With the WWE Draft now over and Roman Reigns is firmly established as a SmackDown-exclusive star, the company’s next big step is to crown a new World Heavyweight Champion for RAW.
In the weeks following the title’s reveal, work has been done to make this title into something prestigious and worth fighting for. Several wrestlers have expressed interest in fighting for it, but up until now there was no way of knowing if any of them would get their shot.
A few days ago, WWE announced how the inaugural champion would be crowned: two tournaments, one on RAW and one on SmackDown, will take place. Six wrestlers from each brand will compete in singles matches until three remain.
Then those three will face each other in Triple Threat matches until there is one winner from each show. And then, those two winners will face off at Night of Champions, where the first World Heavyweight Champion will be crowned.
And now, the twelve wrestlers who will be in the tournament have been revealed.
WWE announces tournament participants, six from each brand, competing for RAW’s new world title
12 WWE Superstars from #WWERaw and #SmackDown look to claim the World Heavyweight Title at #WWENOC.
Find out who they are NOW! 👀 pic.twitter.com/v5qvYFx5eH
— WWE (@WWE) May 7, 2023
The six RAW wrestlers competing in the tournament are: Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, Damian Priest, The Miz, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Cody Rhodes.
The six SmackDown wrestlers competing in the tournament are: AJ Styles, Bobby Lashley, current United States Champion Austin Theory, Rey Mysterio, Edge, and Sheamus.
The first matches in the tournament will take place on the May 8th edition of RAW. The tournament concludes on May 27th at Night of Champions which will emanate from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.