WWE: 20 Ways to Improve the WWE Right Now

No matter what year it is or how well the storylines seem to be going, WWE fans always seem to have one big issue.

You've been guilty of it, and so have I.

So, what is this "crime" that I speak of? Well, it's never being satisfied with the current state of the company, of course.

No worries. It's natural for us to always want something different, or better. I'm the same way.

That's why I decided to take a look at 20 ways the WWE can improve right now, and hopefully make us fans a little more satisfied with what we see each week on WWE programming.

20. Bring Back the Sit-Down Interviews

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LAS VEGAS - SEPTEMBER 19: WWE wrestler Triple H poses in the ring after the Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico welterweight bout at the MGM Grand Garden Arena September 19, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Image

Most recently, the WWE used sit-down interviews to further the feud between Triple H and The Undertaker prior to Wrestlemania 27.

And, I don't know about you, but they definitely made me want to see that match more than I thought I would.

The WWE's video production staff is absolutely incredible, and that's something that the WWE should take advantage of to improve its feuds and storylines.

19. Give Each Show Its Own Titantron

Anyone notice that the only real visual difference between Raw, Smackdown and NXT is the ring?

Well, how about reverting back to the old days when each show had its own, unique Titantron?

This obviously isn't a major change, but it would add something fresh to each show and establish it from the others.

18. Push Zack Ryder

Yes, I'm serious.

Zack Ryder has a HUGE following on the Internet, and the guy is actually incredibly talented and charismatic. Much more so than people realize.

Give this dude a push, and it may actually reap some benefits.

17. An Announcer Shakeup

As entertaining as I found Michael Cole's heel character when it first started, it's grown old, stale and redundant.

He needs to cut back on his heel antics and be sent back to Smackdown, where he's spent the majority of his career. 

Have Cole, Josh Mathews and Booker T on Friday nights, reunite Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler on Monday Night Raw, groom Mathews to be the next real "voice of the WWE" and then move him to Raw when Lawler steps away from broadcasting (which hopefully will be soon).

16. More "Sports," Less Entertainment

Promos are fine, and in fact, are an essential part of the wrestling business.  When done right, they definitely help build up storylines. 

Just don’t overdo them, and don’t put all these ridiculous backstage segments on the show that add virtually nothing to ongoing storylines.  

I’m 22 years old.  Like most older wrestling fans, I want to see two wrestlers do what they do best.  I want to see actual wrestling. 

Though WWE officials want you to think otherwise, wrestling is both “sports” and “entertainment."

Keep it that way.

15. Get Rid of the Gimmick Pay-Per-Views

Check out the WWE's pay-per-view schedule for the next year or so, and you've got Money in the Bank, Night of Champions, Hell in a Cell, TLC, Elimination Chamber and even Extreme Rules.

That is gimmick pay-per-view overkill.

Why? Because having that many TLC or Elimination Chamber matches one PPV show really takes away from the uniqueness of the match.

Whereas these types of matches used to be a rarity, now they're becoming the norm. So, by getting rid of (or at least limiting the amount of) the gimmick pay-per-views, we won't get sick of seeing the same "special" matches over and over again. 

14. Announce All the Matches BEFORE the PPV

The WWE consistently does this: It begins airing a pay-per-view broadcast with only five matches announced for the card, and then it adds another match or two during the broadcast.

I mean, how hard is it to announce those matches on Raw, Smackdown or even WWE.com? 

Not difficult at all. And it would actually generate more PPV buys because fans will pay to see their favorite wrestler if they know he's on the show.

13. Longer TV Matches

I realize that the WWE doesn't want to "give away" too much on free TV, but as fans, we deserve to see quality wrestling on a weekly basis.

That means that we want fewer three-minute matches and more classic bouts like we saw between Christian and Randy Orton on Friday's Smackdown.

Do it, WWE.

12. The Returns of Batista and Chris Jericho

Even though the WWE has to continue to build new stars, the bottom line is that fans will pay more money to see wrestlers who are already stars.

That's why the returns of Batista and Chris Jericho would be great for business, because both of these guys were ON FIRE when they left the company.

If they came back at some point in 2011, it would provide a nice lift to the WWE.

11. Show That the Divas Division Actually Matters

With the recent debut of Kharma, I'm a bit more optimistic about the Divas division than I have been in the last few years. 

But it's not like I'm doing flips and cartwheels because Kharma's now a WWE Diva.

I just hope that she provides a spark to women's wrestling in the WWE, which is about all we can ask for. 

After all, no one's really expecting much out of the Divas division. So, if the creative team actually puts some effort into booking it, I'd be happy.

