10 Dark Horses Who Could Become WWE World Champions In 2024
WWE has a packed roster full of talented in-ring performers from all over the world, and the company continues to recruit even more wrestlers every year and train them through its performance center and NXT system. They join the ranks of the established stars on the roster and share the dream of rising to the top and becoming a world champion in WWE. Many have accomplished the feat in the past, with even more yet to realize their dream.
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"Never say never" and "expect the unexpected" are widely used terms in the pro wrestling business, and WWE has surprised the fans with surprising world champions in the past. With that said, let's take a look at ten names that might be added to that list in 2024.
10 Karrion Kross
Karrion Kross had all the momentum during his stint in NXT between 2020 and 2021 and held the NXT Championship twice. He had excellent character development in NXT and had all it takes to break out into the next big star on the main roster. But the big leagues proved challenging for Kross as he got released within four months of his call-up. However, he got re-hired in August 2022, but things have been the same for him in terms of his on-screen booking.
However, Chief Content Officer Triple H might have something up his sleeve for Karrion Kross in the coming year and might surprise the fans with a sudden push that might see Kross get his hands on the World Heavyweight Championship.
9 Bron Breakker
Bron Breakker is a second-generation WWE Superstar who is making quite the strides in NXT, where he is already a 2-time NXT Champion. Rumors of his potential main roster call-up has been on the rise in the past few months, and WWE could bring him up to Raw or SmackDown by next year.
Bron Beakker's booking clearly shows that the company has high hopes for him and could bring him in as the next big thing on the main roster, and if he gets a call-up similar to that of Finn Balor in 2016, we might see him capture one of the men's world titles in 2024.
8 Montez Ford
Montez Ford has always stood out from his Street Profits tag team partner, Angelo Dawkins, because of his charisma and athleticism. He has quite the fan following and proved himself in singles matches against the likes of Seth Rollins, Jey Uso, and Roman Reigns in the past.
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He's currently involved in a storyline with 2-time WWE Champion Bobby Lashley, and WWE might take it from there to establish Ford as a singles performer in the coming year and could possibly have him capture one of the world titles to ignite a feud with Lashley.
7 Finn Balor
Finn Balor had the perfect call-up from NXT in 2016 when he went on to become the inaugural Universal Champion. But the injury and his subsequent surrender of the title pushed him down the cards too hard that it took him years to find a stable spot on the main roster spotlight.
He has it now with his current role as the leader of the Judgment Day faction. WWE has already teased a fallout between Balor and Mr. MITB Damian Priest, and it's almost a certainty the latter would capture the World Heavyweight Championship in 2024, and that could open up the perfect opportunity for Balor to feud with his stablemate and potentially dethrone him for the title.
6 Kevin Owens
Apart from his solitary Universal title reign between 2016 and 2017, Kevin Owens has been finding it hard to win a world championship despite multiple opportunities over the years.
He's now teaming up with his long-time friend Sami Zayn, and the fans can already feel a heel turn brewing up for Owens with his stand with Jey Uso joining Raw. It's only a matter of time Owens and Zayn start feuding again, with the former turning heel, and that could finally be the push he needs to get his hands on one of the world titles in 2024.
5 Dakota Kai
Dakota Kai is one of the most talented performers in the current WWE women's division, and she has already proved herself by having two reigns each with the WWE and NXT Women's Tag Team Championships.
She's currently part of the Damage CTRL faction with Bayley and WWE Women's Champion Iyo Sky. With Sky being the current champion and Bayley already showing some signs of jealousy, a feud between Dakota Kai and Bayley over the title is inevitable in the future, which might lead Kai to win her first major singles championship on the main roster.
4 Tiffany Stratton
Former NXT Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton is making her name known among the WWE Universe with her excellent in-ring work and characterization in NXT over the past few months. She showcased the best combination of in-ring and mic skills and proved herself that she could hang with the big fish on the main roster with her match against Becky Lynch at NXT No Mercy 2023.
She has all it takes to break out into the main roster, and stake her claim for one of the two world titles in the women's division, and make an impact in 2024.
3 Logan Paul
Logan Paul has proved to be the best celebrity addition to the WWE roster in the company's history as he proved his critics wrong and showcased excellent in-ring ability and flawless depiction of his heel persona.
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He's already had a world title match against Roman Reigns at Crown Jewel 2022 and had an entertaining feud against Seth Rollins. He's made all this impact in WWE with only seven matches to his name so far, and WWE could capitalize on his abilities in the coming year and have him capture one of the world championships.
2 Jey Uso
After all those years competing alongside his brother Jimmy as a tag team performer, Main Event Jey Uso is now a singles performer on Raw. Despite him capturing the tag team titles with Cody Rhodes at Fastlane 2023, the plan has always been for him to be a singles star and have a potential brother vs. brother match against Jimmy Uso.
If the match does take place at WrestleMania 40, Jey Uso is the favorite to come out on top, and with that momentum in his side, WWE could book him to capture the World Heavyweight Championship in 2024.
1 Austin Theory
Austin Theory could've already been a world champion if WWE went ahead with him successfully cashing in the MITB contract. However, WWE had him cash-in the contract on the United States Championship and lose the match instead.
But that gave the company the opportunity to have him dump his old selfie gimmick and book him to have a lengthy run with the United States title and a big win against John Cena at WrestleMania 39.
With superstars like Damian Priest and Cody Rhodes set to take to world title slots the coming year, WWE might squeeze Austin Theory into the mix and have him capture one of the titles to cement his place as a legitimate star on the main roster.
