WWE Fans' End-of-the-Year Wishlist for 2019
It's a "new era" in WWE, at least according to the company. Chairman Vince McMahon introduced the new regime on a recent Raw and did away with the "middle management" (i.e., general managers), which is different from how Raw and SmackDown Live have traditionally been run in years past.
Regardless of who's in charge, it's tough to argue the overall product hasn't been dull in 2018 and how a drastic creative overhaul of some sort is not desperately needed. Already WWE has shown it is willing to give fans what they want, with The Revival receiving more television time, Mustafa Ali being added to the SmackDown roster and the announcement that women's tag team titles will soon be introduced.
It will take much more than that for the promotion to earn back the audience's trust following years of questionable decisions. It remains to be seen whether WWE will make an effort to turn things around or the claims there will be "change" prove to be nothing more than empty promises.
Either way, fans have been vocal about what they would like to see implemented into the weekly shows. Not all of the problems that have plagued the product this year can be rectified overnight, but the company can at least address the issues before taking the appropriate steps to solve them.
From brand switches to pushes for certain stars to a WrestleMania main event that must be booked, this is the end-of-the-year wishlist for WWE fans in 2019.
Less Emphasis on Authority Figures
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WWE's overreliance on "evil" authority figures over the past two decades has been as big of a problem for the company as anything else. Mr. McMahon set the bar high with his heel work during the Attitude Era, and with the exception of an elite few (namely Eric Bischoff and Vickie Guerrero), no one has come close to topping him.
That was especially true in 2018, with Baron Corbin running Raw for the second half of the year. Thankfully, he was recently removed from his position of power, but that doesn't make up for the many months that his heel shenanigans (which included impromptu Handicap matches and babyfaces being held down) ruined Raw.
Mr. McMahon, Triple H, Stephanie McMahon and Shane McMahon announced on the Dec. 17 edition of Raw they would be in charge of both Raw and SmackDown moving forward, effectively eliminating the general-manager role. There was never any need for these in the first place, but the McMahons shouldn't be overexposed on WWE TV, either.
The Authority has been done to death, so rerunning that storyline will get old quickly if WWE decides to go that route. Instead, the powers that be should have a much smaller presence on programming and should be heard from much less often than they are seen.
NXT is a prime example of how authority figures should be handled, with their brand's general manager, William Regal, rarely appearing on the show. Whenever he does surface, it's for a major happening.
WWE would benefit from taking a similar approach as we enter 2019 and shift the focus from the authority figures to the talent.
Give Tag Teams a Chance
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The women's evolution in WWE can be traced back as far as 2015, when the hashtag #GiveDivasAChance trended worldwide on Twitter following a women's tag team match on Raw that was cut short because of time constraints.
It wasn't long after that when NXT standouts Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch were introduced to the main roster. Since then, the ladies of Raw and SmackDown have been receiving more and more opportunities and have made history on countless occasions.
So, what about the tag teams?
It can be argued WWE hasn't had a consistently strong tag team division in more than three decades. Whenever a team starts to catch fire, they are almost immediately broken up, and the few that have remained together such as The Usos and The New Day have stood the test of time because of their ability to constantly reinvent themselves.
Beyond those tandems, though, the well runs dry in terms of elite tandems on Raw and SmackDown. The Revival has yet to be given a fair shake, Sanity is rarely seen on SmackDown, AOP isn't nearly as dominant as it should be and Bobby Roode and Chad Gable are likely only a temporary pairing.
The Raw Tag Team Championships changed hands a whopping eight times in 2018, and no tandem held the twin titles for more than two months. The division has been an afterthought on both brands for several years, so one of WWE's top priorities in 2019 should be to showcase tag team wrestling more often.
Tag teams have proved that when given the chance to shine, they more than make the most of it.
Please Don't Butcher the NXT Call-Ups
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A common criticism of the WWE product for years has been how the NXT call-ups have been handled.
Aside from a select few such as Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens and Charlotte Flair, WWE doesn't have the greatest track record of taking talent from the developmental brand and using them appropriately on Raw and SmackDown.
From Apollo Crews to Bayley to The Revival, there are several stars who have failed to sustain momentum as a result of bad booking. This year wasn't much different, as Sanity, The IIconics, Ember Moon and even Andrade "Cien" Almas all floundered on their respective shows.
Above all else, WWE must pay more attention to the aspiring Superstars from NXT and ensure they are being brought up with a plan in place. Otherwise, there's no reason for them to be just another body on the roster and lose any luster they had in developmental.
WWE announced on the Dec. 17 edition of Raw that EC3, Lars Sullivan and Nikki Cross, among others, will be arriving on Raw and SmackDown in the coming weeks. All of those Superstars had solid stints in NXT and deserve a chance to get over in front of a bigger audience.
Aleister Black is another individual who shouldn't be overlooked upon debuting on the grand stage sometime in 2019. He has far too much potential to be wasted, though it would take a ton for WWE to squander a star of his caliber.
Then again, the company managed to mangle Finn Balor and Shinsuke Nakamura, so anything is possible.
King of the Ring Returns
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It's been nearly four years since the King of the Ring tournament was last held under the WWE banner. What gives?
The semifinals and finals of 2015 tournament aired exclusively on the WWE Network, and although it was cool to see Wade Barrett emerge as the new King of the Ring, he was booked horribly thereafter. Thus, it's possible the powers that be considered the experiment to revive the tourney a failure, but that was entirely their fault.
A King of the Ring tournament, if done right, can be beneficial to the winner, as well as entertaining for those watching. After all, wrestling fans love tournaments, and there's no reason for the eight-person bracket to be squeezed into one episode of Raw.
