5 New Year's Resolutions for the WWE Universe

The end of the year is fast approaching, and that means people will be making New Year's resolutions they'll probably forget about a few weeks into 2018.

For WWE, 2017 was a year of many ups and downs. Bill Goldberg's run as universal champion was a welcome surprise, as was the ascension of Braun Strowman to the main-event scene.

Samoa Joe has been a well-received addition to the roster, and The Fashion Police became a breakout hit.

We also witnessed countless show-stealing matches from a variety of Superstars in every division, but the year wasn't all sunshine and rainbows.

Brock Lesnar's long reign as universal champion has kept Raw's top title off television most of the year, and Jinder Mahal's run as WWE champion was seen as nothing more than a marketing stunt to help WWE's expansion into India by many fans.

There are a lot of things the company could be doing to make its product more enticing, but the WWE Universe can also help things along the way.

This article will look at five New Year's resolutions every WWE fan should try in the coming year.

Stop Chanting CM Punk's Name

CM Punk was a great wrestler who left WWE under unfortunate circumstances, but we need to stop treating him like he is some kind of living legend.

Chanting his name won't bring him back. It might be seen as some kind of protest by fans who don't like what's happening in the ring, but it's becoming petty.

"Never say never" is an expression used frequently in pro wrestling, but there is a high possibility Punk will never return to WWE or any other wrestling promotion.

If you think chanting his name bothers Stephanie McMahon one bit, you are wrong. As long as the crowd is making noise, management is happy.

When WWE does something we don't like, silence is much more powerful than saying the name of a guy who walked out at the top of your lungs.

Give the Cruiserweight Division a Chance

The WWE Universe wanted the cruiserweight division to return for a long time, but when the company brought it back in 2016, we didn't give it the support it deserved.

The Cruiserweight Classic was a fun event filled with some of the best matches of the year, but the launch of 205 Live didn't go as well.

The show debuted just over a year ago on November 29. According to The Wrestling Observer (h/t Larry Csonka of 411 Mania), it didn't even rank in the top 10 programs on the WWE Network for the week of September 21.

The article noted it placed 12th on the list behind programs like WrestleMania 33, the finals of the Mae Young Classic and an episode of NXT.

It might not be easy to switch over to the WWE Network for an hour on Tuesdays after watching two hours of SmackDown, but the show is usually worth checking out at some point in the following days.

Cedric Alexander, Akira Tozawa, Jack Gallagher, Tony Nese and TJP have produced countless incredible matches over the past year.

Neville was one of the best things going in 2017, and Enzo Amore, as annoying as he can be, has given the show a different feel.

Give 205 Live another chance in 2018. You might just like what you see. 

Be More Patient

Pro wrestling used to be all about long-term feuds, but in today's world of instant gratification, fans are less willing to be patient.

If someone the WWE Universe likes doesn't get pushed as soon as they arrive on the main roster, we act like the company doesn't know what it's doing.

Tye Dillinger, Shinsuke Nakamura and Bobby Roode were as over with the crowd as anyone in NXT, but their main-roster runs have been less than stellar.

All three men have had some time in the spotlight, with title shots and various storylines, but none of them have been pushed as hard as they were in the developmental system.

Their call-ups may have been poorly executed, but we also need to remember that the company has a history of building up Superstars over time.

It took Shawn Michaels several years before he even got a shot at the WWE title, and it took a few more years before he actually won it. The same can be said for dozens, maybe hundreds, of other wrestlers.

We need to give these Superstars time to connect with the casual fans who might not be familiar with their past work, instead of expecting every indy darling to be pushed right to the top like Finn Balor.

Don't Try to Hijack Shows Anymore

WWE fans have been ostracized for liking "fake fighting" for decades, and it has turned us into a jaded and sometimes selfish group of people.

We used to go to shows because we enjoyed the ride. If we didn't like the person who won, we booed, and if the winner was a fan favorite, we cheered. It was as simple as that.

Younger fans still enjoy WWE for what it is, but the older we get, the more we want the company to adhere to what we think is the best plan for success.

Having an opinion about the product is one thing, but trying to take over a show with malicious chants isn't going to fix anything.

Let's try to remember why we liked pro wrestling in the first place and enjoy it for the over-the-top performance art that it is.

Give Other Promotions a Chance

Believe it or not, WWE needs other wrestling promotions if it is going to continue to do business in the future.

The WWE Performance Center can only do so much to prepare a new generation for the ring. Young wrestlers need other places where they can hone their craft and make a living.

The past decade has seen a resurgence in the indy wrestling scene. Companies like Ring of Honor and Lucha Underground have been great for the industry as an alternative to WWE.

The same can be said about TNA, New Japan Pro Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and Chikara. Many of today's top WWE Superstars worked for at least one of these companies before joining the roster.

If we want the business we love to thrive, we need to start showing more support for these smaller companies. If every WWE fan attended one indy show per year, it would make a big difference.

So seek out other promotions, whether it's on television or in your local area. You may just find out there is more to like about pro wrestling than what WWE delivers each week.

It's up to you to decide what kind of fan you want to be. What are your new year's resolutions for the new year?