Five WWE stars who could win their first world championship within the next year

Sami Zayn is the latest star to win a WWE world championship for the first time, reaching the top of the WWE mountain at Night of Champions 2026.

Zayn is already a two-time Undisputed WWE Champion, with his first reign ending after just nine days, and the wrestling veteran defeating CM Punk to win the gold back on the September 11 SmackDown episode.

Looking at the current WWE roster, there are a number of stars who look poised to win either the Undisputed WWE Championship or World Heavyweight Championship, with more first-time champions to potentially be crowned over the next 365 days.

Here are five WWE stars who could win their first world championship with the company within the next year.

Penta

We could see Penta win his first WWE world title as early as next week, with the luchador set to challenge for the World Heavyweight Championship on Raw in Mexico City.

Having won the #1 contender’s tournament to earn this title match, Penta will attempt to capture Roman Reigns’ World Heavyweight Championship in front of his home-country crowd.

Following Sami Zayn’s Undisputed WWE Title win on SmackDown, and Stephanie Vaquer’s Women’s World Championship victory at the Santiago, Chile live event, there has been a lot of speculation about the World Heavyweight Title also changing hands while WWE is away from the US.

Rey Mysterio previously teased that “anything can happen” in Monday’s championship match, so all eyes will be on Reigns and Penta on Raw.

Johnny Gargano

Interestingly, Johnny Gargano feels in a similar position to Sami Zayn earlier this year prior to his first Undisputed WWE Championship win.

Gargano jumped straight from his planking position to the WWE Championship picture, unsuccessfully challenging for CM Punk’s title on the September 4 SmackDown episode, and interfering in Punk and Zayn’s title match on September 11.

His current position is reminiscent of how Sami Zayn inserted himself into Cody Rhodes and GUNTHER’s championship rivalry, leading to Zayn winning the gold at Night of Champions.

With Johnny Gargano taking to social media to state that he has “got next” following the recent title change, we could soon see Johnny Wrestling realize his lifelong dream.

Je’Von Evans

Je’Von Evans has stated on numerous occasions that he intends to become the youngest world champion in WWE history.

This record is currently held by Randy Orton, who won the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam 2004 at the age of 24.

Je’Von Evans has until September 2028 to win a world title to break this record, but it is possible that the rising star reaches the top of the WWE mountain within the next year.

With Evans having yet to win a championship in WWE, it would be monumental to see his first title reign be so significant.

Dominik Mysterio

While Dominik Mysterio has reigned with the AAA Mega Championship, he has yet to win a main roster world title.

Many fans and wrestlers alike have touted Mysterio as a future WWE world champion, with Big E predicting in September 2025 that Dirty Dom would hold either the Undisputed Championship or World Heavyweight Title within the next five years.

Following Triplemánia, we could see Dominik Mysterio return to the main roster with the sole aim of winning one of WWE’s two top prizes.

With Dominik making his in-ring debut at SummerSlam 2020, it would be a full-circle moment to see the Judgment Day member finally win the big one.

Oba Femi

Oba Femi has been presented as one of the most dominant stars in the company since arriving on Raw in January.

Following his impressive main roster debut in the Royal Rumble match, defeating Brock Lesnar twice, and winning the King of the Ring tournament, an Oba Femi world title reign feels like an inevitability.

While Oba Femi did call out World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns following WrestleMania 42, the two have largely been kept apart since April, with Femi even giving up his guaranteed title shot after his King of the Ring tournament victory.

When Femi and Reigns finally do clash, it would make a lot of sense to see The Ruler come out on top.

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