However, over the last few years, a couple of mistakes have crept into the way WWE is calling their shots. In this segment, we take a closer look at those mistakes with an in-depth rationale.
Here are the top 10 things WWE shouldn’t do in the coming future.
#1 PPV centered around special matches
In the early part of 2000, the Royal Rumble was the only PPV that used to come with its marquee match. However, a lot of PPVs have come up in the later years which speaks out loud about the match they are going to feature.
Elimination Chamber, TLC, Money in the Bank and Hell in a Cell, are just to name a few. A name such as Extreme Rules is still acceptable as it abstracts out the various matches it is going to feature.
The drawback of doing this is that the audience already knows how the top Superstars are going to behave in the next couple of weeks, which takes out the element of unpredictability.
Having a special stipulation for a match just because it has to be that way takes the level fathoms down in comparison to the Superstars building their stories such that the match becomes the call of the hour.
The rivalry of Shawn Michaels and Triple H from 2002 to 2004 is a classic example. They fought in an Unsanctioned match, Elimination Chamber match, Three Stages of Hell, Last Man Standing match and a Hell in a Cell match. All these matches were a perfect fit as the rivalry found its new levels through each of these.
#2 Announcing matches between the Superstars before its build up
Speaking about the factor of unpredictability, this is another kill. Recent examples are John Cena vs. Roman Reigns, or even the “Last Time Ever” match.
No doubt that these matches were great, but over a period of time it appears that the opponents are trying to promote their match rather than building up to one. Setting the match before they have even locked their vocals takes the uncertainty of whether the match is going to happen.
Although the match between The Undertaker and John Cena at WrestleMania 35 was obviously going to happen, its build was quite special and kept the fans engaged with its storyline. Fans were anticipating that The Undertaker would show up till the Raw’s WrestleMania go-home episode.
#3 Having a two-month build up for the Royal Rumble winner’s match at WrestleMania
Winning the Royal Rumble is one of the most prestigious feats a Superstar can achieve in WWE. It is a way of catapulting new talents to the top.
However, in the recent few years, the winner of the Royal Rumble match has nothing much to do till his opponent is finalized after the next PPV (Fastlane/ Elimination Chamber).
The match between the winner and his opponent is supposed to be one of the biggest matches at WrestleMania. Frankly speaking, it’s the only match of the year when the challenger has more momentum going into the match.
Without an anticipated build, which could make the fans go impatient to see the competitors get their hands on each other, the match loses much of its deserving charisma.
#4 Restricting MITB winner to a single brand
The Money in the Bank match was formulated with an idea of forcing the reigning champions to always watch their backs. Not to mention, the spark it brings when the contract is cashed in.
However, the entropy of this idea could be taken to a whole other level if the contract holder gets an exception over the frozen roster policy. It would add new highs of unpredictability to the storylines.
Triple H has been quite vocal about how close he wants NXT to Raw and SmackDown Live. Giving the Money in the Bank winner the option to cash it on the NXT Champion could be a total game changer.
#5 Vanilla Superstar Shake-Ups
The last Superstar Shake-Up took place six months ago. Apart from The Miz’s trade, every other trade appeared like a pre-decided move which was made known to the fans on the night of the event.
Allow me to take you back to the first ever WWE draft in 2002. There was a heated rivalry between Mr. McMahon (SmackDown) and Ric Flair (Raw). There were separate War-Rooms for the respective camps which showed them as they strategized their moves as the night progressed.
All that fun and excitement goes missing when the fans are catered to a vanilla list of who is going to be on which show.
#6 No major championships change hands at global shows
Just to be clear, the global shows referred here are events such as the Greatest Royal Rumble, Super Show-Down and Crown Jewel, the events that WWE host as the part of their extension plan across the globe.
If WWE think-tank is going with the concept of not having major championships change on such PPVs, sooner or later, the fans are going to lose interest in these shows. Gone were the days when such shows were not part of the main storylines of the rosters. Since they are milestones in the same now, it’s only fair to treat these shows as equals to any other PPVs.
No major championships have changed hands at the first two shows on this list. Let’s hope that’s not the case in the third one.
#7 Introducing dummy titles (Greatest Royal Rumble, WWE World Cup)
As an extension of not having any major championships change hands at the global shows, WWE has come up with an idea of having a unique match at such PPVs. The fans witnessed the 50-man Greatest Royal Rumble match first, and now it’s WWE World Cup.
It’s only a matter of time when the think-tank is going to dry up in coming up with such accolades. More importantly, the winner of this match gets nothing, unlike the winner of Money in the Bank match or the King of the Ring tournament.
Hence, these dummy titles must go-away for the sake of the bigger picture.
#8 Not introducing a Women’s Tag Team Championship
The women’s roster on the WWE has grown in leaps and bounds over the last one year thanks to the company’s willingness and the talents they have. However, the absence of the tag team championships for this division is a major downside.
There are a couple of worthy holders of these titles, such as Riott Squad, Bellas, IIconics, Absolution (former). Having this championship will make this division far more interesting.
There are still a couple of weeks for Evolution to unfold. The fans would love to see these championships inaugurated at the all women’s PPV. Let’s hope that this becomes a reality soon.
#9 Lack of characters
It’s a difficult task to fabricate one’s own character inside the squared circle and carry it. The Undertaker is the epitome for the Superstars who are willing to follow this path.
However, the support from the company is essential along with the Superstar who has what it takes to carry such a thing. Bray Wyatt and “Woken” Matt Hardy are the recent examples of how things can go downside pretty quickly.
Finn Balor is an exception to this. However, he takes up his alter ego quite sporadically. Such characters provide a good story to tell and should be promoted to be developed.
#10 Heavily underusing the mid-card
WWE is currently fortunate to have a highly talented mid-card with the names of Finn Balor, Kevin Owens, Jinder Mahal, Bobby Lashley, and Elias. Sadly, none of them is in any prominent storyline.
Kevin Owens had a pointless storyline in his feud with Braun Strowman for a good part of this year. And only heaven knows what the future plans for Finn Balor are, if there are any.
It’s high time that the story writers harness the full potential of the talents they have at their disposal. There was a time a couple of years back when the WWE faced the problem of lacking a solid mid-card. They must reap the benefits of what they have done to earn it.
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