How BetOnline Will Settle Its 2021 Champions Markets

On January 1st, I published a post pointing out that BetOnline had released betting markets allowing customers to gamble on which wrestlers would be holding either of the four major titles at the end of 2021. 

Considering today is the final day of the year, and we're not getting a regular episode of WWE Smackdown, I think it's safe to take a look at what will end up being the winning selections in each market.

WWE Universal Champion

When the market opened for the WWE Universal Championship, Roman Reigns was in the early stages of his reign as titleholder. This run has continued through 2021.

He was a -250 favourite back then, and was still at -250 during the spring when the market was adjusted with Daniel Bryan and Jey Uso showing shorter odds.

WWE Champion

Big E will close 2021 as the WWE Champion. However, due to being a member of the Smackdown roster when the market for the WWE Championship was first priced up, he did not appear as a runner in the market for Raw's major title.

Customers had sided with early favourite Drew McIntyre, who was backed from +200 into +175. Then, when Bobby Lashley was in possession of the title, Lashley's odds were cut from +1,600 into +250 second-favourite.

Braun Strowman - who ended up departing the company later in the year - also had a reduction. His price dropped from +1,200 into +700.

The only other selection which lowered was the one for Randy Orton to be WWE Champion at the conclusion of '21. He was +800 when the market was last made available over springtime. He was initially +1,200.

WWE Smackdown Women's Championship

There was no winning selection in the market for the WWE Smackdown Women's Championship because - when priced up - the current champion, Charlotte Flair, was a member of the Raw roster.

Bianca Belair, who was a +250 second-favourite on Boxing Day 2020, was lowered into +125 following her Royal Rumble followed by WrestleMania title  victories. 

Sasha Banks had kicked off as fave because she was the titleholder at the time the market was released. However, with Belair's win at Mania, Banks became a second-fave.

Raw Women's Championship

Becky Lynch was on maternity leave when she was installed at +200 to be holding the WWE Raw Women's Championship a little over a year later.

As we know, Lynch returned to the company at SummerSlam in August and beat Bianca Belair to become WWE Smackdown Women's Champion. Then, post-draft, Lynch and Charlotte Flair had to switch titles.

Had WWE not done that, there would have been a totally different scenario which would have seen both of the women's markets with winners due to Becky Lynch appearing at +400 in the Smackdown market (she was added in April) and Charlotte Flair would have been the winning selection for the Raw strap.

There was one other 'Titleholder at end of 2021' market which was released by BetOnline this year. However, it didn't last for long.

It was a proposition market which asked whether or not Samoa Joe would still be in possession of the NXT World Title on New Year's Eve.

The company offered -200 favouritism to 'Yes' and +150 for 'No' when the market was published on August 25th. This was three days after Joe had won the strap and eighteen days before he relinquished it.

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