
A Holiday Wish List for WWE and AEW Fans for 2020
It's that time of year when people decorate their homes, wrap presents and spend time with loved ones. It's also the time of year when people think about what they want for themselves.
While wish lists tend to be associated with kids around the holidays, adults have plenty of things they would like, too.
For wrestling fans, it feels like we are asking for changes all year. Luckily, WWE tends to use the end of the year to reset before it heads into The Road to WrestleMania.
AEW appears to be using the end of the year as a chance to regroup. There will be no new episode of Dynamite this week so talents can spend the holiday with their families.
Since both companies look to be making changes for 2020, it feels like the perfect time to look at a list of things WWE and AEW fans would love to see in the new year.
WWE: Better Storylines
1 of 6WWE has more talented wrestlers than it knows what to do with, so the in-ring product is not an issue. The problem most fans have is with the direction of certain storylines.
Lana, Bobby Lashley and Rusev's love triangle is a prime example of a feud the WWE Universe wants to be over as soon as possible.
Lashley and Rusev are two of the most physically imposing Superstars in the company, and WWE has them fighting over a woman who is clearly just using them for her own gain.
Lana was great when she and The Bulgarian Brute were evil and when Rusev Day was at the height of its popularity, but her recent performances have not been as convincing.
This kind of soap opera storytelling works in pro wrestling when it's done right. This is not one of those times, and they are not the only ones suffering. The tag team division has suffered from a lack of real storylines and has survived solely on the high-quality matches being produced on a regular basis.
The foundation of pro wrestling is the in-ring action, but without entertaining stories to back it up, we have no reason to care when two people are in a feud.
AEW: More Focus on the Women's Division
2 of 6As many people have been saying on social media lately, the honeymoon period for AEW is over. The company has been running Dynamite on TNT for a few months, and it has already put on a handful of pay-per-views.
Building a brand-new promotion and introducing most of the roster to the casual fans who do not follow indie wrestling is not an easy task. AEW has two hours on television and one hour on YouTube every week and dozens of people it needs to push.
The company has done a good job showcasing the Superstars people know like Cody Rhodes, Jon Moxley, Pac and Kenny Omega, but it has not done enough to build its women's division yet.
Until recently, there was only one match for the division each week. AEW has been running more in recent weeks, but it still has a lot of work to do.
The booking has also been somewhat lopsided. Riho has barely been on television since she won the Women's Championship on October 2, while Britt Baker is used almost every week.
As stated above, building a new brand isn't easy. We have to be patient and things like the women's division will eventually be fleshed out and full of recognizable faces.
WWE: Take the Title off Brock Lesnar
3 of 6Brock Lesnar is the WWE champion. He hasn't been on television since November 24, and he probably won't be back until close to The Royal Rumble on January 26.
The Beast has reached the point where he no longer needs the title to be considered the most dominant wrestler in WWE. We get it. It's time to let the rest of the roster fight for the belt.
Without a top champion on Raw every week, major stars like AJ Styles, Rey Mysterio and Seth Rollins are feuding over the United States Championship instead of midcard guys who need the rub like Andrade, Aleister Black and Buddy Murphy.
We have gotten too used to one of the brands not having its world champion around all the time. Lesnar may be a draw with a part-time schedule, but that doesn't mean the WWE Championship should be part-time, too.
The Beast should be booked like The Undertaker. The Deadman hasn't held a title in over 10 years, but he is still a major attraction. People will pay to see Lesnar with or without gold around his waist.
AEW: Better Production
4 of 6AEW is still growing, and a lot of the people who work backstage are adjusting to how things operate for a live wrestling show, so there are bound to be some hiccups along the way.
The company has fewer cameras than WWE, so big spots will occasionally be missed on television, and if there wasn't another camera in the right place, there is no replay to show us what happened.
Another issue has been the timing of commercials. Jim Ross will often throw to the break, but the show keeps running for several seconds. Sometimes, Ross will try to continue talking a moment later only to get cut off when the commercials begin to play.
Another issue is the lack of communication. When The Butcher and The Blade debuted, Ross had no idea who they were. Why is the crowd supposed to think these guys are a big deal if the company's own commentator is in the dark?
The same exact thing happened when The Dark Order first arrived on the scene. Ross, Tony Schiavone and Excalibur are supposed to be the people educating the viewers, and if they are not being given the information to do that, there is a breakdown in communication somewhere along the line.
It wouldn't be fair to expect a startup to have the same production value as a billion-dollar company like WWE, but it still needs to look like it belongs on television at the very least.
WWE: Follow Through with Pushing Superstars
5 of 6WWE has a bad habit of beginning to push someone toward the main event scene only to drop the ball or abandon that Superstar completely.
The biggest example of this in 2019 has been Drew McIntyre. He is one of the most intimidating people in the company and works well with a variety of Superstars. He is good on the mic and looks like the prototype for the perfect professional wrestler.
WWE has come close to putting him into the hunt for the WWE and Universal Championships a few times, only to pull back for some unknown reason.
In 2018, Braun Strowman was the guy who looked like he was guaranteed to win a top title. It never happened, and WWE has struggled to find new ways to use him without erasing what little momentum he has left.
If management is going to push someone, it needs to follow through and put all of its weight behind that person. The main event scene needs some fresh blood, and WWE has more than enough Superstars to shake things up in 2020.
AEW: A Midcard Championship
6 of 6AEW has a men's world title, women's world title and a set of Tag Team Championships. Somehow, this doesn't feel like enough.
Chris Jericho, Riho and SoCal Uncensored hold all the gold right now. The company needs a second singles title for the men's division in 2020 so more Superstars can be in the spotlight.
Guys like MJF, Darby Allin, Shawn Spears and Joey Janela need something to fight over before AEW feels like they are ready to pursue the World Heavyweight Championship.
It doesn't matter if they go with something traditional like a Television Championship or something a little more unconventional like a hardcore title as long as it is defended regularly in the midcard scene.
What is on your wish list for AEW and WWE in 2020?









