10 Big Lessons WWE Must Learn From 2016
Is it time to finally put an end to the Superman push?
2016 has been a year of contrasts for WWE. Niche projects like the Cruiserweight Classic and NXT's TakeOver specials have drawn plaudits from all corners, AJ Styles has breathed new life into the company's main event scene, and the Brand Split has improved SmackDown immeasurably.
In terms of high points, 2016 has greatly exceeded 2015, and that's without considering the Women's Revolution, Dean Ambrose's World Title win, and Chris Jericho's resurgence into account. With all that said, it'd be wrong to call 2016 a "good" year amidst the current ratings crisis, even if things finally look to be on the upswing again.
Raw's viewership hit a historic low in September, but poor viewing figures are far from WWE's only problem these days. 2016 brought a poor WrestleMania, the release of popular stars like Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow, a slew of screwy PPV match finishes, and Raw has barely changed since the Brand Split.
For each of 2016's successes, there's something to balance it out, and 2016 has been far from quiet. Whether good or bad, this year has provided plenty for WWE to stew over, and if they use this information to make the right decisions heading into 2017, those low ratings could become a thing of the past.
Mistakes are inevitable, and WWE will never be perfect, but 2016's biggest talking points present plenty of opportunities for growth over the next calendar year. Here are 10 big lessons WWE must learn from 2016.
10. Three's A Crowd, But Four's Ridiculous
WWE’s commentary situation has been a problem since Jim Ross transitioned out of the booth and Jerry Lawler stopped caring. Sadly, the company’s announcers have become glorified hype men who speak almost exclusively in soundbites and rarely sell the action. It can’t be easy trying to do your job with a crazy billionaire barking in your ear all show long, but Michael Cole & co. actively detract from the product when they should be enhancing it.
Mauro Ranallo and Corey Graves have eased things somewhat, but they’re still stuck in a bad situation. Ranallo has suffered the most, and if being paired with the insufferable JBL and clueless David Otunga wasn’t enough, NXT’s play-by-play man Tom Phillips was added to the SmackDown booth a few weeks ago.
Phillips is a solid commentator, but a four-man team is far too crowded. The number of competing voices sees SD’s announcers waiting their turn to speak rather than bouncing-off each other naturally, and their interactions have become a stunted mess. Three announcers is usually too much in the first place, but four is complete overkill, and a big hinderance to SmackDown’s excellent weekly show.
Hopefully somebody within the company recognises this soon, and strips the booth back to where its occupants can talk to each other like humans again.