10. Build an Actual Tag Team Division

Who doesn't want to see an improved tag team division? The answer, of course, is nobody.

Obviously, the WWE has placed little to no emphasis on tag teams, and the division is a far cry from what it was during the days of Edge and Christian, the Hardys, the Dudleys and the TLC matches.

But I'm not even asking for the creative team to give us a tag division that is as good as that one was. Just one that actually matters.

9. Longer Title Reigns

This is another one of those things I really don’t need to explain because it’s pretty simple: the titles (WWE and World Heavyweight) change hands way too many times. 

By my count, the WWE Championship changed hands six times between Feb. 21, 2010 and Nov. 22, 2010, which is absolutely absurd.  It really hurts the prestige of the title and takes away the shock value of a title change. 

Just give someone a long title run at some point in 2011, like the creative team did with The Miz's five-month reign from the end of 2010 to last month.  Then, when the champ loses, the fans actually might not expect it.

8. Out with the PG Rating

Yeah, I know the PG rating is much better for marketing the product, attracting advertisers, etc.  But the PG rating has made the product dull at times and has diminished the quality of TV and pay-per-view shows. 

When you have pay-per-views like Hell in a Cell, TLC, and Extreme Rules, you need blood. A little color goes a long way and helps the storytelling in these matches.

The PG rating also hurts the feuds overall.  How are you going to show anger on a show when you are forced to call someone a "human jar of mayonnaise" rather than a jackass (or something along those lines)? 

I’m not asking for an R rating.  Just give me something. 

You can make homophobic remarks, but you can’t say the word “ass?”  I’m not buying that for a second.  

7. Place an Emphasis on the Secondary Titles

Raise your hand if you are highly intrigued by the current United States and Intercontinental Championship scenes.

I counted exactly zero hands just now.

The WWE needs to make these belts matter by giving the titleholders legitimate feuds and placing them in pay-per-view matches on a consistent basis.

Seriously, it's that simple.

6. Get Rid of the Anonymous Raw GM

A computer running a weekly TV show? Really?

That's like having my iPad trying to run my business. It's completely illogical and makes exactly zero sense, especially when you consider that the WWE's computer is actually a piece of paper that Michael Cole reads off of.

Enough with the anonymous Raw GM already. Name an actual GM, and move on.

5. Shock Us!

The last time I was truly shocked while watching the WWE was last year when Nexus interrupted the Raw main event and wreaked havoc on anyone and everything in/around the ring.

Other than that? I can't really remember when my jaw literally dropped.

I've been disappointed with the predictability we've seen from the creative team, and I don't want to see it anymore.

What I want to see is something I've never seen before!

4. Decrease the Number of PPVs

Let me start out by saying that having more than 12 pay-per-views per year is absolutely ridiculous—the majority of WWE fans don't have the money to purchase that many PPVs, and the ones that do don't want to see the same match just three weeks after they last saw it.

While Vince McMahon would NEVER do this, I think the WWE would be smart to limit the amount of PPVs to around eight or 10 per calendar year.

It would give the WWE more time to build better storylines, and it might actually increase PPV revenue with a dramatic increase in the number of buys per pay-per-view.

3. Establish New Main Eventers

The WWE has actually done a pretty good job at elevating wrestlers over the last year or two, with guys like Sheamus, The Miz and Christian moving from the mid-card to main event status.

But we need more than just a few new superstars to make the transition to the top of the card.

With the retirements (or semi-retirements) of Triple H, The Undertaker and Edge, the creative team absolutely has to push guys like Dolph Ziggler, R-Truth, Jack Swagger, Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre, and then stay behind their push.

2. Turn John Cena Heel

I get it, John Cena is the face of the WWE, and he sells a boatload of merchandise. Blah, blah, blah.

But his character's grown to be so boring and repetitive that the ONLY thing that will save it is a heel turn.

And with his ongoing feud against The Rock, now is the perfect time to do it.

1. Re-Do the 2011 WWE Draft

If we're going to compare the 2011 WWE Draft Raw with the NFL Draft, then Raw came away with about 15 first-round picks while Smackdown came away with about three (Sheamus, Christian and Randy Orton).

It's just that the blue brand got the shaft in this one, and they're already lacking in star power at the top.

While Raw has John Cena, The Miz, CM Punk, John Morrison, Dolph Ziggler, Alberto Del Rio, Rey Mysterio and so on and so forth, Smackdown really only has three surefire main eventers (those guys I mentioned).

Truth is, there are already reports that Vince McMahon is unhappy with the rosters following the draft. I don't blame him.

You can't stack the Raw roster and expect Smackdown to be stacked, too.