In fact, bringing it back as an annual pay-per-view would be the best option. There are so many events on the WWE calendar that aren't interesting or don't serve a purpose (or both), so replacing a show such as Hell in a Cell or Extreme Rules with King of the Ring would be a well-received decision.
Bret Hart, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Triple H all had the honor to call themselves the King of the Ring at one point in their careers, and look how they fared.
King of the Ring's return is worth a shot, as long as the crown and scepter are left behind.
Seth Rollins Cements Himself as 'The Guy' in WWE
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Roman Reigns' announcement to the WWE Universe on Oct. 22 that he had leukemia and would have to take time off indefinitely left a major void on Raw.
It's no secret the company had been grooming The Big Dog to be "the guy" for several years by having him beat legends such as Triple H, The Undertaker, John Cena and Brock Lesnar, among others.
Despite their best efforts to endear him to the audience, nothing worked. And in the meantime, the company neglected the rest of the roster. That became more apparent once Reigns announced his departure from the flagship show, and WWE has struggled to find a fitting replacement for him since then.
Between Braun Strowman and AJ Styles, there are a handful of fan favorites WWE could build around if it so wished, but Seth Rollins is unquestionably the best candidate to take over as the face of the franchise. His hot streak in 2018 cannot be denied, and at 32, he still has the rest of his career ahead of him.
As abysmal as Raw was this year, it would have been significantly worse if The Architect hadn't been around, making it all the more mind-boggling that he hasn't sniffed the Universal Championship picture for more than two years. That needs to change in 2019.
In fact, WWE might as well go ahead and rename the red brand to Monday Night Rollins in 2019, seeing as how he's the sole Superstar worth watching on the show nowadays.
Bye Bye, Brock Lesnar
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Regardless of whether it's Seth Rollins, Braun Stowman or whoever, someone desperately needs to relieve Brock Lesnar of the Universal Championship in the not-so-distant future.
His holding the gold for more than 500 days between April 2017 and August 2018 was ridiculous enough, let alone the decision to put the belt back on him at Crown Jewel in November.
Lesnar has been persona non grata on Raw since then, and his extended absence from the red brand has left the roster with nothing to fight for.
Strowman will challenge for the championship at the Royal Rumble on January 27, but it is hardly a guarantee he will beat The Beast Incarnate for the strap considering how many times he has fallen short of doing so before.
It's possible WWE will hold off on having Lesnar drop the title until WrestleMania 35, but either way, his WWE tenure must be coming to an end in the next few months. Fans have been speculating about The Beast Incarnate leaving WWE for UFC for years, but he has done more to harm than help the product lately, and he simply isn't worth the company's investment.
It wouldn't be enough for WWE to transition him out of the main event picture; he should go away entirely in order to feel fresh again. Yes, he rarely appears on WWE TV as it is, but a majority of the fanbase is still sick of seeing him at this point, and he would benefit from disappearing for a while.
There is plenty of money to be made for Lesnar in UFC, so once WrestleMania season has come and gone, here's hoping he returns to mixed martial arts full time, while WWE finally moves on from the narrative that Lensar is an almighty being who can't be conquered.
Finn Balor Moves to SmackDown Live
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Finn Balor made quite the impact upon arriving on Raw in the summer of 2016, beating Roman Reigns on his first night as a member of the roster and becoming the inaugural universal champion at SummerSlam. Unfortunately, a serious shoulder injury hindered his momentum, and he hasn't been the same since.
The former NXT champion has attempted to recapture that same magic he had a few years ago by chasing the Intercontinental Championship, forming The Balor Club and bringing back his Demon persona on a handful of occasions, but he has failed to escape midcard mediocrity.
It's clear officials have no plans for him to be a main event player on Raw. Otherwise, he would have received a more aggressive push by now, so his best bet would be to move to SmackDown Live in 2019, preferably as part of the annual Superstar Shake-up after WrestleMania 35.
AJ Styles likely wouldn't be the same Superstar he is today if he weren't positioned so strongly on SmackDown and instead played second fiddle to Roman Reigns on Raw. Balor could experience similar success if he switches shows and gets that big break at long last.
Not only would the change of scenery be good for him, but Balor would also have a fresh batch of opponents to work with and could reunite or possibly feud with Styles, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson.
The possibilities are endless, and it's hard to imagine he would be any worse off on SmackDown than he is on Raw.
Ronda Rousey vs. Becky Lynch Headlines WrestleMania 35
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Ronda Rousey vs. Becky Lynch was the match WWE fans didn't know they wanted until it was announced for Survivor Series the day after the epic Evolution event.
Rousey was on a roll as the Raw women's champion, while Lynch was catching fire on SmackDown Live as the hottest heel in wrestling.
The buildup to the bout was brilliant, with the pair trading Twitter jabs and cutting promos on each other. It was easily the most anticipated outing on the card, and there was genuine uncertainly regarding who would win.
Before the matchup could come to pass, though, Lynch suffered a legitimate injury at the hands of Nia Jax, causing the contest to be called off. Despite that, The Man continued to call out Rousey on Twitter, leading to the former UFC star costing her the SmackDown Women's Championship at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 16.
Needless to say, the bad blood brewing between the two is far from over and is bound to culminate at some point. WWE would be foolish to have them come face-to-face any sooner than WrestleMania 35—where they should fight in the main event.
No match makes more sense to headline The Show of Shows than Rousey vs. Lynch. It would be history-making, but more importantly it would be deserving of the honor considering how fans having been waiting eagerly to see it happen.
Anything can change between now and WrestleMania, but if these two aren't closing out the event, WWE should re-evaluate how it does business.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is an Endicott College alumnus and aspiring journalist. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.
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