10 Major Challenges Facing WWE In 2018

The always entertaining (if partially unreliable) Bruce Prichard 'Something To Wrestle' podcast recently covered the highs and sighs of December 2001 pay-per-view Vengeance in tribute to Chris Jericho's Wrestle Kingdom 12 battle with Kenny Omega.

Far more revealing that any particular insights on 'Y2J' defying the odds and becoming the first Undisputed Champion though were the notes on the company and industry at the time in the wake of WCW's real-life and kayfabe collapse that year.

Like numerous observers have suggested since Vince McMahon monopolised the game in 2001, right-hand-man Prichard shared the belief that a lack of cogent competition extinguished the creative fire burning brightest within the Chairman, even to the extent that crushing the Atlanta brand within his own organisation was a necessary evil.

Not since then has McMahon faced legitimate opposition to his vision of Sports Entertainment, and he's admirably galvanised the brand leadership status in the process. However, a noted paradigm shift after TNA's abject failure to step to WWE in early-2010 saw the grass roots sprout into something truly beautiful.

The independent scene became a feasible avenue of employment for countless performers outside the WWE bubble, whilst New Japan Pro Wrestling emerged from their own wilderness off the back of transcendent displays from Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada and others.

2017 in wrestling set innumerable new precedents, but McMahon and WWE just about held firm as the industry standard. Might 2018 finally be the year the facade takes its first major hit in over 20 years?

It was impossible even for WWE purists to ignore the huge buzz around New Japan Pro Wrestling as 2018 commenced, with the anticipation for Wrestle Kingdom 12 reaching heights anew thanks to the years-long consistency of their product and the passing trade afforded by Chris Jericho's clash with Kenny Omega.

The test comes now for NJPW to follow through on the capturing the eyes of the world like never before, but early signs are encouraging.

Korakuen Hall's New Year Dash follow-up event was the city's hottest ticket, whilst the New Japan World streaming service boasted a 35% increase in subscribers.

Crucially for the company, both events delivered in spades. As with the last few iterations of the show, Wrestle Kingdom was another legendary card, whilst New Year Dash made shrewd use of a returning 'Y2J' as well as all the major players coming out of the Tokyo Dome 24 hours earlier.

Like the WWE Network, New Japan World offers fans the opportunity to revisit countless events from their storied history, contextualising characters and conflicts for new followers in a manageable manner. This is only likely to further drag many of the recent subscribers down a bigger rabbit hole. Nearly 20 years after he had to truly fight for attention, how is Vince McMahon braced for battle?