the deal will be an important step to setting the company up for even greater success moving forward.
With plenty to look forward to, we make five bold predictions for 2024.
Reigns’ heel run has been the stuff of legend, but WWE will need to make him feel fresh after he likely faces The Rock and eventually drops the championships and the pressures that come with his historic reign ends.
Reign’s Bloodline faction will likely be completely fractured by then and his absence will give Jimmy and Jey Uso and Solo Sikoa time to flourish without him.
Without the championship and CM Punk potentially as World Heavyweight champion, Paul Heyman will have for the first time a reason to leave Reigns.
It could just be the spark needed along with some remorse and making up with his family to turn Reigns babyface.
Reigns vs. Punk is the next big feud WWE has and it could use it as a vehicle to flip Reigns.
It’s going to be a race between Strickland and newly signed Will Ospreay to get to the mountaintop.
Having Ospreay do so at Wembley Stadium might be a hard thing not to go with, but by year’s end — if not sooner — the energy around Stickland will be too strong to deny.
He made becoming AEW’s first black world champion his main goal for 2024 during the media scrum after Worlds End. It’s clear the fans are behind him as they were chanting for him even after he crushed Dustin Rhodes’ ankle on a cinder block.
Samoa Joe could just be the heel champion Stickland needs to build babyface momentum with and dethrone.
Endeavor will want to get TKO off to the best start to 2024 possible and WrestleMania 40 and UFC 300 — which won’t feature Conor McGregor — happen to be a week apart and feels like a perfect time for the new company’s first foray into cross-promotion.
I don’t think we get the UFC star in a match per se but they could be involved at ringside to add to a feud or get an unscheduled segment at WrestleMania.
AEW women’s division has its best year yet
Worlds End didn’t see it put its best foot forward despite three matches but there is potential for a strong 2024 with stars returning or free agents coming in.
Thunder Rosa is back and hopefully Britt Baker too now that Adam Cole was revealed as The Devil. Jamie Hayter should also be back sometime this year.
Tony Khan said during the media scrum that he plans to be very active in free agency and there are already rumors Mercedes Mone’ and Deona Purrazzo could be joining the company.
With their presence and the rise Toni Storm, Julia Hart, Skye Blue and Kris Stantlander, AEW could have its deepest and most talented women’s roster in its five years.
Something just feels different about CM Punk.
He looks refreshed, in great shape and genuinely happy and appreciative about the opportunity he’s been given in WWE. He also knows this is likely his last chance with a major wrestling company.
Punk seems destined for a WrestleMania 40 main-event match with Seth Rollins that could include a Royal Rumble win. Then, WWE can start unlocking all their potential Punk stories and dream matches. “The Best in the World” seems very interested in NXT and is here to “make money” and not friends.
An incident-free year will more than pay WWE back for its faith.
Take a moment to appreciate the run Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins are on.
Lynch gave Nia Jax arguably her best WWE match with the perfect one-punch ending to put her over like never before.
Rollins added another banger to his collection as World Heavyweight champion with Drew McIntyre with a perfect rope-break spot that his opponent can’t blame anyone else for. Bravo.
Leave it to Shawn Michales and the minds at NXT to turn WWE’s “Underground” idea into something that works. It’s pretty much NXT’s version of a Lights Out match and after two wins it’s becoming Eddie Thorpe’s signature match.
Skye Blue and Julia Hart becoming the menaces of the AEW women’s division might be fun. But the run-ins and saves after every women’s match need to stop.
I’m starting to warm to the idea of Kris Stantlander teaming up with Stokely Hathaway if it pushes her into the AEW women’s championship conversation as a heel.
And if she rebuffs him, he better bring in a Kamille, Deonna Purrazzo or Mandy Rose-level free agent to go against her.
Unlike Adam Cole, Carmelo Hayes feels more and more like the Devil in plain sight for Trick Williams in NXT. Thank goodness for Kevin Owens loving to punch Grayson Waller.
Interested to see how Saraya using Harley Cameron as a last-ditch effort to keep Ruby Soho away from Angelo Parker plays out. At worst, Saraya has someone else by her side if and when Soho does leave her.
For all the baggage that could come along with Matt Riddle, his going back to MLW is a good move for both. It gives them a proven name who will thrive in their style and gives Riddle a spotlight to help stabilize his career and possibly branch back into MMA after his WWE release.
His first match will be against Jacob Fatu in Philly. Curious to see what Sami Callihan does there too.
Bryan Danielson, coming off a stellar, but injury-hindered 2023 and months away from the end of his full-time in-ring career, now gets to wrestle Kazuchika Okada at WrestleKingdom on Jan 4 in what could be one of the Rainmaker’s last matches with New Japan with free agency looming.
Appreciate the moment we are about to get.
Executive producer Kevin Dunn, who left after 40-plus years, wasn’t most WWE fans’ favorite and it’s not surprising he exited after Vince McMahon sold to Endeavor.
Dunn has had a heck of a career and was part of a lot of WWE success, but the audience no longer has to worry about getting dizzied by a thousand camera cuts.
Excited to see who takes over and the stamp they put on the product
Tiffany Stratton had a great post after losing to Fallon Henley at New Year’s Evil and now having to serve as her farmhand.
The former NXT women’s champion posted a Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie dressed as farm hands on “The Simple Life.”
Just more evidence NXT made the most entertaining call.
Samoa Joe, AEW
Just a few years ago it appeared Joe’s career might be coming to an end and he was released by WWE. It made his ending of MJF’s record AEW World Championship reign that much more special on Saturday.
Joe looks as menacing and powerful as ever and is now a world champion for the first time since 2008.
The 44-year-old is on top of his game and will be the perfect person to help launch AEW’s next babyface star.
Randy Orton vs. L.A. Knight vs. A.J. Styles, No. 1 contender for the Undisputed WWE Universal championship (SmackDown, Friday, 8 p.m., Fox)
The winner or winners get Roman Reigns at the Royal Rumble. The question is will it be just one of these three men, two or all of them against The Tribal Chief at Tropicana Field.
Randy Orton is the biggest possible match and the most logical choice, but Styles just returned too and also has not faced Reigns during this historic run. Both had been written off TV thanks to injuries handed out by The Bloodline. Knight already lost to Reigns at Crown Jewel and is more likely there to take the fall, but having the champ have to take on all three would certainly raise the stakes in January