Royal Rumble 2017: How to Fix Least Promising Storylines So Far

WWE is a little over a week away from Royal Rumble 2017 on Jan. 29, and all of the main storylines are in place. But few of them will end at the Rumble. Most of them will evolve into more consequential storylines on the Road to WrestleMania. For the payoffs on those narratives to be big, their foundations need to be strong.

Granted, WWE is in a better place in terms of creativity than it was last year—the Roman Reigns vs. The Authority angle was stale before it even started. This year's Reigns vs. Kevin Owens and AJ Styles vs. John Cena feuds are already more compelling. But that doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement. 

Here are some simple ways that WWE can invigorate and improve its storylines.

Give Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson Another Chance at Talking

Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson haven't spoken much on the mic since September, when they performed that abominable "Old Day" sketch that everybody wants to forget. Even Anderson admitted it was a bad idea, per Neil Docking of the Daily Mirror.

But that's unfortunate because the two of them benefited from cutting promos. The most heat The Club ever had was right before SummerSlam, when it was doing its doctors gimmick and discussing the rise of "ringpostitis."

Sometimes ideas don't work. But that doesn't mean WWE officials should stop coming up with them. Right now, The Club is little more than a pair of glorified tough guys. Gallows and Anderson's feud with Sheamus and Cesaro would be a lot more compelling if they were more than that.

Make Mickie James a Tweener

This past Tuesday, Becky Lynch unmasked La Luchadora and revealed her to be Mickie James, who then revealed her allegiance to Alexa Bliss. It seems like the two of them will be forming a duo for the foreseeable future.

This doesn't make a lot of sense. First, Bliss is a heel, and James is beloved by the WWE Universe. James' presence at ringside will muddle the audience response and take cheers away from Lynch. And yes, James was one of the best heels in WWE years ago. But when a veteran wrestler returns after so many years, nostalgia kicks in. Audience members are going to cheer James, regardless of what she does.

Instead, James should be booked as a third competitor with no allegiance to anyone. A Triple Threat match for the title would be so much better than whatever handicap or tag match will result from the current plan. Bliss is able to draw crowd reactions on her own; she doesn't need anybody else's help.

Give Enzo and Cass a Genuine Tag Team Feud

Enzo Amore and Big Cass are stuck in an endless feud with Rusev. This rivalry has been going on for multiple weeks, and there's little more that either side can do to the other. There's nothing on the line aside from petty ego.

And furthermore, why are Enzo and Cass fighting a singles wrestler? They ought to be involved in a tag team feud that can show off their chemistry. Instead, on last Monday's Raw, they fought Rusev and Jinder Mahal, two singles wrestlers thrown together at random.

WWE can either break Enzo and Cass up, send Amore to the cruiserweight division and push Cass as a singles star or keep the team together and put it in a feud with The Club or The New Day. But the creative team shouldn't try—and fail—to have both.

Reunite The Prime Time Players

The Darren Young experiment is over. The Titus O'Neil experiment is also over. WWE tried to push both of them as singles performers, and neither succeeded on his own.

O'Neil looks impressive, but he cannot talk or improvise on the spot. His current feud with The New Day is not nearly as funny as WWE seems to believe. And Young's push started off well—Bob Backlund was an inspired choice for manager—but soon cratered. Like O'Neil, Young has little charisma to fall back on.

Reunite The Prime Time Players. And why not? They were over with the live audience, and that partnership was the last time that either man was relevant. There's more than enough strong singles wrestlers on Raw. There's not nearly enough strong tag teams.

Break Up Jericho and Owens

This bromance has run its course. It's time for Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho to break up their friendship after the Rumble.

Triple H should be back on weekly television any day now. He's likely fighting Seth Rollins at WrestleMania. And once he returns, he should fill the role that Jericho currently fills. It's what Triple H should have been doing all along—ever since he interfered in the Fatal 4-Way match after SummerSlam and handed Owens the universal title.

The mentor-student angle won't be as powerful as it once was if WWE started it now. But it's better than the current direction.

Jericho, meanwhile, can move on to something new. Perhaps he can help a new talent get over; no one knows how to do it better than him.